"He's fit, is he?"
"Fitter than a snake! We're getting 8 and 10 to 1 in the pool rooms all over the Coast, and I wish we'd gone even stronger with him. Here comes Curry now. Listen to me kid him!"
The old man entered the paddock from the betting ring, bound for Elijah's stall. Johnson halted him with a shout. "Well, old Stick-in-the-mud! You trying to-day?"
"I'm always tryin'," answered Curry mildly. "My hosses are always tryin' too."
"Wish you a lot of luck!"
"Same to you, sir; same to you."
"But everybody can't win."
"True as gospel. I found that out right here at this track."
Old Man Curry continued on his way as calm and untroubled as if his pockets were not loaded down with pasteboards calling for a small fortune in the event of Elijah's winning the race. His instructions to Little Mose were brief:
"Get away in front and stay there."