three of the men, and they looked at
Mr. Baker.

"Why I thought you said--" began Tupper, winking at the man who had
first made Roy's acquaintance.

"Dry up!" exclaimed Hynard. "That's all right," he added quickly to
the boy. "We don't want any one to play against his will. It's all
right. We only thought maybe you'd like to pass away the time. I dare
say Baker will stick in the game now."

"Oh, yes, I'll stay to oblige you, but I don't care for it," and
pretending to suppress a yawn, Mr. Baker again took his seat at the
small card table. A little later Roy left the apartment, going back to
his place in the parlor car.

"I don't like those three men," he said to himself. "I believe they
are professional gamblers. Mr. Baker seems nice, but I wouldn't trust
the others."

As for the four men whom Roy had left, they seemed to lose all interest
in their game, after the boy from the ranch was out of sight.

"Humph!" exclaimed Hynard. "That didn't work, did it?"

"No more than Isaac's attempt last night to get--" began Tupper, but
Sutton silenced him with a gesture.

"Hush! Not so loud!" he said. "Some one may hear you."

"Leave it to me," said Mr. Baker. "I think I can get him into
something else soon. You fellows lay low until I give you the tip."

The rest of that morning Roy saw nothing of the men whose acquaintance
he had made. He got into conversation with several other passengers,
some of whom were interesting characters. One man, who had traveled
extensively, pointed out, along the way, the various scenes of note,
telling Roy something about them.

It was after dinner when Mr. Phelan Baker, followed by his three
friends, entered the parlor car. They took seats near where Roy had
chanced to rest.

"Traveling is rather dull, isn't it?' began Mr. Baker.

"I don't find it so," replied Roy.

"No, that's because it's your first journey. Wait until you have
crossed the continent a dozen times, and you'll begin to wish you'd
never seen it."

"It seems to me there is always something of interest," said the boy.

"Probably there is, if your eyesight is good, and you can see it. I'm
getting along in years, and I can't see objects as well as I once
could."

"I suppose you must have pretty good eyesight, haven't you?" asked
Sutton, abruptly taking part in the conversation. Roy and the four men
were all alone in one end of the car, the other passengers, with but
few exceptions, having gotte