show their skill as pugilists. Avoid all such."

"Say, Olcott," a passenger asked Terry, "are you going to let Connolly
euchre you out of the hundred dollars you won?"

"Oh, if he wants to keep it in the face of the passengers on board who
heard the bet, he is welcome to it as far as I am concerned. He is no
gentleman, and as such I dismiss him from my thoughts altogether. I've
been up against such men before. It's a debt of honor, and can't be
collected by law, and dishonorable men never pay such debts."

The big fellow remained in his cabin to the end of the voyage, not
caring to come out where he would be likely to face Terry or some of his
friends, who thought he was acting disgracefully. The fact is, he didn't
have the half of one hundred dollars with him.

During the remainder of the voyage Fred, Terry and Evelyn, with the two
Elon sisters, had splendid concerts every evening in the main saloon, to
the great enjoyment of the other passengers.

The captain said that he had never heard such music, even when he had
had an opera troupe on board and the New Orleans ladies requested all
three of them to visit them at their residence.

They thanked them for their invitation, of course, but, stated that they
would not spend more than twenty-four hours in the city, as they were
anxious to reach Texas; and that they would be very busy all the rest of
the season looking after their ranch.

Some of the ladies did not believe it possible that such refined young
men could be ranchmen, so when the ship entered the mouth of the river
all the passengers crowded out on the deck to view the scenery as they
passed up the great "Father of Waters."

Fred and Terry had fished and hunted down in the country, and they
explained to Evelyn all about the mode of life in the lagoon region.

Evelyn had fallen in love with the two Elon sisters, and their father
became such an admirer of Fred and Terry that he insisted that they
should not go to any hotel, but during the twenty-four hours that they
spent in the city they should be his guests; so when the steamer landed
at the wharf in New Orleans, he divided the party so that his wife and
one of his daughters should drive home in the family carriage with
Evelyn and Terry, while he and Fred and his other daughter should remain
on board the steamer until the carriage returned for them.

When they reached his residence they found that it was one of the finest
and most beautiful homes in t