aise him about $4,000.

Bill then said, "I'll just raise you $3,000 if it breaks me."

The young one then turned to me and asked if I would hold the money.

I told him that I did not like to hold stakes, for one or the other
must lose when two men bet, but if they had a thorough understanding,
and would promise not to quarrel, I would hold the money.

The sucker replied: "I guess I understand what I'm about, and all
you have to do is to give the money to the one who wins it."

"All right," says I; "but I know the loser is not as well satisfied
as the winner, and I want you gentlemen to have a fair understanding.
Put up your money, and I will hand it over to the one who is the
lucky man."

He counted out what he thought was $3,500, but I saw it was $3,800,
for I was not a bit excited, although I did not like to hold stakes.

Bill put up $3,500, for he heard me tell the young man he had put
up that amount. After Bill had mixed them up and said he was ready,
the sucker made a dive and nabbed the card with the mark on it,
but it was not the winner. I asked him if I should give up the
money (just as if I did not know anything about the game).

He replied, "I made a mistake. Give him the money."

I handed it over to Bill, and said to the young man as he was
walking away, "I am sorry for your loss, but some one must lose
when two men bet."

He replied, "It's all right, but I thought I had a sure thing."

After we closed up, and were taking our night-cap, I said to Bill,
"What do you think of our last catch?"

"Well, George, when that chap came right up and offered to bet
$500, without any coaxing, I thought he was a smart one, and may
be he would get the right card. I don't believe I would have raised
that $3,000 if it had not been he wanted you to hold the stakes.
Then I knew he was a sucker sure enough."

We had another night-cap and then went to bed. The next day we
settled up, and when Bill divided the $3,800 we had won on the last
shuffle, he only accounted for $3,500.

I said, "Bill, that fellow put up $3,800."

"I guess not, George," he replied; but I could see that he had
knocked down $300 on me.

MY VISIT TO OLD BILL.

A short time after the occurrence narrated in the preceding story,
Canada Bill said to me, "George, don't you think we could make big
money on the wharf-boat at the mouth of the Red River, out of those
Texas boys that get off there to take the Red River boats?"

I replied,