The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1914-06-25

Eight seconds!" repeated the lit
tie man at length.
Sure! Depends on how he feels, Of
COURSE"
Berkeley Fresno, in the corner,
snickered audibly, at which the trainer
scowled at him.
Think he can't do it, Ell? Well,
he's there four ways from the ace."
Seeing no evidence that his state
ment failed to carry conviction in 9th
er quarters at least, Glass went furth.
er. 1t was SO easy to string these
simple-minded people that he could
not resist the temptation.
Didn't you never hear about the
KILN he made at s~aratoga?" he
Queried.
Willie started, and his hand crept
slowly backward along his belt. "Kill-
in! Is-that his gamer"
Nov, get me right" explained the
former speaker. "He breaks trainin',
and goes up to Saratoga for a little
rest. While he's there he wins eight
thousand dollars playin' diabolo."
"Playin' what?" queried Slower.
"Diabolo! He backs himself, of
course"
Glass took an imaginary spool from
his pocket, spun it by means of an
imaginary string, then sent it aloft and
pretended to catch 1t dexterously. The
cowboys watched him with grave un-
compromising eyes.
He starts with q case five and run
it up to eight thousand dollars. that's
all"
Slower uttered an exclamation of
establishment, ~whereupon the New
Yorker grew even holder.
"The next week he hops over to Bar
Harbor and wins the futurity ping
pong stakes from scratch. That's
worth twenty thousand if it's worth a
lead nickel. oh, I guess he's there, all
right" He searched out a match and
relighted his pipe. so
Il suppose he's a great croquet play
er, too," observed Fresno. whose face
was purple.
"Sure!" Glass winked at him, glad
" 0OC Ludt tuo Oh11kOIA1dA ouJOy0O
this kind Of sport
I'VE don't care nothin' about his
skill at Straightforward tricks" said
the man in %spectacles. seriously. "And
we wouldn't hold his croquet habits
agin him. Some men drink, some
gamble, some do worse; every man
has his weakness, and oroquet may be
his. What we want to know is this:
Can he win our monograph"
"Surest thing you know!"
Then you vouch for him, do you?"
Willie's eyes we're bent upon the fat
man with a look of searching gravity
that warned Glass not to temporize.
with my life!" exclaimed the train
er.
You're on!" said the cowboy, with
unexpected grimness.
What d. you mean?"
But before the other. could explain,
Berkeley Fresno, who had sunk weak.
ly into a chair at Larry's e%xtravagant
praise of his rival, afforded a diver.
sion. The tenor had leaned back, con-
vulsed with enjoyment when. losing
his balance, he came to the floor with
a crash. The sudden sound brought
a terrifying result, for with a startled
cry the understood cowman leaped as
If touched by a living flame. Like a
flash Of light he whirled and poised on
his toes, his long, e%vil-looking revolver
drawn and cooked, his tense face vul-
turelike and fierce. His eyes glared
through his spectacles. his livid fear
lures worked as If at the sound of his
own death-call. His whole frame was
tense; a galvanic current had trans
formed him. His weapon darted to-
ward the spot whence the noise had
come, and he would have fired blindly
had not Slower yelled:
Don't shoot!"
Willie paused, and the breath crept
audibly into his lungs.
"Who done that?" he asked, harshly.
Still Bill brought his lanky frame up
above the level of the table.
God 'lmighty! don't be so sudden.
Willie!" he cried. 1T was a acct
dent"
DuL Iuo gun mdu 600uod uuCOu-
vinced. With a cat-like tread he stole
cautiously to the door, and stared out
into the sunlight; then, seeing nobody
in sight, he replaced his weapon in its
resting place and sighed with relief.
II thought it was the marshal from
Waco" he said. He'll never git me
alive"
Slower addressed himself to Fresno.
who had gone pale, and was still pros
trate where he had fallen.
Get up. Mr.. Berkeley. but don't
make no more moves like that behind
a mans back. He most got you."
Fresno arose in a daze and mopped
his brow, %mumuring. weakly: I'll
didn't mean to-"
Carara and Mr.. Cloudy came out
from whittier they had hed at
Willie's first movement.
II dreamed about that Teller agin