The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1942-03-05

Asa. I could drive in or not drive
in. And I'm well-knowed among
cowmen. If something was to hap
pen to me, there'd be trouble with
some salty customers, plenty of 'em.
Lowe is a stranger. Brock stands
in with the crowd that runs Wild
Horse. He'll try some shenanigan;
keep Lowe from getting away"
Lowe had freed himself of the per-
sistent buyer, looking all around the
room with his faint, pleasant smile.
Now he went out, and Brock, anger
very plain in the set of his fat back,
looked after him. Then he whirled
and went waddling toward the gam
bling side of the Drovers', where
men were crowding about the
games. He disappeared but came
quickly in sight beside Dynamite
Downes. The stocky, dandifed mar
shall of Wild Horse listened to
Brooks rapid talk with a blank face,
as they went down the room toward
a door in a plank partition wall.
Upperman said his brief goodbyes
to the ex-20 Bar men and banged
Con on the shoulder with a hard
hand. When he had gone, Caramba
led the way to the faro layout.
Badly was already there, besides
townsmen and cowboys from other
herds. He pushed silver onto the
painted queen of the layout and the
dealer, blank-faced as the grizzled
lookout above him, glanced at the
layout, and dealt. When Badly won,
he threw back his head for a yell.
Then, meeting the sour stare of the
lookout, he swallowed and drew in
his winnings.
eff a man was to win quiet,
would that be all right?" Car amba
inquired in a meek voice, Of the
lookout. 81 want to know because I
aim to come down on that lovely
rack of chips there like a pan Of
milk off a top Shelf"
"Come after US! Come a-run-
ning!" the lookout invited him.
Caramba began to play. He won,
lost, won again. Badly had little
better luck. Con watched until he
understood something of the system
| by which bets were made on the
deal. He risked five dollars pres
emily and won, lost his winning on
another turn, won three times. Then
he missed Caramba.
"Him?" Badly said. "Oh-he
went off towards the front door with
a fellow. Don't bother. He'll be
back"
But when twenty minutes had
gone without sign of Caramba, Con
lost interest in the game. He was
more than forty dollars ahead.
"I'm going to hunt up that bron-
CO." he told Badly. "Caramba.
"Oh! Going to quit on us, huh?"
the lookout said unpleasantly. 'Take
some of our money and right away
you want to pull out winner"
Badly looked uneasily from Con to
the lookout. Con, facing the griz-
zled man, drew long, slow breath.
eyes, I'm quitting" he told the
lookout fatty, meeting the narrow,
dark eyes levelly. ''For now, any
way. l know it's the custom for
cowboys to quit you losers, but is it
a downright ruler"
A big, bearish cowman who had
been losing heavily threw back his
head and laughed roaringly.
Don't ruin your own game. It's
the likes of us, not the hoemen, that
you live off of. But that's because
we're easy-going. Not because we
have to be crowded. In fact, when
we're crowded too far, we amt
easy-going Says Keith Yoker-
who's got most of his growth-and
all his teeth %
"Rafter Y Yoker," Badly whis-
pered. "Richer'n Croesus. Hell on
stripedy wheels in any kind of fight.
And Nobby knows It'll"
no BE CONTINUED)