“It’s Gallagher, is it?” said Long Mike, his face darkening at the mention of the name. “An’ Ferguson. An’ you. Sure it’s a foine pair the three av yez is. Belike anny wan o’ yez ’d play betther blindfold. But there, then, the more o’ yez cooms in, the more money there’ll be in th’ game. We’ll play five-handed.” It took no diagram of the situation to explain matters to Gallagher and Ferguson, and it is proper to say that they saw their duty and did it like men, though it is certain that neither of them had any more relish for the undertaking than had Stumpy. Their loyalty to Long Mike was greatly stimulated by the realization of the peril to the common interest involved in his playing single-handed against Mr. Titherton, and they took their places at the card-table unhesitatingly. Moreover, they took their places beside one another, and so contrived, without seeming to contrive, that Long Mike should sit on Titherton’s left, leaving the latter gentleman, to say the least, with no advantage of position. It would be his say in each round before Long Mike’s, so that he could not model his play on the latter’s. For, it should be explained, Brownsville’s dislike to playing with strangers came from no lack of science, or skill, or courage. It arose merely from the fact that manual dexterity in the deal was the one thing which Brownsville could not boast. In all other respects, the Brownsville game of poker was well up to the Mississippi River standard. They made the game table stakes, and each man flashed fifty dollars for a starter. They were used to a moderate game, but they all knew that it was liable to grow to much greater dimensions if Long Mike should become excited. For the first few rounds, however, there was no great excitement. The hands ran tolerably well, two flushes and a full being shown inside of twenty minutes, with a straight and several threes, but no strong hands were out together, and there was no contest of any importance. Then came what looked at first like a struggle. It was Stumpy’s deal, and Ferguson had put up the ante, fifty call a dollar. Titherton came in, and so did Long Mike. Gallagher raised it two dollars. Stumpy and Ferguson dropped, and Titherton made it three more. That was a sufficient indication to Long Mike, and he passed it up to Gallagher, who promptly raised it five. Titherton threw in his five and called for two cards. Gallagher called for one, and Titherton threw in a white chip. Gallagher looked at his draw carefully, and pushed his entire pile into the pot. Thereupon Titherton studied for a full minute. He looked keenly at his antagonist’s face, and then he looked at his own hand again. And lastly he counted his chips, as if intending to call, keeping his head bent down, but watching Gallagher meantime out of the corner of his eye. Then suddenly he threw down his cards.