(1974) Knockdown by Francis Dick

Author:Francis, Dick [Dick, Francis,]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2010-06-30T14:53:03.671000+00:00

An hour later, I again telephoned to Ireland.

“Is she what?”

I took my eardrum away from the receiver and winced.

“Of course she’s not sterile.” The Irish voice yelled out as if it were crossing the Irish Sea without benefit of wires. “She’s never had a day’s illness since she was foaled. Where the divil did you hear that?”

“At the sales.”

“What?” Alarm joined the indignation. “How much did she make?”

I told him. I removed the receiver a good ten inches, and still had no difficulty in hearing. Vic Vincent’s victims all seemed to be endowed with good lungs.

“I told a neighbor of mine to bid up to ten thousand and I’d be sure to pay him back if he had to buy her.”

“His nerve broke at six thousand five,” I said.

“I’ll murder him.” He sounded as if he meant to. “I told that Vic Vincent fellow I didn’t need his help, I’d get my own bidding done thank you very much, and now look. Now look.” He gurgled.

“What did Vic offer?” I asked.

“He said he’d raise the filly to ten thousand, and if it made more than that he wanted half. Half! I ask you. I offered him a fifth and that’s a bloody liberty, even that much. He said half or nothing, so I said nothing and go to Hell.”

“Will you do what he wants next time?”

“Next time!” The idea of a next and a next and a next time slowly sank in. “Well…” Some of the fire went out. There was a long pause, and when he finally spoke it was clear he had thought of the advantages of Vic’s help and realized what refusing him might cost. “Well, now,” he said. “Perhaps I will.”

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