Chapter VI: Wanted--A Deputy Sheriff

About two o’clock in the afternoon of the same day the sheriff was somewhat surprised at seeing a dudish-looking fellow walking into his private office unannounced.

He glanced up impatiently from his writing, but immediately resumed his work.

“Transact your business in the outer office, please,” he said.

“Aw,” said the dude, gazing stupidly through his one eye-glass, “are you the person in powah?”

“Transact your business in the outer office,” repeated the sheriff, peremptorily.

“Cawn’t do it, me deah boy.”

The sheriff threw himself angrily around in his revolving chair and faced the intruder.

“What do you want?” he demanded.

The dude closed the office door carefully and threw himself into a chair in front of the irate official.

“I have an idea,” he said, in his natural tone of voice, “that there may be a racket at the racing stables to-night, and I want an understanding with your men.”

“Who are you?”

“Nick Carter, at your service.”

“Well, well!” exclaimed the sheriff, extending his hand, “you would deceive your own mother in that rig.”

“All in the way of business,” said Nick, with a smile.

“I begin to recognize you now, although it has been a long time since I have had the pleasure of putting eyes on you.”

“I’ve been rather busy, and the fact of the matter is that I am rather crowded for time now. You have men at the track, I suppose?”

“Certainly. The police are supposed to keep order there, but we always have men on hand to look out for pickpockets and notorious criminals who are wanted here and in other places.”

“Shall you have men at the stables to-night?”

“There are half a dozen there, I believe, who have been engaged to look after the safety of the horses.”

“Will you be kind enough to give me a note to one of them?”

“Certainly, I’ll drive over with you if you think it necessary.”

“I think it would be better not. I’m handling a peculiar case in which I have constituted myself judge, jury, and executioner, and I think it will be better for me to go alone.”

“As you choose. You know, Mr. Carter, that you can command me in any way.”

“Well, it may be necessary for me to make an arrest there to-night. If so, I want to have one of your men within reach so that I can place the prisoner into his hands at once.”

“That’s easily accomplished. I will write you a note which will place all the deputies in that vicinity directly under your charge.”

“After the arrest--if one is made--I want the prisoner hustled away and lodged in jail without any fuss being made over it.”

“In other words, you don’t want the people around there to know that an arrest has been made.”

“That’s it exactly.”

The sheriff wrote busily for some moments, and then handed the detective a slip of paper, which he had placed into an unsealed envelope.

“There you are,” he said. “Show that to any man you see wearing my badge and your orders will be promptly obeyed.”

Thanking the sheriff for his assistance, Nick hastened away.

At dusk that night a carriage drove slowly along in front of the road house.

A few yards from the front of the house a young boy in a jockey uniform was standing.

“Here you are, boy,” called a voice from the carriage. “Jump in quick.”

The boy sprang nimbly into the vehicle.

As he took his seat he glanced hastily at the only other occupant, and started back in alarm.

“You’re looking for the dude who saved you a thrashing this morning?”

“Yes, sir. Did he send you?”

“Yes,” said Nick, nodding to the driver to proceed. “Are you employed at the stable where Denver Bay is kept?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, I want to sleep there to-night.”

The boy glanced keenly at the coarse and ill-fitting garments of the pretended countryman who sat on the seat beside him, and asked:

“Ain’t you got no other place to stay?”

“Never mind that. I have taken a notion to sleep in the stable to-night.”

“You don’t mean no harm?”

“Not a bit, my boy.”

“Well, I guess I can slide you in, but there’d be an awful racket if they should find out.”

“I’ll take all the chances on the racket.”

“Be you the duffer what give the man a whippin’ this mornin’?”

“Do I look like him?”

“Not a bit.”

“Well, I’m the same man, and if I did you a favor to-day you must do me one to-night.”

“Ain’t I goin’ to let you into the stables?”

“You must do more than that.”

“What is it?”

“You must never say a word about my being in there--never speak or hint of it to a living soul.”

“You bet I won’t if you don’t want me to.”

“Does any one watch the stables at night?”

“Oh, dere’s folks around dere, but dey don’t watch very close.”

“Is any one supposed to sleep anywhere near Denver Bay?”

“No, sir--not very near.”

“What time can you let me in?”

“You come to the big doors about ten o’clock. Den if any one sees you dey’ll think you’re one of de men working around there.”

“That’s just the thing. When I get in point out Denver Bay’s stall, and go away as if nothing had happened.”

“Is de Bay goin’ to win de race to-morrow?”

“I hope so.”

“I hope so, too. He’s a dandy horse.”

After some further conversation the detective let the boy out of the carriage, and a few moments later left it himself.

