yet, Hooker, old friend from Wild
Cat?"

"Seven dollars."

"That's a mint, man! Say, try to slip me all of it, will you, Hiram?
I got a scheme. You won't need it--you got a job. And remember who
was the means o' gettin' it, Hiram. Why, it's worth seven bucks for
the privilege of just lookin' once into those eyes o' Jerkline Jo."

"Can't you go to work over at the camps and earn some money?" Hiram
wanted to know.

"I _could_--yes. But I don't earn my jack that way, Hiram. I'm a
promoter."

"Jo told me she thought she might be able to give you something to do,
after all."

"Don't want it. Tender her my heartfelt thanks just the same, Hiram.
All I wanted in the first place was to get down here and look things
over, then go to work and get a toehold and start the fireworks. If
things are like I think--say, I'll be givin' you people jobs in a week
or so. B'lieve it, Hiram?"

"No," replied Hiram bluntly. "Buck, step up a little! Molly! Pete!"

Playmate Tweet sighed heavily. "Hardest folks to convince I ever
struck," he complained. "Listen, Hooker: last night while I was
guardin' the loads the night watchman at Julia strolled around, and we
had a little talk. He's an old-timer in this country, and he told me
all about it from there to Ellangone. I got some dope from him about
this country we're makin' for; and puttin' what I heard from him with
what Jerkline Jo has told me, I gets a grand scheme. It'll put me in
on the ground floor, if things break right and then----' Oh, boy!
Richard will be himself again!"

"Tell me about it!"

"Too deep for you, my son. You'd never savvy the ins and outs.
Besides, when Twitter-or-Tweet Tweet gets his nose to a trail, he's one
old hound that don't bark his head off--see? There'll be other bright
young promoters lookin' for the secret, and I've learned to keep my
mouth shut.

"Now," he went on, "when I get over there and have a little look-see, I
may decide to beat it out pronto and start the clockworks. If I do,
I'll need your seven dollars to get me back into the land o' the
livin', where I can start the performance. If I give you the word,
Hooker, slip me that jack. If I don't tell you to, I'll go to work at
some o' the camps and make a stake and beat it for more promisin'
pastures. You'll never regret it, Hooker. It'll be bread cast on the
waters, and she'll come back chocolate cake."

"I'll think about it," Hiram promised.

"Do that! And in th