"An' she shame short of share of prosperity to my brother Amos," and
Rayder took another drink.

"Shay, Rayder, you come and go home with me and hang around a day or
two until you buy the mine and play sweet with Annie, an' the night of
the weddin' we'll hev a dance and send you away on your bridal tour in
a blaze of glory."

"I'll do it, I'll do it, Amos, an' then we'll be almost brothers
'cordin' ter law, anyway."

"Shay, Rayder, did I tell ye I had a little mix up with a woman, an'
I'm scared to death 'fear old woman 'ill find it out. I got 'ter
square the deal or I'm a goner and stuff's all off, want yer to let me
take ten thousand fer few days, got ter blow a lot o' money on
weddin', too, yer see."

"All right, Amos, youse's square a man's ever met. I'll let ye hev
it."

"Good, thet's relief; sooner I get it easier mind'll be. Nuthin' like
'mediate action to relieve man's mind, you know. Let's take nuther
drink and ye can write th' check with steadier hand."

Rayder swallowed another drink while Amos fumbled about the desk until
he found Rayder's check book.

"Bet ye can't spell ten without making a crook. There now, if you can
write thousand as well you're a peachareno. Bully, now write Silas
Rayder at the bottom. You're a brother in fact, Rayder, an' I love ye
better as any brother. Shay, let's hev nuther bottle."

And Amos pocketed the check and quietly slipped down stairs, to the
saloon and was back with another quart before Rayder had roused from
his drunken stupor. He poured out another half goblet of whisky.

"Shay, Rayder, de ye know about story of Guvner of North Carolina sed
to Guvner of South Carolina, to effet an' words, it was long time
between drinks?"

"An' that was a damn shame Guvner hed to wait, ought to had you along
an' famous epigram ed never been born."

Half an hour later Rayder was stretched upon the lounge in the little
back office, dead to the world. Amos sat by the window sobering up
until the grey of the morning. The sleeping man roused, and Amos gave
him another half goblet of whisky followed by a sip of water. He had
drawn the blinds and left the coal-oil lamp burning when it grew
light, lest the sleeping man should arouse and discover it was
daylight.

When the office boy came, he cautioned him not to awaken Rayder. He
then crossed over to the bank, called for the face payment of the
check in gold coin. He took the money to the Wells Fargo Express
company's office