“You’ll get dat back.”
“I don’t see how.”
“If de hoss don’t start all de bets will be declared off, won’t dey?”
Nick sat for some moments in silence.
“Here are the two schemes,” he thought. “Johnson wants the horse to run and be beaten, and Brower does not want the beast to start.”
“Wa’t do you say?”
Nick was thinking fast, and did not answer for some time.
“I’m responsible for the Brower end of the scheme,” he thought. “The fellow doesn’t dare to risk his ten thousand dollars.”
The detective smiled as he thought how little confidence crooked sporting men have in each other’s word.
“In this case,” he thought, “it may be that Brower doubts Johnson’s ability to fix the horse. He’s afraid of some failure in the plan at the last moment.”