Little Miss Marker

Hello, boys.

Hi, Steve.

This is Doc Chesley, my

veterinarian. Hi, Doc.

I want to get right

to the point, boys.

My horse Dream Prince is entered in

the last race at Ascot this afternoon.

I'll send him out to lose if you pay me

a thousand dollars each. Why would we?

You want me to draw ya

a diagram?

The horse loses, you don't have to pay the

bets people have made with ya, and you clean up.

Why pay a thousand dollars?

Might lose anyway.

He won his last two races on dope.

He can win again today on dope.

Why don't you dope him?

You tell him, Doc.

If we give Dream Prince a

speedball today, he'll win the race,

but it'll kill him.

He'll be dead

an hour or two later.

You sentimental about Dream Prince,

Steve? No, I'm short of cash.

I haven't got enough to make a big bet,

so I can't afford to kill him today.

That's your tough luck.

I ain't kicking in.

How much is bet on him in your

book room? Between 1,000 and 2,000.

- And you?

- Thirty-five hundred.

- Sixteen hundred.

- Two grand.

- Eighteen hundred.

- Nearly 5,000.

I'm not in this racket

for my health.

I see a chance to clean up

10,000 by letting my horse lose.

I want that 10,000,

and I want it now!

Or I'll send Doc Chesley back

and let him shoot the speedball.

But you said it'd kill him. It

will, but he'll win the race.

And you saps will pay off to your customers.

I'll give ya three seconds to figure it out.

Looks like you

figured it out for us.

How we gonna know he ain't

gonna double-cross us?

I hear tell, when you was a

bootlegger, you pulled some fast ones.

Now get this straight.

That horse better lose today.

I'm running this nightclub

and racing horses.

You know where to find me.

Okay, I'm in.

You can count me in too.

I'll buy it,

if you do something for us.

Send out a phony report that you're

making a bet on your own horse to win.

Take it on the lam

and spread it around.

Tell 'em I'm betting

10,000 on him. Right!

That'll double your play

on the horse.

Hey. The boss is bettin'

10,000 on Dream Prince to win.

Yeah?

What's holding you up,

Sorrowful?

That's a lot of dough.

Come on. Dig.

So this is what you call

muscling into the race racket, eh?

Putting the race racket

on a business basis.

Yeah. Givin' us

the business.

Hello, tightwad.

Hi, gold digger.

Hello.

Hello, baby.

Why the rush act? We goin'

places? How'd you guess it?

Where? Over to Fifth Avenue

to pick up that bracelet.

Dream Prince. Ten on the

nose. Ten on the nose.

Initials, please. F.A.

Next. Five to win on Dream Prince.

Sorry, Eddie. We ain't

takin' any markers.

Ask Sorrowful! Sorrowful's not in. Next.

One dollar,

Dream Prince to show.

I said "to show"!

Listen, Sorrowful, I wanna

go for a fin on Dream Prince.

You take the I.O.U.

Till after the race.

Eddie, I dropped into the poorhouse last

visitin' day and conditions were terrible.

The place was so overcrowded

they were sleeping on the floor.

Who was? Bookmakers that used

to take markers! Now, scram!

How about lending us

a loan of two bucks, huh?

Tack on your heels

and walk.

Hello, Boss.

How's it comin'?

All of a sudden,

everybody's on Dream Prince.

Somebody must be

in on the know.

Results of the fourth race

at Blue Field's.

Cold Cuts, first,

ten to one.

Easy Lady, second,

two to one.

Mother O'Mine, third,

even money.

I copped 50 bucks on Cold Cuts.

How about paying me now?

You know we pay

at 4:
00, Bennie.

I know, but I just

thought I'd ask.

I want to bet $20

on Dream Prince to win.

- Not with an I.O.U.

- But I've already lost over $500 with you.

I wouldn't take a marker from my

best friend, if I had a best friend.

Listen, Mr. Jones.

Be reasonable.

You can trust me. I haven't got

the 20 on me, but I can get it.

Get it. But I might not be

back in time for the race.

That's your tough luck.

No markers.

Hello.

Look. This is

my little girl.

I'll leave her here

while I go for the money.

I ain't takin' no dolls

for security.

Look, Daddy. He is

running away. Is he afraid?

- Take her down off there.

- Listen, Mr. Jones...

- You get down off there.

- You're afraid of my daddy.

Or you're afraid of me.

You're afraid of something.

Take his marker.

Marker!

Yeah. Little doll like that's worth

20 bucks any way you look at it.

Yeah, she ought to

melt down for that much.

Do you want me to take her

inside? Park her on that bench.

You be a good little girl,

and Daddy will be right back.

I'm not afraid.

Listen, Sorrowful. I and Sore

Toe has an idea. I doubt it.

No, it's an idea,

and it is as follows:

We'd like to put

the bite on you.

All you gotta do is

stand still long enough.

It won't be a big bite,

just a nip.

It's hard to

resist you, boys.

But I'm just able to do it

by using all my strength.

Hey, you flatheads! We are

gonna put the bite on Sorrowful.

Mind if I stick around

and watch?

We have a very reliable tip, and

we would like to bet two fish on...

Dream Prince.

I might add as follows:

We are good for it.

Because Bennie, The Gouge, is gonna give

us 25 smackers per each for a fight tonight.

Bennie, The Gouge?

Who ya fightin'?

We ain't fightin' nobody.

We're fightin' ourselves.

I and Canvas Back

is fightin' a semi-finale.

I thought

you was a wrestler.

Sometimes I box

with Canvas Back.

And sometimes I wrestle

with Sore Toe. Mm-hmm.

I like boys who can

do everything.

I will let you have not only

two fish, but fifty fish.

Take their marker

on Dream Prince for $50.

Go on and write that marker,

because I'm gonna faint.

And I'm very sensitive

about it.

Let me speak

with Bennie, the Gouge.

- Hello?

- The $50 you won on Cold Cuts,

I just won from

your two fighters.

You won't have to pay them

tonight, so that makes us even.

It's a gift. A horse ain't

even gone to the post yet,

and the result is in

and the bets is copped.

I know you.

You are the Black Knight.

Oh, go on, child.

I'm black day and night.

Where's your charger?

Huh?

The one with the white spot

and pointed ears.

Huh?

- I'm the princess.

- Yes, Madam Princess.

And now for the last race

at Ascot.

All right, boys.

Here it comes.

They're off! Dream Prince is still

out in front. Come on, Dream Prince.

Come Easy

is right on his tail.

Bingo is trying hard

for second place.

Where are they now?

Ascot.

Dainty Foot is breaking the

field, comin' up on the outside.

At the three-quarter,

Dainty Foot is comin' fast.

Dream Prince is still leading. The

jockey is givin' him plenty of whip.

They're goin'

into the stretch.

They're neck and neck!

They're nose to nose.

It's a close finish.

Here comes the winner.

Dainty Foot wins.

Aw, that tip cost me

two bucks.

Bingo, second.

Come Easy, third.

Big Steve lost 10,000.

Baloney, I tell ya!

Dream Prince lost.

Here's the marker you

took for that kid. Yeah.

Say, Dizzy. When that guy

comes back for the little doll,

don't you turn her over to him

until you get that 20 bucks.

Yes, sir.

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