this heavy-muscled,
Indian-like man whom they had robbed. They remembered unpleasantly the
many stories of his strength and recklessness. If Letton could only
put him off long enough for them to escape into the policed world
outside the office door, all would be well; and Daylight showed all the
signs of being put off.

"I'm real glad to hear that," he said. "I don't want to miss that
train, and you-all have done me proud, gentlemen, letting me in on this
deal. I just do appreciate it without being able to express my
feelings. But I am sure almighty curious, and I'd like terrible to
know, Mr. Letton, what your figures of our winning is. Can you-all
give me a rough estimate?"

Nathaniel Letton did not look appealingly at his two friends, but in
the brief pause they felt that appeal pass out from him. Dowsett, of
sterner mould than the others, began to divine that the Klondiker was
playing. But the other two were still older the blandishment of his
child-like innocence.

"It is extremely--er--difficult," Leon Guggenhammer began. "You see,
Ward Valley has fluctuated so, er--"

"That no estimate can possibly be made in advance," Letton supplemented.

"Approximate it, approximate it," Daylight counselled cheerfully.

"It don't hurt if you-all are a million or so out one side or the
other. The figures'll straighten that up. But I'm that curious I'm
just itching all over. What d'ye say?"

"Why continue to play at cross purposes?" Dowsett demanded abruptly and
coldly. "Let us have the explanation here and now. Mr. Harnish is
laboring under a false impression, and he should be set straight. In
this deal--"

But Daylight interrupted. He had played too much poker to be unaware
or unappreciative of the psychological factor, and he headed Dowsett
off in order to play the denouncement of the present game in his own
way.

"Speaking of deals," he said, "reminds me of a poker game I once seen
in Reno, Nevada. It wa'n't what you-all would call a square game.
They-all was tin-horns that sat in. But they was a
tenderfoot--short-horns they-all are called out there. He stands
behind the dealer and sees that same dealer give hisself four aces
offen the bottom of the deck. The tenderfoot is sure shocked. He
slides around to the player facin' the dealer across the table.

"'Say,' he whispers, 'I seen the dealer deal hisself four aces.'

"'Well, an' what of it?" says the player.

"'I'm tryin' to tell you-all be