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“What was the proposition?” asked Tish.

“Well,” he said, “it was something like this. I’ve been turning the trick all over the country and it works like a charm. The town’s ahead in money and business, for an automobile race always brings a big crowd; the track owners make the gate money and the racing-cars get the prizes. Everybody’s ahead. It’s a clean sport too.”

“I don’t approve of racing for money,” Tish said decidedly.

But Mr. Ellis shrugged his shoulders. “It’s really hardly racing for money,” he explained. “The prizes cover the expenses of the racing-cars, which are heavy naturally. The cars alone cost a young fortune.”

“I see,” said Tish. “I hadn’t thought of it in that light. Well, why didn’t Morris Valley jump at the chance?”

He hesitated a moment before he answered. “It was my fault really,” he said. “They were willing enough to have the races, but it was a matter of money. I made them a proposition to duplicate whatever prize money they offered, and in return I was to have half the gate receipts and the betting privileges.”

Tish quite stiffened. “Clean sport!” she said sarcastically. “With betting privileges!”

“You don’t quite understand, dear lady,” he explained. “Even in the cleanest sport we cannot prevent a man’s having an opinion and backing it with his own money. What I intended to do was to regulate it. Regulate it.”

Tish was quite mollified. “Well, of course,” she said, “I suppose since it must be, it is better–er,–regulated. But why haven’t you succeeded?”

“An unfortunate thing happened just as I had the deal about to close,” he replied, and drew a long breath. “The town had raised twenty-five hundred. I was to duplicate the amount. But just at that time a–a young brother of mine in the West got into difficulties, and I–but why go into family matters? It would have been easy enough for me to pay my part of the purse out of my share of the gate money; but the committee demands cash on the table. I haven’t got it.”

Tish stood up in her car and looked out over the track.

“Twenty-five hundred dollars is a lot of money, young man.”

“Not so much when you realize that the gate money will probably amount to twelve thousand.”

Tish turned and surveyed the grandstand.

“That thing doesn’t seat twelve hundred.”

“Two thousand people in the grandstand–that’s four thousand dollars. Four thousand standing inside the ropes at a dollar each, four thousand more. And say eight hundred machines parked in the oval there at five dollars a car, four thousand more. That’s twelve thousand for the gate money alone. Then there are the concessions to sell peanuts, toy balloons, lemonade and palm-leaf fans, the lunch-stands, merry-go-round and moving-picture permits. It’s a bonanza! Fourteen thousand anyhow.”

“Half of fourteen thousand is seven,” said Tish dreamily. “Seven thousand less twenty-five hundred is thirty-five hundred dollars profit.”

“Forty-five hundred, dear lady,” corrected Mr. Ellis, watching her. “Forty-five hundred dollars profit to be made in two weeks, and nothing to do to get it but sit still and watch it coming!”

I can read Tish like a book and I saw what was in her mind. “Letitia Carberry!” I said sternly. “You take my warning and keep clear of this foolishness. If money comes as easy as that it ain’t honest.”

“Why not?” demanded Mr. Ellis. “We give them their money’s worth, don’t we? They’d pay two dollars for a theater seat without half the thrills–no chances of seeing a car turn turtle or break its steering-knuckle and dash into the side-lines. Two dollars’ worth? It’s twenty!”

But Tish had had a moment to consider, and the turning-turtle business settled it. She shook her head. “I’m not interested, Mr. Ellis,” she said coldly. “I couldn’t sleep at night if I thought I’d been the cause of anything turning turtle or dashing into the side-lines.”

“Dear lady!” he said, shocked; “I had no idea of asking you to help me out of my difficulties. Anyhow, while matters are at a standstill probably some shrewd money-maker here will come forward before long and make a nice profit on a small investment.”