last night's poker game," said Snorky,
raising his voice sufficiently.

"That's right, and I owe--"

"Hold on, me first."

Snorky dug into his trousers and came up with a roll of greenbacks that
made the colored porter who happened to be passing stumble in his step.

"Twenty and ten and five, makes thirty-five," he said, peeling them off
with a nimble exhibition of legerdemain which kept the lower bills well
concealed.

"Keerect," said Skippy, sweeping them towards him with a languidly
indifferent air.

"Then I borrowed a ten spot to tip the head waiter. Remember?"

"I do remember."

"Five and five. Correct?"

"Keerect."

"How do we stand on the ponies?"

"Only fair," said Skippy. "We lost two and won one. I couldn't get our
money up on the others."

"Let's see. It was twenty-five bones each, wasn't it?" said Snorky,
jogging his elbow, to notify him that the impression they were making
was simply stupendous.

"Right again."

"That sets me back fifty plunks. That's easy. Here you are, one, two,
three, four, five tens. Correct?"

"Keerect," said Skippy, brushing in the greenbacks, with the same casual
motion of his hand.

"That squares me."

"It does."

"Now what's coming back?"

Skippy in turn, after certain struggles with his trousers pocket,
brought forth a bundle which could have done credit to a cattle king and
said, as he slipped the elastic,

"Twenty-five at five to one is just about one hundred and twenty-five."

"That's all right, but how about the tip to Spike Murphy?"

"Spike Murphy?" said Skippy, looking at him hard.

"The fellow who put us wise."

"Oh, that's all right," said Skippy, recovering a proper sporting
manner. "Forget that. I cleaned up enough to handle a little thing like
that."

"Lucky dog!"

"One hundred and twenty-five," said Skippy, going through the proper
motions. "Twenty once, twice, three times, four and five. One hundred,
and ten and twenty and twenty--"

But at this moment, whether by chance, by intent or by the emotion
caused by the display of such wealth, there was a crash from the nearby
table and two magazines fell to the floor. Snorky, ever alert, sprang to
his feet, retrieved the magazines and offered them to the blondest of
the two with punctilious courtesy.

"Allow me. I believe these belong to you?"

"Oh thank you," said the young lady, looking quite distressed.

"Awfully warm night, isn't it?" said Snorky, whose heart was pumping at
h