The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-11-03

smiled through her tears, and kissed him: Then
she waited and prayed and wondered il the
farther west would ever give him back
NURING five long weeks Larry wandered, hith-
Il er and Won, up and down. with his face to
the west always. earning little, Leading the
toughest sort of life, bruised all over, and OFTEN
with a gnawing in his stomach. But this very
battering kept him hard as nails and when
he had a job he managed to slip part OF the pay
into a letter. There better to be had. far
ther on. always farther on this time IN Golden
where they dug it out of the earth; so he pluck
ed a fresh shred of courage from that mysterl-
GUS store which the Irish seldom exhaust, and
tramped and stole his way onward.
Cramped and stiff, weary in every joint. he
dropped one evening from the bumper OF
freig ht and saw through the murky sem-lark
the lights of Golden. He possessed single dol
lar and a IRENE ndous hunger 1t was up to him
to find something, as he had learned to say.
"prontO.' for the most optimistic calculation
proved. that the old woman would need money
Within two weeks. He slipped across the greasy.
steamy smelling yards. and tried to remove the
CRIME from him at watertrough Then ne
strOlled down the main street.
He saw that it reckless place, where
if a stood up 1t must make good. where
brave men careful and towards DUMP.
There was plenty of life about him. the most OF
it concerned with drinking and gaming Those
who had labored all the day came to be amused
to risk good luck the cards and wheels. Yr,f
to force bad luck to worse issue. But he hap
seen such towns before and knew that a smile
and ready wit finer assets than an arsenal
All he looked for was chance. He entered the
place that seemed to be doing the heaviest buSl-
ness meaning to his first and his wit
afterward. and he found that his eyes were
ahead of both.
Pasted against a rack of bottle-boxes
a lurid handbl that had drawn the attention
of half a dozen iders. Larry raised himself on
tiptoe to read their shoulders
HAYWARDS CASINO.
Niubf tina
BIG FIGHT
Twenty Rounds to Decision.
The Famous Conemara Kid
ThOmpsons Unknown"
Tickets at the Bar
Admission, Five Dollars
beneath this announcement, crudely scrawl-
ed in pencil the letters rambling off the poster
onto the wood of the boxes, Larry saw
"Odds on Kid. 3 to /; See Thompson"
- Immediately before him. and when the fellow
turned asked innOccntly:
who's Thompson"
The man glanced him up and down, bit
of wOnderment in his expression. and then. after
evident consideration, pointed to the big room
beyond the bar. where dozens of men crowded
the gaming tables and from which came the
clicking of wheels. the stirring of feet upon
sand and the Sruff murmuring of many voices.
Guess you'll find him there, pardner,
playing faro, like not. All he won't lose on
his bloomin' unknown. he'll drop into the bank
aforehand, cause that's Thompson's way. Did
YOU think of layih' bet?"
Larry grinned.
who's the unknown" he asked.
The mans expression changed swiftly to q
mild amazement coupled with some little irri-
tation. He spat deliberately. as II ne would
thus delay emotional outburst.
"Friend." he answered, slowly. IF ] could