, dice, C.O.D.--Bam! An' de black specs read--seven. Hot dam! Boy,
you's done. Lady Luck, heah you is!"

The Wildcat pocketed his roll of bills and covered the money with a
wide palm wherein lay the taper cubes. He edged through the crowd. With
his left hand he reached for the Mud Turtle.

"Come on heah, boy. Dat San F'mcisco train gits nervous doggone soon."

In the vestibule of the Mud Turtle's car on the San Francisco train the
Wildcat held out the taper cubes and a handful of winnings. "Ol' Mud
Turtle, heah's yo' victory dice an' fo' hund'ed dollars. Dat gits you a
new unifawm. Git in dere by de steampipes whilst I tells dem passenger
folks where de San F'mcisco train goes to. Hot dam! I knowed dem smelt
fish was lucky!"

The Mud Turtle pocketed his dice. "Wilecat, I's lucky too. Fall in de
riveh an' comes out wid fo' hund'ed dollahs! You sho' got speed!"

"Call dat speed--wait till us 'cumulates mah mascot goat. Den us heats
up dem C.O.D. dice, an' Ah shows you what me an' Lady Luck kin do
when de speed bell rings. You ain't seed no speed yet!"

CHAPTER XIV

Leaving Portland an hour after midnight, the deadhead Wildcat sat in
the smoking room of the Mud Turtle's San Francisco bound Pullman. The
Passengers were in bed. On the window end of the leather seat,
shivering himself out of a coating of Columbia river mud which he had
accumulated that afternoon during the smelt harvest, was the Mud
Turtle.

"Boy, dem shivers is workin' overtime. Neveh seed such a
partial-shiverin' fool. How come yo' mis'ry gits you by fractions?
Shiver all over an' git done wid it. Is you cold inside?"

The Mud Turtle forcibly arrested his chattering teeth. He calmed his
vocal organs and answered the Wildcat, but when he became articulate
his feet assumed the staccato movement.

The Wildcat looked at him. "Stan' up befo' you loses dat step. Leave me
learn 'at new foot work. I nevah seed feet so anxious. Don't waste dem
steps." The Mud Turtle grabbed his knees and shoved his feet firmly
against the floor of the car. "Wilecat, what I needs is gin till I gits
warmed up."

"You an' me bofe. Any boy needs gin. I been needin' it since away back.
You sho' looks cold. Was you a' ice man you'd be rich. I'se seed folks
cold an' I'se seed 'em shiver, but it sho' looks to me, Mud Turtle,
like you'se de champion shimmy king ob de worl'. Ketch dat leg!
Doggone, boy, you sho' would be pop'lar durin' de hot spell down where
us comes f'