le Face Harry defiantly.

"That's good," said Madison cheerfully. "Because you'll have to."

"Eh?"--Pale Face Harry stared at Doc Madison in amazement.

"Because you'll have to--by and by," said Madison coolly. "And how about
that cough--can you quit coughing?"

"When I'm dead--which won't be long," sniffed Pale Face Harry. "D'ye
think I cough because I like it? How'm I going to quit coughing?"

"I don't know," admitted Doc Madison, frowning seriously. "I only know
you'll have to."

Pale Face Harry, with jaw dropped, accentuating the gaunt leanness of
his hollow-cheeked, emaciated face, gazed at Doc Madison with a curious
mingling of incredulity and affront--and coughed.

"Say," he inquired grimly, "what's the answer?"

Doc Madison took his arm from Helena's waist, pulled a newspaper from
his pocket, spread it out on the table--and his manner changed
suddenly--enthusiasm was in his eyes, his voice, his face.

"I've steered you three through a few deals," said he impressively,
"that have sized up big enough to keep you out of the raw vaudeville
turn you, Harry, and you, Flopper, are so fond of, and that would have
put Helena here on easy street, if you hadn't blown in all you got about
ten minutes after you got your hands on it--but I've got one here that
sizes up so big you wouldn't be able to spend the money fast enough to
close out your bank account if you did your damnedest! Get that? It's
the greatest cinch that ever came down from the gateway of heaven--and
that's where it came from--heaven. It couldn't have come from anywhere
else--it's too good. And it's new, bran new--it's never had the string
cut or the wrapper taken off. It's got anything that was ever run beaten
by more laps than there are in the track, and it's got a purse tied on
to the end of it that's the biggest ever offered since Adam. But you've
got to work for it, and that's what I brought you here for to-night--to
learn your little pieces so's you can say 'em nice and cute when you get
up on the platform before the audience."

The Flopper's tongue made a greedy circuit of his upper and under lips,
and he hitched his chair closer to the table.

A flush spread over Pale Face Harry's cheeks, and his eyes, abnormally
bright, grew brighter.

"You're all right, Doc," he assured Doc Madison anxiously. "You're all
right."

"U-uu-mm!" cooed Helena excitedly. "Go on, Doc--go on!"

"Listen," said Doc Madison, his voice lowered a little. "I found