"'_P'raps_,' says I, 'but you won't be in condition to spend it for some time.' He rolled his eye off'n me, and at that instant Mary Ann, the faithfullest gun that ever stood between me and a gentleman whose intentions weren't good, appeared upon the scene. "'Don'tee shootee, Sclaggsee!' he screeches. "'You call me "Sclaggsee" oncet more, and I won't leave nothin' of you but a rim,' says I. 'As for the other proposition, it goes--Tuesday next. Jimmy Holt's place, I put you in hand fifty dollars, you cock-eyed, yaller, mispronouncin' blasphemy on a heathen idol! Although I ain't been near enough to a cherry tree to cut one down, the word of Ezekiel George Washington Scraggs is as good as the Father of his Country,' says I. 'He beat me at that last game, but I can stick to my sayin' like a porous plaster. You get the money; I will lie for the fun of the thing, but not for no dirty fifty dollars,' says I. 'You goin' toward town?' "'Yes,' says he. "'Well, git your plug, and we'll amble along together.' "So we rode in, right cheerful, instead of quar'lin'. I made him come along to Maggy's cabin, to show it weren't a bluff about the money. [Illustration: "So we rode in, right cheerful."] "Poor Maggy, she wipes her eye on her apron, and says she'll start for our camp at oncet. "I called the Chinaman aside, confidential. "'You take care of lady!' I shrieks at him. 'Lady--you take care!' I dunno why it is you think if you holler loud enough you can make a man understand anything, but it's a fact. "My chink bobs his head. 'Take clare laly,' he says. "'Yaas!' says I. 'I rustley monnellee!' "He bobs his head again. "'Lusselleemonellee!' he answers, kind of vacant. "I sot down. 'Twas clear he didn't have no idee of my conversation. So we went over it for two hours, me drawin' maps and wigglin' my fingers, and makin' faces to illustrate a man with an ax-cut in the small of his back, and a lone widder-woman takin' care of him, till at last, by bringin' hands, face, and feet all into the game, with a small hunk of kerfoozled English language here and there, a light broke on his heathen soul. He near bobbed his head off. "'Me makee all lightee for Sclaggsee, you bettee, hellee dammee!' says he. "He was that earnest I overlooked the name. 'Good,' says I. 'Now, Charlie, you cut wood, haul water, and keep things goin' out there and your fifty is waitin' for you on Tuesday.' "Maggy did a crow-hop when she found she had to travel with the chink, but I told her it was O.K., so she got aboard an Injin pony and off they goes to Pete.