k.

"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,