u'd better keep away
from this pot."

"Bless my soul, I have a rotten hand!" confessed Colonel Bouncer,
puffing his cheeks. "But you old bluffers can't drive me out of any
place; so I'll trail." And he measured up to Courtney's stack. "What's
Gamble's scheme, Ben?"

"I'll have to let Johnny tell you that himself," responded Courtney as
Johnny entered. "Coming into this scramble, Joe?"

"I'm a cautious man," hesitated Close, inspecting the faces of his
companions with calm interest. "I don't think you or Mort have second
cousins among your pasteboards, but the colonel is concealing his
feelings too carefully." And he threw down his cards.

"You're most unprofessional to say so," growled the colonel. "I suppose
you won't see that raise, Mort?"

"I'm not much interested," returned Washer indifferently, "so I'll just
tilt it another stack." And he did so with beautiful carelessness. "On
general principles I'm very favorable to any enterprise Johnny Gamble
offers. Isn't that so, Johnny?"

"I hope so," replied Johnny with a laugh as he approached the table
and, with perfectly blank eyes, looked down at the hand which Washer
conspicuously held up to him.

Courtney cast only a fleeting glance at Johnny, whose face it would be
impolite to read--also impossible--and concentrated his attention upon
his old friend, Washer.

"You infernal scoundrel, I believe you have them," he decided as Washer
folded his cards into the palm of his hand again.

Courtney turned for a careful inspection of the colonel. That
gentleman, daintily picking a fleck of dust from his cuff, looked
unconcernedly off into the sky, whistling softly, and Courtney, pushing
his hand into the discard, lighted a cigar, while the colonel met
Washer's raise and added a tantalizing white chip.

It was now Washer's turn for consideration, and he studied his only
remaining opponent with much interest.

"Give me one card, Joe; mostly kings," he requested as he pushed in his
one white chip. "What's your scheme, Johnny?" And he looked up, quite
indifferent to the card he was tossing away. He picked up the one Close
carefully dealt him and, without looking at it, slid it in among the
other four.

"I'm ready to close with you for that Bronx subdivision," responded
Johnny, acutely watching Colonel Bouncer as that gentleman asked for
one card, received it and studied its countenance with polite
admiration. "It's the proposition I've previously explained to all of