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plow. He told us in a boastful manner that he had an income of a $1,000 a week from royalties. And the way he spent money would lead us to believe that this was true. He conceived the idea that he was going to buy Baldwin's airship and he was going to buy Knabenshue with it. I had different ideas. I didn't like the old fellow; he talked loudly and was apparently a pub-licity seeker. Whenever there were newspaper men present he would quickly engage us in a conversation.
On one occasion when I was about to make a flight at the park he came up to me and said, "Knabenshue, I bet you a thousand dollars I can beat you to any given point."
I didn't have the thousand dollars, and neither did Baldwin. I suspected that he was talking about stage money because there were present several newspaper men. He well knew that the speed of the ship was less than fifteen miles an hour and his Pope Toledo was rated at a mile a minute. It would be unfair to even suggest making a bonifide race.,
I said, "I'm not interested."
He said, "The offer stands. Take it or leave it."
I said, "I'll leave it."
Baldwin asked me, "Why didn't you kid the old boy? Tell him you'd race him?"
I replied, "Because I'd get beat no matter what happened. We wouldn't get any money out of him. He's just using stage money for his betting purposes.  If we ever raced him he would not be found in case I beat him. He would be very much in evi-dence if he beat me. So why take that chance. Besides, it isn't good business."
But the time arrived when it did look as though I might