Red Beak Jim was sitting on the seat of the hack, with his legs crossed, smoking a pipe. He looked interested when the four came along.
"Youse people must have all kinds," said he.
They climbed into the hack without a word.
"D'je play that one?" inquired Red Beak Jim, picking up the lines.
"Ask me aunt," growled the main guy.
Red Beak Jim clucked at the horses, and they moved off in good style.
The hackman pulled the horses up alongside the step in front of the first roadhouse.
"Hey, don't get too glad all of a sudden," growled the main guy to Red Beak Jim. "Who told you to do that?"
Red Beak Jim disposed of the lines and stepped down without making any reply, while the four watched him gloomily. Then he grinned, hoisted up the right-hand front flap of his livery coat, dug into his right-hand trousers pocket and pulled out a wad about the size of a healthy cantaloupe.
"I'll ask youse gents to split a couple o' quarts on me," said Red Beak Jim. "I got 8 to 1 f'r me forty."