The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-01-03
all. about $4,000. MhyY,


interest in the Midas against your
whole layout"
There was an absolute hush while
the realization of this offer smote the
onlookers. 1t took time to realize It.
This man was insane. There were
three cards TO choose from-one would
win, one would lose, and one would
have no action.
OF all those present only Cherry Ma
lotte OWNED even vaguely the real rea-
son which prompted the man to do
this. 1t was not "gameness" nor alto
gether a british stubbornness which
would not let him quit It was some
thing deeper. He was desolate, and
his heart was gone. Helen was lost to
him-worse yet was unworthy-and
she was all he cared for. What did he
want of the Midas, with its lawsuits,
its intrigues and its trickery? He was
sick Of it all, Of the whole game, and
wanted to get away. If he won, very
well. II he lost, the land Of the aurora
would know him no more.
When he put his proposition the
Bronco Kid dropped his eyes as though
debating. The girl saw that he stn-
died the cards In his box intently ana
that his fingers caressed the top one
ever so softly during the instant the
eyes of the rest were on Glenister.
The dealer looked up at last, and Cher
ry saw the CLEAN of triumph in his
eye. He could not mask 1t from her,
though his answering words were hest
tating. She knew by the look that
Glenister was pauper.
"Come on" insisted Roy hoarsely;
turn the cards."
You're onv'
The girl felt that she was fainting.
She wanted to scream. The triumph
of this moment stifled her-or was it
triumph, after all? She heard the
breath of the little man behind her
rattle as though he were being throt-
tied and saw the lookout pass n shak-
ing hand to his chin, then wet his
parched lips. She saw the man she
had helped to ruin bend forward, his
lean face strained and hard, an odd
look Of pain and WEAKNESS in his eyes.
She never forgot that look. The
crowd was frozen in various attitudes
of eagerness, although it had not yet
recovered from the suspense of the
last great wager. 1t knew the Midas
and what 1t meant. Here lay half Of
it, hidden beneath tawdry square Of
pasteboard. With maddening DELHI
GRAFTON the Kid dealt the top card. Be
meath it was the trey of spades. Glen
lister said no word nor made a move.
Some one coughed, and it sounded like
a gunshot. Slowly the dealers fingers
retraced their way. He hesitated pur
posely and leered at the girl, then the
three spot disappeared and beneath 1t
lay the ace as the king had lain on
that other wager. 1t spelled utter ruin
to Glenister. He raised his eyes blind
ly, and then the deathlike silence of
the room was shattered by a sudden
crash. Cherry Malotte had closed her
check rack violently, at the same in
slant crying shrill and clear:
'That bet is off! The cases are
wrong!'
Glenister half rose, 2gerturning his
chair; the Kid lunged %brward across
the table, and his wonderful hands,
tense and talon-like, thrust themselves
forward as though reaching for the
riches she had snatched away. They
worked and writhed and trembled as
though in dumb fury, the nails sinking
into the oilcloth table cover. His face
grew livid and cruel, while his eyes
blazed ut her till she shrank from him
affrightedly, bracing herself away from
the table with rigid arms.
Reason came slowly back to Glen
lister and understanding with it. He
seemed to awake from q nightmare.
He could read all too plainly the gam
bler's look Of bafIied hate as the man
sprawled on the table, his arms spread
wide, his eyes glaring at the covering
woman, who shrank before him like
rabbit before a snake. She tried to
speak, but choked. Then the dealer
came to himself and cried harshly
through his teeth one word:
Christi
He raised his fist and struck the
table so violently that chips and cop
pers leaped and rolled, and Cherry
closed her eyes to lose sight of his aw-
full grimace. Glenster looked down on
him and said:
IL think understand, but the money
was yours anyhow, so I don't mind"
His meaning was plain. The Kid sud
denly jerked open the drawer before
him, but Glenister clinched his right
hand and leaned forward. The miner
could have killed him with blow, for
the gambler was seated and at his
mercy. The Kid checked himself,
while his face began to twitch as
though the nerves underlying 1t had
broken bondage and were dancing In
wild, ungovernable orgy.
you have taught me lesson" was
all that Glenister said, and with that
he pushed through the crowd and out
into the cool night air. Overhead the
arctic stars winked at him, and the
I MIL