' me fer days. But I kept fightin' shy of it
till Lucy got hold of me."

"Bostil sent you? Why?"

"Reckon you can guess. He can't sleep, thinkin' about your red hoss.
None of us ever seen Bostil have sich a bad case. He raised Sage King.
But he's always been crazy fer a great wild stallion. An' here you come
along--an' your hoss jumps the King--an' there's trouble generally."

"Holley, do you think Wildfire can beat Sage King?" asked Slone,
eagerly.

"Reckon I do. Lucy says so, an' I'll back her any day. But, son, I
ain't paradin' what I think. I'd git in bad myself. Farlane an' the
other boys, they're with Bostil. Van he's to blame fer thet. He's
takin' a dislike to you, right off. An' what he tells Bostil an' the
boys about thet race don't agree with what Lucy tells me. Lucy says
Wildfire ran fiery an' cranky at the start. He wanted to run round an'
kill the King instead of racin'. So he was three lengths behind when
Macomber dropped the flag. Lucy says the King got into his stride. She
knows. An' there Wildfire comes from behind an' climbs all over the
King! ... Van tells a different story."

"It came off just as Lucy told you," declared Slone. "I saw every move."

"Wal, thet's neither here nor there. What you're up ag'in is this.
Bostil is sore since you called him. But he holds himself in because he
hasn't given up hope of gittin' Wildfire. An', Slone, you're sure wise,
ain't you, thet if Bostil doesn't buy him you can't stay on here?"

"I'm wise. But I won't sell Wildfire," replied Slone, doggedly.

"Wal, I'd never wasted my breath tellin' you all this if I hadn't
figgered about Lucy. You've got her to think of."

Slone turned on Holley passionately. "You keep hintin' there's a hope
for me, when I know there's none!"

"You're only a boy," replied Holley. "Son, where there's life there's
hope. I ain't a-goin' to tell you agin thet I know Lucy Bostil."

Slone could not stand nor walk nor keep still. He was shaking from head
to foot.

"Wildfire's not mine to sell. He's Lucy's!" confessed Slone.

"The devil you say!" ejaculated Holley, and he nearly dropped his pipe.

"I gave Wildfire to her. She accepted him. It was DONE. Then--then I
lost my head an' made her mad.... An'--she said she'd ride him in the
race, but wouldn't keep him. But he IS hers."

"Oho! I see. Slone, I was goin' to advise you to sell Wildfire--all on
account of Lucy. You're young an' you'd have a big start in life if you
would. Bu