The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-06-18

chair in the room, was making, apparent
ly, some abstruse calculations on piece
of paper, and referring frequently for
guidance to a gaily bound betting book.
"All right, old fellow" he said, in re-
turn to Grenville's greeting. Wanted
to have talk to you knew you would
come up by that train; told the old party
to get food for two at half-past seven
wants just ten minutes. Go and wash
your hands, while l finish what l am
about"
After the ''bit of fish and beefsteak'
that constitute an ordinary bachelor dim
ner in chambers, the two began to smoke
Now" said DallisOn. shall be back
to dinner of course meant, we agreed
it should, that Pearman had yielded to
your terms. | was Off to Plyart directly
| got your message, and we have had a
busy afternoon Of it. We rather woke up
the Subscription Room at Knightsbridge,
l fatter myself From being an outsider
in the betting, we brought Coriander back
to to 2, and made him once more first
favorite. l told you we had Pearman in
a hole, and we had. | suppose you got
lot of money out of him"
Yes, indeed; we made him pay f1O,-
coo to let off our claim" And then
Granville recounted his interview with
Pearman.
very good then he's now absolute
master of the horse again. OF course,
exactly what l expected from your tele-
gram. Now I'll tell you what I've done.
In the first place. I laid between us, or
rather Plyart did for us, 1890 to f1,2OO
against Coriander; that was before he
was driven back in the betting of course
that left us to win fl 200 if he was beat
or didn't start. After getting your tele-
gram l went down to Tattersalls, and
with Plyart's assistance, got that whole
1900 on the horse at long odds. We
now stand to win, between us t1O. 10 If
Coriander wins the Two Thousand, and
just quits if he loses. Not bad book,
Grenville?
"By Jove! no and he's good chance,
hasn't hep
Eyes, on previous running, wonderful.
We know Pearman has backed him to win
him lot Of money. It's not likely he
would have paid you 10000 to-day I'M
less he was very confident about his
chance. To wind up with, his own COM
missioner backed him to-day for a good
bit Of money, although he had to take
shortish odds, owing to our having ap-
propria ted all the long prices against the
colt"
Grenville's eyes sparkled though he
said nothing, but smoked on in silence
for minute or two. Yes, if that should
come off, he might marry Maude at once
Dallison had regarded him intently.
Suddenly he broke silence:
Il saw your eye flash up, and thel.
you plunged into reverie. l had for
gotten the stake you told me you had on
this, when you first spoke to me about
it. Whether it's been any good to go so
far, of course l don't know; but you
stand as fair a chance as a man can do
of winning 5000 next week. if that will
help you at all. There's no certainly
about anything in this world-about how
long it's been a world, or about how long
we've been preying on each other in 1t.
Practically, mind, we are as much canni-
| balls as ever. and eat each other up with
as much alacrity as the Feejee Islanders.
| 4 good heavy city swindle gulps us down
much as a whale takes herrings; but
| there's plenty of pike about, who do their
| cannibalism one at a time, and not by
| the shoal. Old Pearman was a pike of
renown; in fact. he might have aspired
| to the dignity of a shark, if he hadn't
been of a retiring disposition, and ever
anxious to hide his light under a bushel.
Young Pearman has a fair dash of the
pike about him, too. Which way he can
make most money out of Coriander don't
know; but 1 should think, by winning
and if I'm right in my conjecture, bar
accidents. we shall win our money, Gren.'
'And if it is the other way?"
"Shan't lose it, thank goodness! But
I'm afraid If his book makes up a few
hundreds better on the lose, Coriander
| will not run up to his previous perform
| ances. We've done pretty we'll; win or
| lose, we stand a big stake to nothing
Goodnight"
Granville unused far into the night. Yes
he had been playing for high stakes late
| ~, and winning game after game. Let
this only come OF, and he should have
fairly won his sweet cousin. Then the
thought came into his head that he must
| see IL, anu tueu IL udsucu dCIOSS ulm tHat
Maude must be with him. How he was
to manage it, he didn't know. As inspira.
tons flash across mankind, so do supersti
TONS Corianders winning the Two
Thousand depended upon Maude and him
being there to see.
| Ridiculous you'll say. There il
pretty we'll as much romance and super.
stition going about the world as hereto
fore; but our nineteenth century training
teaches us, above all things, not to lay
ourselves open to ridicule. We may In.
wardly admit such things; we don't &C
knowledge them.
| Ito be continued.)
1 Is.