"Huh! Betcha they were sneaking looks at us every time we passed. Just you wait. They'll be out in a jiffy." "What'll we do?" "Pretend we're not interested." They stalked the deck ten times with a nonchalant, bored air, but slightly roving eyes. "They're waiting inside," said Snorky obstinately. "Well, you go and scout. I'll wait here," said Skippy, whose interest was only a determination not to be outshone by his chum of chums. In ten minutes Snorky was back, all excitement. "Just as I told you. They're in the front saloon playing cards. Come on." "What are you going to do?" said Skippy, hesitating. Snorky thought a moment. "We've got to put over something big." "Well, what?" Snorky thought again. "We must make 'em think we're high rollers;--yachts, race horses, and all that." "Well, how?" Snorky thought a third time. "How much money have you got?" said Skippy suddenly. "In cash?" "Sure. On you." "About forty-three dollars," said Snorky, who from time to time had been feeling with his fingers to assure himself that no pickpocket had outwitted him. "Fork it out. I've got an idea." "Is it all right?" said Snorky, who had reason to dread the Skippy imagination. "Fine and dandy. Don't worry. Trust me. Show 'em up." Snorky produced a twenty, two tens and three common-a-garden ones. "You keep a twenty and you stick it on top. Then you change the two tens into ones and that makes some whopping wad, doesn't it?" "Say, I don't get--" "Leave it to me," said Skippy, who led the way to the cigar counter. Ten minutes later Mr. Skippy Bedelle and Mr. Snorky Green, with large banded cigars, entered the ladies' saloon and carelessly installed themselves at a table next but one to that occupied by the young girls. "Well, old sport," said Snorky, twirling the mercifully unsmoked cigar in his fingers. "Suppose we go over our accounts?" "Always be businesslike," said Skippy, poising a pencil over a sheet of paper with plutocratic nonchalance. "Owe you thirty-five plunks for last night's poker game," said Snorky, raising his voice sufficiently. "That's right, and I owe--" "Hold on, me first." Snorky dug into his trousers and came up with a roll of greenbacks that made the colored porter who happened to be passing stumble in his step. "Twenty and ten and five, makes thirty-five," he said, peeling them off with a nimble exhibition of legerdemain which kept the lower bills well concealed. "Keerect," said Skippy, sweeping them towards him with a languidly indifferent air. "Then I borrowed a ten spot to tip the head waiter. Remember?" "I do remember." "Five and five. Correct?" "Keerect." "How do we stand on the ponies?" "Only fair," said Skippy. "We lost two and won one. I couldn't get our money up on the others." "Let's see. It was twenty-five bones each, wasn't it?" said Snorky, jogging his elbow, to notify him that the impression they were making was simply stupendous. "Right again."