“You’re beat,” said one, as the runners reached the corner.
“I guess I ain’t no good,” said Nick, as Amos came back.
“Hello, there,” said Amos, all out of breath, “you’re trying to put on my vest.”
“That’s so,” said Nick, with a wink. “It looks a little newer than mine.”
Amos put on the garment, threw on his coat, and hastened to the rear end of the barn, where Nick plainly saw him fumbling with a box which he had taken from the vest pocket.
“You’ll find a pill there, all right enough,” thought Nick, as he walked away, “but not one calculated to make a horse lose a race. In the meantime,” he added, rolling a hard, round substance in his pocket, “I’ll keep this and have it analyzed.[{58}]”
CHAPTER VIII.
A SURPRISE.
The race track is all excitement.
People fight their way through the crowd to the bookmakers, and deposit their money, many of them placing it on Denver Bay.
Finally the rakes and brooms are called from the track.