e Lost horse
and, loudly declaring that he would bring back Sunfish, led Smoky
limping back to the pasture. He returned soon, leading the buckskin. The
crowd surged closer, gave Sunfish a glance and whooped again. Bud's face
was red with apparent anger, his eyes snapped. He faced them defiantly,
his hand on Sunfish's thin, straggling mane.

"You're such good sports, you'll surely appreciate my feelings when I
say that this horse is mine, and I'm going to run him and back him to
win!" he cried. "I may be a darn fool, but I'm no piker. I know what
this horse can do when I try to catch him up on a frosty morning--and
I'm going to see if he can't go just as fast and just as long when I'm
on him as he can when I'm after him."

"We'll go yuh, kid! I'll bet yuh five to one," a man shouted. "You name
the amount yourself."

"Fifty," said Bud, and the man nodded and jotted down the amount.

"Bud, you're a damn fool. I'll bet you a hundred and make it ten to
one," drawled Dave, stroking Boise's face affectionately while he looked
superciliously at Sunfish standing half asleep in the clamor, with his
head sagging at the end of his long, ewe neck. "But if you'll take my
advice, go turn that fool horse back in the pasture and run the bay if
you must run something."

"The bay's a rope horse. I don't want to spoil him by running him. That
little horse saved my life, down in the Sinks. No, Sunfish has run times
enough from me--now he 's got to run for me, by thunder. I'll bet on
him, too!"

Jeff pushed his way through to Bud. He was smiling with that crafty
look in his eyes which should have warned a child that the smile went no
deeper than his lips.

"Bud, doggone it, I like yore nerve. Besides, you owe me something for
the way you trimmed me last Sunday. I'll just give you fifteen to one,
and you put up Skeeter at seventy-five, and as much money as yo're a
mind to. A pile of it come out of my pocket, so-"

"Well, don't holler your head off, Jeff. How's two hundred?"

"Suits me, kid." He winked at the others, who knew how sure a thing he
had to back his wager. "It 'll be a lot of money if I should lose--"
He turned suddenly to Dave. "How much was that you put up agin the kid,
Dave?"

"One hundred dollars, and a ten-to-one shot I win," Dave drawled. "That
ought to satisfy yuh it ain't a frame-up. The kid's crazy, that's all."

"Oh! Am I?" Bud turned hotly. "Well, I've bet half of all the money
I have in the world. And I'm