"Thinking of buying him, sir?" asked the chauffeur respectfully."
"I've already bought him," confessed Fred ruefully.
Flannery whistled softly. Then he took the pony by the bridle, dragging him along over the ground at a trot, the crowd making way for him.
"Wind-broken," announced the ex-coachman, leading the trembling animal back. "Bad case, too."
"A veterinary can cure that," Fred declared, speaking more airily than his feelings warranted.
"Hm!" replied Flannery dryly. "You find the veterinary, Master Fred, and I'll show the gentleman how to make his fortune if he can cure wind-broken horses."
"Then what good is the pony?" demanded Fred in exasperation.
"Well, the hide ought to fetch three dollars, and there are a good many pounds of soap fat in him," replied Flannery slowly.
"And is that all the good there is in this pony?" cried Ripley.
He felt like screaming.
"It's all the good I can see in him, sir," replied Flannery.