o see him,
and slowly returned inside, with a mind that fell a hair's breadth short
of conviction.

The boys, coming up with the horse, met Cutler, who listened to how
Duster had stood still as soon as he had kicked free of his saddle,
making no objection to being caught. They suggested that he would not
have broken loose had he been tied with a rope; and hearing this, Cutler
bit off a piece of tobacco, and told them they were quite right: a
horse should never be tied by his bridle. For a savory moment the scout
cuddled his secret, and turned it over like the tobacco lump under his
tongue. Then he explained, and received serenely the amazement of Loomis
and Kelley.

"When you kids have travelled this Western country awhile you'll keep
your cards locked," said he. "He's going to let us win first. You'll
see, he'll play a poor game with the pink deck. Then, if we don't call
for fresh cards, why, he'll call for 'em himself. But, just for the fun
of the thing, if any of us loses steady, why, we'll call. Then, when he
gets hold of his strippers, watch out. When he makes his big play, and
is stretchin' for to rake the counters in, you grab 'em, Joole; for by
then I'll have my gun on him, and if he makes any trouble we'll feed him
to the coyotes. I expect that must have been it, boys," he continued, in
a new tone, as they came within possible ear-shot of the half-breed in
the cabin. "A coyote come around him where he was tied. The fool horse
has seen enough of 'em to git used to 'em, you'd think, but he don't.
There; that'll hold him. I guess he'll have to pull the world along with
him if he starts to run again."

The lamp was placed on the window-shelf, and the four took seats, Cutler
to the left of Toussaint, with Kelley opposite. The pink cards fell
harmless, and for a while the game was a dull one to see. Holding a pair
of kings, Cutler won a little from Toussaint, who remarked that luck
must go with the money of Uncle Sam. After a few hands, the half-breed
began to bet with ostentatious folly, and, losing to one man and
another, was joked upon the falling off of his game. In an hour's time
his blue chips had been twice reinforced, and twice melted from the neat
often-counted pile in which he arranged them; moreover, he had lost a
horse from his string down on Chug Water.

"Lend me ten dollar," he said to Cutler. "You rich man now."

In the next few deals Kelley became poor. "I'm sick of this luck," said
he.

"Then