“These people are weal coarse,” said Nick, turning to Steve; “I shall leave the place.”
By this time the clerk was endeavoring by shaking his head and other motions to induce the roughs to let his customer alone until the bet had been made, but[{36}] the fellows were half intoxicated, and were bent on having a crack at the dude.
“Take dat wid ye!” said one of them, aiming a blow at Nick’s face.
Nick’s guard was up in a moment, and a second later two astonished loafers were rolling over each other on the floor.
“I like that,” said Steve, with a hearty laugh. “You’re a brick, if you are a dude. If you’ll drive me over to de track I’ll show you de hosses. I’ve got a date over there about this time.”
The toughs did not appear anxious to renew the contest, so Nick and his new friend left the place and were driven away.
CHAPTER V.
A JOCKEY IN TROUBLE.
The carriage containing the dude and the man Morris whom he had picked up at the saloon stopped at a roadhouse a short distance from the stables.
Nick was not yet posted regarding the conference at the saloon between Morris and the man Brower, who had summoned him there.
He was satisfied that some scheme was on foot which had nothing to do with the plot engineered by Johnson, who had staked forty thousand dollars against twenty thousand of James Wheeler’s money that Denver Bay would not win the race.