Page:Castlemon--Joe Wayring at Home.djvu/228

 "Why, didn't you say that you were down on Wayring and Hastings, and that you did not want to see them win any of the races?" inquired Scott.

"I did."

"And didn't you promise that you would help us win?" chimed in Frank Noble.

"No, I didn't. When you told me what your programme was, I simply said: 'All right.' By that I meant that you could do as you pleased, and my cousins and I would do as we pleased. You were very good to yourselves when you picked out all the best races for your own men, and left us out in the cold, were you not? We do not consider that we are under obligations to abide by any such arrangement, and we shan't do it. We've got a programme of our own that we mean to carry out if we can, and the fellow who interferes with us in any way may make up his mind to take the consequences."

So saying Tom walked off followed by his cousins, leaving Prime and his companions lost in wonder.

"Serves us just right for having any thing