Frank Merriwells Races | Page 3

"I wouldn't mind putting Nemo into a race just to see what sort of stuff
there is in him," admitted Frank.
"Why don't you do it?" cried Diamond, eagerly.
"I wouldn't want to enter him in any of the races around here."
"Take him to New York."
"No; those races are beyond my limit. All I want to do is try him for my
own satisfaction."
"Then run him into the Mystic Park races at Bethany. You can do that
quietly enough."
"That's so," said Browning. "You can do that without attracting too
much attention to yourself."
"We'll all go up and see the race," declared Griswold. "It will be great
sport. Do it, old man!"
"But where can I get a jockey I can trust?"
"You'll have to scrub around for one, and take chances."
"No!" cried Merriwell, as a sudden thought struck him. "I can do better
than that."

"How?"
"I have the fellow."
"Who?"
"A colored boy at home. He is fond of horses."
"Has he ever ridden in a race?"
"Twice."
"Did he win?"
"Once. My uncle, who kindly left me his fortune, was a crank on fast
horses, and he owned a number of them. Toots could ride some of them
that would allow nobody else to mount them. Uncle Asher had horses
in the races every year, but he was often 'done' by his jockeys. He knew
it well enough, but he found it impossible to get the sort of jockey he
wanted. Toots begged to ride a race, but he was a little shaver, and
uncle was afraid. Finally, one day, just before a race was to come off,
Uncle Asher discovered that his jockey had sold out. At the last
moment he fired the fellow, and was forced to let Toots ride, or
withdraw his horse. Toots rode, and won. The next time he rode he
might have won, but the horse was doped."
"He's just the chap you want!" nodded Jack, with satisfaction. "Put
Nemo into the Bethany races, and let Toots ride him."
"I'll think of it," said Frank.
A hostler approached the group.
"Howdy do, Mr. Merriwell, sir?" he said. "One of your friends called to
see your horse this morning, sir."
"One of my friends?" cried Frank, in surprise. "Who was it?"
"He gave his name as Diamond, sir--Jack Diamond."

Merriwell immediately turned on Jack and asked:
"Hello, how about this? Did you call to see Nemo this morning?"
"Not much!" exclaimed Jack. "This is the first time I have been here.
The hostler is mistaken."
"You must have misunderstood your visitor, Grody," said Frank. "He
could not have given his name as Jack Diamond, for this is Jack
Diamond here."
The man stared at Jack, and then shook his head.
"That's not the feller," he declared.
"Of course not. Your visitor must have given you some other name."
"Not on your life," returned Grody, promptly. "He said his name was
Jack Diamond, sir, and I will swear to that."
"Well, this is somewhat interesting!" came grimly from Frank. "What
did he do, Grody?"
"He looked Nemo over, sir."
"Looked Nemo over how--in what way?"
"Why, I offered to take Nemo out of the stall, but he said no, not to
bother, as he only wished to glance at the horse. He went to the stall,
which same I showed him, and looked in. The door wasn't locked, for I
had just been cleanin' the stall out. He opened the door and stood there
some little time. First thing I knew he was gone. I went and looked into
the stall, and he was examinin' Nemo's feet. He seemed wonderful
interested in the horse, and I saw by the way he acted he knew
something about horses."
"The interest deepens," observed Frank. "Go on, Grody."
"When he came out of the stall he says to me, says he, 'Merriwell has

struck a right good piece of horseflesh there.' Says I, 'In the best of my
judgment he has, sir.' Says he, 'I understand he paid a fancy figure for
the gelding, something like a thousand, he told me.' Says I, 'If he told
you that I have no doubt he told you correct, sir.' Then says he, 'Does
he mean to race him?' 'That,' says I, 'bein' a friend of Mr. Merriwell, is
something what you should know as well as I, or better.' Then he says,
says he, 'Horses is mighty uncertain property, for you never can tell
what may happen to them.' In this I agreed with him, but there was
something about him I didn't like much. Then he went away."
Frank whistled.
"This is highly interesting," exclaimed Frank. "What did this fellow
look like, Grody? Can you describe him?"
"Well, I looked him over rather careful like,