have marked the bent corner.

The act had been so clever and so audacious that I fairly held my breath.
But the gambler resumed his flow of talk, while he fingered the cards as
if totally unaware that they had been tampered with.

"Now, again, ladies and gentlemen. You see how it is done. You back your
eyes, and you win. I find that I shall have to close early to-night. Make
your hay while the sun shines. Who'll be in on this turn? Watch the queen
of hearts. I place her here. I coax the three cards a little----" he gave
a swift flourish. "There they are."

His audience hesitated, as if fearful of a trick, for the bent corner of
the queen, raising this end a little, was plain to us who knew. It was
absurdly plain.

"I'll go you another, Mister," Jim responded. "I'll pick out the queen
ag'in for a dollar."

The gambler smiled grimly and shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh, pshaw, sir. These are small stakes. You'll never get rich at that
rate and neither shall I."

"I reckon I can set my own limit," Jim grumbled.

"Yes, sir. But let's have action. Who'll join this gentleman in his guess?
Who'll back his luck? He's a winner, I admit that."

The gray eyes dwelt upon face and face of our half circle; and still I,
too, hesitated, although my dollar was burning a hole in my pocket.

My Lady whispered to me.

"All's fair in love and war. Here--put this on, with yours, for me." She
slipped a dollar of her own into my hand.

Another man stepped forward. He was, I judged, a teamster. His clothes, of
flannel shirt, belted trousers and six-shooter and dusty boots, so
indicated. And his beard was shaggy and unkempt, almost covering his face
underneath his drooping slouch hat.

"I'll stake you a dollar," he said.

"Two from me," I heard myself saying, and I saw my hand depositing them.

"You're all on this gentleman's card, remember?"

We nodded. The bearded man tipped me a wink.

"You, sir, then, turn the queen if you can," the gambler challenged of
Jim.

With quick movement Jim flopped the bent-corner card, and the queen
herself seemed to wink jovially at us.

The gambler exclaimed.

"By God, gentlemen, but you've skinned me again. I'm clumsy to-night. I'd
better quit." And he scarcely varied his level tone despite the chuckles
of the crowd. "You must let me try once more. But I warn you, I want
action. I'm willing to meet any sum you stack up against me, if it's large
enough to spell action. Shall we go another r