Crane started. It jarred him to hear this horseman refer to Allis as “the Porter gal.”
“Redpath told her,” proceeded Langdon, “that when he saw he couldn't quite win he pulled his mount off to keep her dark for the Derby.”
“How do you know this?”
“A boy in my stable happened to be in the stall an' heard 'em.”
“Who's the boy? Can you believe him?”
“It's Shandy. He used to be with the Porters.”
Like a flash it came to Crane that the spy must be the one who had written him the note about Faust and the change of saddles.
“Well, that doesn't affect us, that I can see,” commented Crane. “I'm not backing their mare.”
“It means,” declared Langdon, with great earnestness, “that if Lucretia could have beat all the others but Diablo, she has a rosy chance for the Derby; that's what it means. The Black got away with a flyin' start, and she wore him down, almost beat him; I doubt if The Dutchman could do that much. She was givin' him a little weight, too.”
“Well, we can't help it. I've backed The Dutchman to win a small fortune, and I'm going to stand by it. You're in it to the extent of ten thousand, as you know, and we've just got to try and beat her with our colt; that's all there is to it.”