called Atascosa City, you know
what happened to them. They had money to buy anything they wanted; but
they didn't know what to want. Their ideas of spendthriftiness were
limited to three--whisky, saddles, and gold watches. If there was
anything else in the world to throw away fortunes on, they had never
heard about it. So, when they wanted to have a hot time, they'd ride
into town and get a city directory and stand in front of the principal
saloon and call up the population alphabetically for free drinks.
Then they would order three or four new California saddles from the
storekeeper, and play crack-loo [26] on the sidewalk with twenty-dollar
gold pieces. Betting who could throw his gold watch the farthest was an
inspiration of George's; but even that was getting to be monotonous.

[FOOTNOTE 25: Eighteenth Century mariners called the petrel (a
large sea bird) "Mother Cary's chicken."]

[FOOTNOTE 26: crack-loo--a form of gambling in which coins are
tossed high into the air with the object having
one's coin land nearest a crack in the floor]

"Was I on to the opportunity? Listen.

"In thirty minutes I had dashed off a word picture of metropolitan
joys that made life in Atascosa City look as dull as a trip to Coney
Island with your own wife. In ten minutes more we shook hands on an
agreement that I was to act as his guide, interpreter and friend in
and to the aforesaid wassail and amenity. And Solomon Mills, which
was his name, was to pay all expenses for a month. At the end of that
time, if I had made good as director-general of the rowdy life, he was
to pay me one thousand dollars. And then, to clinch the bargain, we
called the roll of Atascosa City and put all of its citizens except
the ladies and minors under the table, except one man named Horace
Westervelt St. Clair. Just for that we bought a couple of hatfuls
of cheap silver watches and egged him out of town with 'em. We wound
up by dragging the harness-maker out of bed and setting him to work
on three new saddles; and then we went to sleep across the railroad
track at the depot, just to annoy the S.A. & A.P. Think of having
seventy-five thousand dollars and trying to avoid the disgrace of dying
rich in a town like that!

"The next day George, who was married or something, started back to
the ranch. Me and Solly, as I now called him, prepared to shake off
our moth balls and wing our way against