hance," returned Phelps. "He'd be on to that game; it's a dead
one, too."

"Not if you work it this way," insisted Billy, in whom the creative
spirit was still strong. "Tell him that we're all sore at Harry, here;
that Harry threw the gang last night and got me put away. I'll have
McDermott take me down and lock me up on suspicion for a couple of
hours, so you can bring him down and show me to him. Tell him you've
found a way to get square. Harry's supposed to have a grouch about
that stud poker taunt and wants to play Wallingford two-handed, five
thousand a side. Tell him to go into this game, and that just when
they have the money and the cards on the table, you'll pull off a
phoney pinch and have your fake officer take the money and cards for
evidence, then you'll split up with him."

Billy paused and looked around with a triumphant eye. It was a long,
long speech for the Badger, and a vivid bit of creative work of which
he felt justly proud.

"Fine!" observed Larry in deep sarcasm. "Then I suppose we give him
the blackjack and take it all away from him?"

"No, you mutt," returned Billy, having waited for this objection so as
to bring out the clever part of his scheme as a climax. "Just as we
have Dan pull off the pinch, in jumps Sprig Foles and pinches Dan for
impersonating an officer. Then Sprig cops the money and the cards for
evidence, while we all make a get-away."

A long and thoughtful silence followed the exposition of this great
scheme of Billy's. It was Phelps who spoke first.

"There's one thing about it," he admitted: "it's a new one."

"Grandest little double cross that was ever pulled over," announced
Billy in the pride of authorship.

It was a matter of satisfaction, to say nothing of surprise, to
Short-Card Larry to note the readiness, even the alacrity, with which
young Wallingford fell into the trap. Would he accept the traitorous
Mr. Phelps' challenge if guaranteed that he would win? He would! There
was nothing young Wallingford detested so much as a traitor.
Moreover, he had a grouch at Mr. Phelps himself.

Short-Card Larry had expected to argue more than this, and, having
argument still lying heavily upon his lungs, must rid himself of it.
It must be distinctly understood that the crowd wanted nothing
whatever out of this. They merely wished to see the foresworn Mr.
Phelps lose all his money, so that he could not hire a lawyer to
defend him, and when he was thus resourceless they inten