e poker game that night: it would
show them that he had a mind of his own, even though he did want to be
sociable. However, late in the afternoon he began to wonder what he
would do in the evening. He almost wished the cash book would not
balance before nine or ten o'clock.

Nevertheless, and strange to relate, about six o'clock the big
red-backed book did balance. No one was around to hear Evan exclaim:
"A first shot!"

He was washing his hands at the tap when a key turned in the front door
and Cantel came running in.

"Hurrah! Hurrah!" he shouted, "we're all rich."

Evan asked him if he had gone crazy.

"No," replied Cantel, "but Levison has. He bet ten dollars and cleaned
up a hundred. The rest of us made from ten to thirty. Here, Nelsy,
here's your ten bucks."

The cash-book man laughed ironically.

"You certainly have gone nutty," he said, wiping his hands on the
towel. "I didn't bet anything."

"Listen here," said Cantel, "this is the dollar I owed you. Brower
told me you wouldn't bet, and we were so danged sure of cleaning up
that I decided to place your bet myself. I made twenty on my own
account."

Evan was struck with the sporting generosity of his fellow clerk, but
could only decline the money.

"That's going too far, Cant," he said.

Cantel began to swear and continued swearing until several other clerks
had clattered down through the office, whooping and laughing. Watson
was almost fizzing with gin and lemon. Levison, too, walked with a
slant. They gathered around Nelson, telling him what a good cash-book
man he was and what a fool for not getting in on some of their "outside
money."

"I'll tell you what I'll do," said Evan at last, "I'll take the dollar
out that Cantel owes me and stake you the other nine on a poker game,
providing you do not ask me to play."

"You f-foolish f-fellow," stammered Watson.

"Wh-what's s'matter?" asked Sid, thickly, "weren't you asking s'morning
about a game?"

"I want to see how it's done once more before playing," parried Evan,
who was in reality beginning to hanker after the game. It would, he
figured, be almost as much fun looking on as playing--one night longer,
anyway.

Upstairs in the little room five reserves and a pot stood before
Nelson's eyes. The boys had been playing half an hour. Levison, drunk
and reckless because of the day's winnings, bluffed out three jacks
with a pair of kings and laughed until he nearly choked. Watson