"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 gotten off at various stations. "Well, I reckon I don't need glasses to see the brand on a steer," replied Roy. "That's so, and I guess you have to be pretty quick to distinguish the different branding marks, don't you?" "You do when you're cutting out a bunch of cattle after a round-up. They keep moving around so it's hard to tell which are yours, and which belong to another ranch." "What did I tell you?" asked Sutton in triumph of Hynard, who sat next to him. "Well, you're right," admitted the other. Roy looked a little surprised at this conversation. Mr. Baker explained.