lf; for this was Mr. Daw's first
adventure into the higher and finer degrees of "wise work," and he was
quite naturally elated over his own neatness and despatch.

CHAPTER III

YOUNG WIX TAKES A HAND IN THE BLACK-EYED
ONE'S GAME

The glowing end of a cigar upon the porch of the adjoining house told
Gilman that young Wix was at home, and, full of his important
enterprise, he stopped in front of the Wix gate to gloat.

"Hello, Gilman," said Wix, sauntering down. "Out pretty late for a
mere infant of twenty-four?"

"Little matter of business," protested Mr. Gilman pompously, glancing
apprehensively at the second-story window, where a shade was already
drawn aside.

"Business!" repeated Wix. "They put midnight business in jail at
daylight."

"Hush!" warned Gilman, with another glance at the window. "This is
different. This is one of those lucky strokes that I have read about
but never hoped would come my way," and enthusiastically, in an
undertone which Wix had to strain to hear, he recited all the details
of the golden opportunity.

It was not so much experience as a natural trend of mind paralleling
Mr. Daw's which made Mr. Wix smile to himself all through this
recital. He seemed to foresee each step in the plan before it was told
him, and, when Mr. Gilman was through, the only point about which his
friend was at all surprised, or even eager, was the matter of the
three thousand.

"Do you mean to say you can swing that amount?" he demanded.

"I--I think I can," faltered Mr. Gilman. "In fact, I--I'm very sure of
it. Although, of course, that's a secret," he hastily added.

"Where would you get it?" asked Wix incredulously.

"Well, for a sure thing like this, if you must know," said Gilman,
gulping, but speaking with desperately businesslike decision, "I am
sure Mr. Smalley would loan it to me. Although he wouldn't want it
known," he again added quickly. "If you'd speak to him about it he'd
deny it, and might even make me trouble for being so loose-tongued;
so, of course, nobody must know."

"I see," said Wix slowly. "Well, Cliff, you just pass up this tidy
little fortune."

"Pass it up!"

"Yes, let it slide on by. Look on it with scorn. Wriggle your fingers
at it. Let somebody else have that nine thousand dollars clean profit
from the investment of three, all in a couple of days. I'm afraid it
would give you the short-haired paleness to make so much money so
suddenly. Ever hear of that disea