The night was quite dark, and the lights still burning about the stables had very little effect at ten o’clock, when the detective made his appearance at the place indicated by the boy.

The jockey was in waiting for him, and soon had him snugly stowed away under Denver Bay’s manger.

The horse did not seem to relish this invasion of his private domain to any great extent, but save a few snorts and an emphatic stamp or two, he paid little attention to his unbidden guest.

There were sounds of voices about the place for some time after the detective had secured his position, but just before midnight all grew still.

Now and then a steady footstep sounded in the distance, but in the immediate vicinity all was quiet.

“Now I wonder,” thought Nick, “if that sheriff’s officer is attending strictly to business. He seems to be an intelligent and nervy sort of chap, and I guess I can trust him.”

After what seemed hours to the waiting detective, he heard an inner door opened cautiously and the footfalls of two persons were heard stealthily advancing toward the place where he lay concealed.

“That’s the horse over there,” said a voice which he had no difficulty in recognizing as that of Morris.

“You take the iron and do the work,” said Brower, in a whisper.

“Not much. I’m not laming race horses for a living just now.”

“You’ve done worse than that before now.”

“Well, everything I ever tackled had some sort of a show.”

“Will you obey my orders?”

“I will not.”

“Then I’ll do it myself. You stand here and watch.”

“Now, then,” thought Nick, “I wonder if that deputy sheriff is near the door.”

Just then the low yelp of a dog sounded from the outside.

“That’s he!” he thought.

“Hark!” whispered Brower, “what was that noise?”

“Some dog hunting for a bone or a place to sleep, I suppose.”

“Hunting us, probably.”

“You’re a coward.”

“The fact is, I don’t like this sort of thing.”

“Then leave it.”

“And leave my ten-thousand dollar stake against a thousand? Not much.”

“You were a fool to make that bet.”

“I know that as well as you do, but I was crowded into it.”

“You’re better at lifting money from a Wall Street office than at anything else, I guess.”

“Hush! you had your share of the money, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I had it until you got me into a poker game.”

“Well, I presume the broker has made twenty thousand since that time. So it don’t matter.”

“This is no place to talk over such things. Do your work, and let’s get out of here.”

“I hope the Bay will kick his head off,” thought Nick, as the man approached the head of the stall.

“Now, gentlemen,” spoke a voice from out the darkness, “I have the drop on you, and if you make a move until I say the word I’ll blow your brains out.”

Nick spoke the last word in a loud tone of voice, and in response to the signal the door swung open and a bright light flashed into the place.

Behind the light was an officer’s badge, and at the right of the badge was a steady arm carrying a cocked revolver.

Before the two culprits could recover from their astonishment or lift a hand, the cool voice in the darkness continued:

“You see how it is, gentlemen, two men have the drop on you, so you may as well give in.”

“Hold steady there, Mr. Officer, while I slip on the bracelets.”

Almost before the men could realize their true position, they were handcuffed and helpless.

“It’s just this way,” said Nick, still keeping in the shadow, “nothing is to be said about your attempt to lame Denver Bay.”

“What are we arrested for, then?” gasped Brower.

“For the larceny of twenty thousand dollars from James Wheeler’s office in Wall Street not long ago.”

“Where is your proof?”

“Never mind the proof now. There is a carriage waiting outside. If you make any noise here, or in the future give any intimation of the place of your arrest, it will only damage your case with the court.”

They offered no further remonstrance, and were soon in a carriage on their way to the county jail in charge of two deputy sheriffs.

A few men lounging about the place saw the men enter the carriage, but no one suspected that the elegantly attired gentleman and the rough-looking hostler were handcuffed together.

As Nick stood watching the carriage when it was driven off he felt a soft pull at his coat.

“My!” said the voice of a jockey, “wasn’t that a slick job?”

“You little scamp!” said Nick, with a smile, “did you see that?”

“You bet I did. Don’t you s’pose I wanted to know what you was stayin’ in dere for?”

“Suppose I had stayed there all night?”

“Den I wouldn’t have got no sleep.”

“Suppose I had hurt the horse?”

“Then I’d have clawed your eyes out.”

“You think a good deal of that horse, don’t you?”

“Course I does.”

“Then you stick close to him to-morrow.”

“You bet I will. I’m goin’ to ride him.”

“Well, if you see a new hostler hanging around him on the track, you ask him if he doesn’t think he’s a dude. If he says he was a dude yesterday you go on about your business and let him alone. Understand?”

“All right. Guess I know who de new man’ll be.”

“Well, don’t you open your mouth about what has taken place here to-night, and keep equally still about to-morrow’s work.”

The boy nodded and turned away.

“And now,” thought Nick, as he walked toward the hotel, “I’ve got the biggest scheme of all to face in the morning.”