The next afternoon he met the youth on the street. "Much obliged for
your tip last night. The game looked all right to me."

"It _was_ all right," replied the gambler. "I didn't mean that it was
crooked. But I hate to see a good man lose his money as you were sure to
do."

"I thought you meant the wheel was 'fixed.'"

"Oh no. It's straight. I call a fair game. But I knew your run of luck
couldn't last and"--he hesitated a little--"I'd kinda taken a fancy to
you."

"Well, that's funny, too," replied Kelley. "I went over to play your
machine because I kind of cottoned to you. I reckon we're due to be
friends. My name's Kelley--Tall Ed the boys call me."

"Mine is Morse--Fred Morse. I came out here with a grub-stake, lost it,
and, being out of a job, fell into rolling the marble for a living. What
are you--a miner?"

"I make a bluff at mining a leased claim up here, but I'll admit I'm
nothing but a wandering cow-puncher--a kind of mounted hobo. I have an
itch to keep moving. I've been here a year and I'm crazy to straddle a
horse and ride off into the West. I know the South and East pretty
well--so the open country for me is off there where the sun goes down."
His voice had a touch of poetry in it, and the other man, though he felt
the bigness of the view, said:

"I never was on a horse in my life, and I don't like roughing it. But I
like you and I wish you'd let me see something of you. Where are you
living?"

"Mostly up at my mine--but I have a room down here at the Boston House.
I pick up my meals anywhere."

The young man's voice grew hesitant. "Would you consider taking me in as
a side partner? I'm lonesome where I am."

Kelley was touched by the gambler's tone. "No harm trying," he said,
with a smile. "We couldn't do more than kill each other. But I warn you
I'm likely any day to buy an old cayuse and pull out. I'm subject to
fits like that."

"All right--I'll take the chance. I'm used to taking chances."

Kelley laughed. "So am I."

In this informal way they formed a social partnership, and the liking
they mutually acknowledged deepened soon into a friendship that was
close akin to fraternal love.

Within a week each knew pretty accurately the origin and history of the
other, and although they had but an hour or two of an afternoon for
talk, they grew to depend upon each other, strangely, and when one day
Morse came into the room in unwonted excitement and said, "Ed, I want
you to do something f