enderfoot riz up in his chair,
and snatchin' a stack of reds in his off mit, dashed 'em into
'Curly's' face just as he pulled trigger. It spoiled his aim, and
the boy was on to him like a mountain lion, follerin' over the table,
along the line of least resistance.

"It was like takin' a candy sucker from a baby. 'Curly' let go of
that 'six' like he was plumb tired of it, and the kid welted him over
the ear just oncet. Then he turned on the room; and right there my
heart went out to him. He took in the line up at a sweep of his
lamps:

"'Any of you gentlemen got ideas on the subject?' he says, and his
eyes danced like waves in the sunshine.

"It was all that finished and genteel that I speaks up without
thinkin', 'You for me pardner!'

"Just as I said it, there come a swish and flash as if a kag of black
powder had changed its state of bein'. I s'pose everybody yelled and
dodged except the picture man. He says, 'Thank you, gents; very
pretty tableau.'

"It was the first flash-light I ever see, and all I recall now is a
panorama of starin' eyeballs and gaping mouths. When it seen it
wasn't torpedoed, the population begin crawlin' out from under chairs
and tables. Men hopped out like toads in a rain.

"I crossed the boy's trail later that evening; found him watchin' a
dance at the Gold Belt. The photografter was there, too, and when
he'd got his dog-house fixed, he says:

"'Everybody take pardners, and whoop her up. I want this picture for
the _Weekly_. Get busy, you, there!" We all joined in to help
things; the orchestra hit the rough spots, and we went highfalutin'
down the centre, to show the English race how our joy pained us, and
that life in the Klondyke had the Newport whirl, looking like society
in a Siwash village. He got another good picture.

"Inside of a week, Morrow and I had joined up. We leased a claim and
had our cabin done, waiting for snow to fall so's to sled our grub
out to the creek. He took to me like I did to him, and he was an
educated lad, too. Somehow, though, it hadn't gone to his head,
leaving his hands useless, like knowledge usually does.

"One day, just before the last boat pulled down river, Mr. Struthers,
the picture man, come to us--R. Alonzo Struthers, of London and
'Frisco, he was--and showin' us a picture, he says:

"'Ain't that great? Sunday supplements! Full page! Big display!
eh?'

"It sure was. 'Bout 9x9, and showing every detail of the Reception