Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.) -- Fiction; Western stories
"As you say, suh. I'll open for five dolluhs." Wingo turned back to his
game. He was winning, and as his luck continued his voice ceased to be
soft, and became a shade truculent. The Governor's ears caught this
change, and he also noted the lurking triumph in the faces of Wingo's
fellow-statesmen. Cheerfulness and content were scarcely reigning yet in
the Council Chamber of Idaho as Ballard sat watching the friendly game.
He was beginning to fear that he must leave the Treasurer alone and take
some precautions outside. But he would have to be separated for some
time from his ally, cut off from giving him any hints. Once the
Treasurer looked at him, and he immediately winked reassuringly, but the
Treasurer failed to respond. Hewley might be able to wink after
everything was over, but he could not find it in his serious heart to do
so now. He was wondering what would happen if this game should last till
noon with the company in its present mood. Noon was the time fixed for
paying the Legislative Assembly the compensation due for its services
during this session; and the Governor and the Treasurer had put their
heads together and arranged a surprise for the Legislative Assembly.
They were not going to pay them.
A knock sounded at the door, and on seeing the waiter from the Overland
enter, the Governor was seized with an idea. Perhaps precaution could
be taken from the inside. "Take this pitcher," said he, "and have it
refilled with the same. Joseph knows my mixture." But Joseph was night
bar-tender, and now long in his happy bed, with a day successor in the
saloon, and this one did not know the mixture. Ballard had foreseen this
when he spoke, and that his writing a note of directions would seem
quite natural.
"The receipt is as long as the drink," said a legislator, watching the
Governor's pencil fly.
"He don't know where my private stock is located," explained Ballard.
The waiter departed with the breakfast things and the note, and while
the jack-pots continued the Governor's mind went carefully over the
situation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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