," said the Left Bower; "it's
just one o' them climaxes of poetic justice he's always huntin' up. It's
easy to see what's happened. One o' them high-toned shrimps over in the
Excelsior claim has put a blast in too near the creek. He's tumbled the
bank into the creek and sent the back water down here just to wash out
our race. That's what I call poetical retribution."

"And who was it advised us to dam the creek below the race and make it
do the thing?" asked the Right Bower, moodily.

"That was one of the Old Man's ideas, I reckon," said the Left Bower,
dubiously.

"And you remember," broke in the Judge with animation, "I allus said,
'Go slow, go slow. You just hold on and suthin' will happen.' And," he
added, triumphantly, "you see suthin' has happened. I don't want to take
credit to myself, but I reckoned on them Excelsior boys bein' fools, and
took the chances."

"And what if I happen to know that the Excelsior boys ain't blastin'
to-day?" said the Right Bower, sarcastically.

As the Judge had evidently based his hypothesis on the alleged fact of
a blast, he deftly evaded the point. "I ain't saying the Old Man's head
ain't level on some things; he wants a little more sabe of the world.
He's improved a good deal in euchre lately, and in poker--well! he's got
that sorter dreamy, listenin'-to-the-angels kind o' way that you can't
exactly tell whether he's bluffin' or has got a full hand. Hasn't he?"
he asked, appealing to Union Mills.

But that gentleman, who had been watching the dark face of the Right
Bower, preferred to take what he believed to be his cue from him. "That
ain't the question," he said virtuously; "we ain't takin' this step to
make a card sharp out of him. We're not doin' Chinamen's work in this
race to-day for that. No, sir! We're teachin' him to paddle his own
canoe." Not finding the sympathetic response he looked for in the Right
Bower's face, he turned to the Left.

"I reckon we were teachin' him our canoe was too full," was the Left
Bower's unexpected reply. "That's about the size of it."

The Right Bower shot a rapid glance under his brows at his brother.
The latter, with his hands in his pockets, stared unconsciously at the
rushing waters, and then quietly turned away. The Right Bower followed
him. "Are you goin' back on us?" he asked.

"Are you?" responded the other.

"No!"

"NO, then it is," returned the Left Bower quietly. The elder brother
hesitated in half-angry embarrassment.