l
out."

Back at the table, Smoke informed the game-owners that his offer still
held. They proffered him their paper to the extent of three thousand
each.

"Hold out for the dust," Shorty cautioned.

"I was about to intimate that I'd take the money weighed out," Smoke
said.

The owner of the Elkhorn cashed their paper, and Shorty took possession
of the gold-dust.

"Now, I don't want to wake up," he chortled, as he hefted the various
sacks. "Toted up, it's a seventy thousan' dream. It'd be too blamed
expensive to open my eyes, roll out of the blankets, an' start
breakfast."

"What's your system?" Big Burke demanded. "We've paid for it, and we
want it."

Smoke led the way to the table. "Now, gentlemen, bear with me a moment.
This isn't an ordinary system. It can scarcely be called legitimate, but
its one great virtue is that it works. I've got my suspicious, but I'm
not saying anything. You watch. Mr. Keeper, be ready with the ball.
Wait. I am going to pick '26.' Consider I've bet on it. Be ready, Mr.
Keeper--Now!"

The ball whirled around.

"You observe," Smoke went on, "that '9' was directly opposite."

The ball finished in "26."

Big Burke swore deep in his chest, and all waited.

"For 'double naught' to win, '11' must be opposite. Try it yourself and
see."

"But the system?" Moran demanded impatiently. "We know you can pick
winning numbers, and we know what those numbers are; but how do you do
it?"

"By observed sequences. By accident I chanced twice to notice the ball
whirled when '9' was opposite. Both times '26' won. After that I saw it
happen again. Then I looked for other sequences, and found them. 'Double
naught' opposite fetches '32,' and '11' fetches 'double naught.'
It doesn't always happen, but it USUALLY happens. You notice, I say
'usually.' As I said before, I have my suspicions, but I'm not saying
anything."

Big Burke, with a sudden flash of comprehension reached over, stopped
the wheel, and examined it carefully. The heads of the nine other
game-owners bent over and joined in the examination. Big Burke
straightened up and cast a glance at the near-by stove.

"Hell," he said. "It wasn't any system at all. The table stood close
to the fire, and the blamed wheel's warped. And we've been worked to a
frazzle. No wonder he liked this table. He couldn't have bucked for sour
apples at any other table."

Harvey Moran gave a great sigh of relief and wiped his forehead. "Well,
anyway," h