Beadle's Dime Library No. 693

# "The Double Deal at Denver" by Jos. E. Badger, Jr.

This Western sporting tale concerns a horse-racing fraud in Denver. When the locally-bred stallion Silver King loses a suspicious match race to The Dodger, spectators suspect manipulation. Driver Hiram Fitch's questionable handling—pulling the horse nearly double when it was winning soundly—draws accusations. Kent Kasson, an eccentric missionary with a sporting past, approaches spectator Martin Todd claiming to have wagered five thousand dollars on Silver King. Kasson offers to cover Todd's losses if judges install an honest driver and the horse still loses, revealing he bred Silver King's ancestor Wide-awake. Confronting owner Barry Nash and Fitch in the stables, Kasson urges putting up a competent driver. Fitch responds violently, but Todd intervenes. Nash appears tormented by the situation while Fitch blames the horse. Todd openly accuses Fitch of being bought by The Dodger's backers, demanding proof as the narrative breaks.