you, but had to lay aside because I couldn't nail down the property."

"I suppose you have it now," observed Morton, pushing forward with
gentle little shoves of his middle finger a very tall stack of chips
arranged in three distinct and equal red, white and blue layers. He had
not yet looked at his fifth card, and at Colonel Bouncer he directed
but a brief and passing glance. Did he care what the colonel held?

"I have the Wobbles estate in my pocket," replied Johnny, still
watching the colonel absorbedly. "I must get you together Monday if
possible."

"Wobbles!" exploded Courtney. "Did you buy that Bronx property at my
party from my guests to sell to us?"

"I did," confessed Johnny with a grin. "This is a lovely party."

The poker game suspended itself for a minute, while all four of the
gentlemen looked at him in contemplative admiration.

"He's a credit to the place," observed Joe Close. "Here's where the
Texas land grab was arranged, and the wool trust formed, and the joker
inserted into the rebate bill."

"Nevertheless, if Johnny Gamble sits in this game I'll cash in my chips
and quit," declared Morton Washer.

"He's good enough company for me," blustered Colonel Bouncer,
scrutinizing his cards one by one.

"I suppose so," agreed Washer with a smile at Johnny, "but he's so full
of young tricks and we're outclassed. What's that property going to
cost us?"

"Three and a half million," stated Johnny quietly.

Colonel Bouncer, having now made up his mind, deliberately and with
nice care measured up blue chips and red chips and white chips matching
Washer's, and added to them all the blue ones he had in his possession.

"Taking any stock yourself, Johnny?" he softly asked.

"Can't afford it," confessed Johnny with a smile.

"The property's quite worth three and a half million," announced
Courtney decisively, watching the face of Morton Washer as that calm
player stared at the colonel's chips. "I'm willing to take a million of
the stock."

"I'll take a million; more if need be," offered Washer. "I've been
wanting in on that for some time. Colonel, what have you got?"

"Five cards," replied the colonel.

"You have threes," charged Washer.

"I'm conducting my business through an agent," laughed Bouncer. "There
it is," and he indicated the stack of blue chips.

"You have threes," insisted Washer. "The reason I'm so particular is
that I have threes myself, and I want to know which are the better."