'll give me Gresham and Jacobs, I'll
promise you a chance to stand outside the bars and look in at them."

"It's a bet," decided Collaton promptly. "I split up with Gresham two
or three weeks ago at Coney Island, when he wanted me to go in on a big
scheme against you, and I suppose it was this Birchard stunt. I told
him I'd had enough. Your money began to look troublesome to me. That
was the day you were down there with the girl."

"There's no girl in this," warned Johnny. "Now tell me just what you
can do."

"Will you wipe me off the slate?"

"Clean as a whistle," promised Johnny. "If my lawyer lets you be
convicted I'll go to jail in your place."

"It's like getting over-change by mistake," gratefully returned
Collaton. "I'm tired of the game, Johnny, and if I can get out of this
I'll stay straight the balance of my life."

"You'll die in the top tier, with the pentitentiary chaplain writing
your farewell letters," prophesied Johnny. "What did you say you could
do?"

"Well, I can incriminate not only Jacobs but Gresham in those phoney
attachments, and I can hand you the Gamble-Collaton books," set forth
Collaton. "Gresham got them away from me to take care of and then held
them over me as a threat; but I got them back yesterday by offering to
pound his head off. He's a bigger coward than I am."

"How much money did you say you wanted?" inquired Johnny.

"Five thousand," returned Collaton cheerfully.

"You said two."

"I have to have two and I need the rest. I thought maybe I could sell
you my interest in The Gamble-Collaton Irrigation Company. There's
several thousand acres of land out there, you know."

"I haven't laid a finger on you yet," Johnny reminded him, "but if you
make another offer to sell me that land I don't know how I'll stand the
strain."

"Well, say you give me the money for fun then," amended Collaton. "I
didn't know anything about this Birchard deal, but since you've
mentioned it I can piece together a lot of things that mean something
now. I'll help you chase that down, and you can afford to spare me five
thousand. Why, Johnny, I'm a poor sucker that has made the unfortunate
financial mistake of being crooked; and you're the luckiest cuss in the
world. To begin with, you're square; and that's the biggest stroke of
luck that can happen. Everybody likes you, you're a swift money-maker,
and you've got a girl--now don't get chesty--that would make any man go
out and chew bulldogs."

J