ve smile. "Only she wasn't strong
enough to make it all the way. She got weak in the knees an' went to
sleep on the road. Now, if I had a fist full of money--" He sighed the
rest into his glass.

"If the stranger," put in Bart, studying his own brown paper and
tobacco-sack, "has got any more money he wants to--"

Conniston laughed. "Much obliged. I think I'll quit with five
to-night."

Suddenly Jimmie got another of his "hunches." He cast a swift,
apprising glance at Conniston, and then, tugging Bart's sleeve, drew
him to the door. Conniston could hear their voices outside, and,
although he could not catch their words, he knew from the tone that
Jimmie was urging, while Bart demurred. They came back and had another
drink at the bartender's invitation, after which they stepped to the
table and watched the play for five minutes.

"I'd 'a' won twice runnin'," grunted Jimmie. "We ought to make a try."

Bart hesitated, watched another play, and said, shortly: "Go to it.
If you can put it across I'm with you."

Whereupon Jimmie returned to Conniston and made him a proposition. And
ten minutes later, when Conniston went smiling back to the hotel,
Jimmie and Bart were playing again, each with a hundred dollars in
front of him.

CHAPTER III

Roger Hapgood lifted his pale, heavy-lidded eyes from the pages of his
magazine and regarded Conniston with a look from which not all
reproach had yet gone.

"I hope you've been enjoying yourself in this Eden of yours," he said,
sourly.

Conniston sent his hat spinning across the room, to lodge behind the
bed, and laughed.

"You've called the turn, Sobersides! I've been having the time of my
young life. And now all I have to do is sit tight to see--"

"See--what?" drawled Roger.

"I've laid a bet, and it's wedged so and hedged so that I win both
ways!" Greek chuckled gleefully at the memory of it.

"What sort of a bet?"

"Two hundred dollars!"

Hapgood put down his magazine and got to his feet, plainly concerned.
"You don't mean that, Greek?"

"I mean exactly that." Conniston tossed to the bed a small handful of
greenbacks and silver. "This is all that's left to the firm of
Conniston and Hapgood."

With quick, nervous fingers Hapgood swept up the money and counted it.
His eyes showing the uneasiness within him, he turned to the jubilant
Conniston.

"There are just twenty-seven dollars and sixty cents. Are you drunk?"

Conniston giggled, his amusement swel