"I wondered where that deuce had crawled to," Mr. Cassidy remarked, grimly, "an’ I was goin’ to see, only it’s plain now. I knowed you was clumsy, but my G—d! Any man as can’t deal ’single-odd’ ought to quit th’ business, or play straight. So you had five fives agin me, eh? Instead of keepin’ th’ five under th’ Queen, you bungled th’ deuce in its place. When you went to pull off th’ Queen an’ five like they was one card, you had th’ deuce under her. You see, I keep cases in my old red head an’ I did n’t have to believe what th’ cue-rack was all fixed to show me. An’ I was waitin’, all ready for th’ play that ’d make me lose. "As long as this deal was framed up, we ’ll say it was this mornin’. You cough up th’ hundred an’ ten I lost then, an’ another hundred an’ ten that I ’d won if it was n’t crooked. An’ don’t forget that two-seventy I just pulled down, neither. Make it in double eagles an’ don’t be slow ’bout it. Money or lead—with _you_ callin’ th’ turn." It was not a very large amount and it took only a moment to count it out. The eleven double eagles representing the mornin’s play seemed to slide from the dealer’s hand with reluctance—but a man lives only once, and they slid without stopping. The winner, taking the money, picked up the last money he had bet and, distributing it over his person to equalize the weight, gathered up the guns from the floor. Backing toward the door he noticed that the bartender moved and a keen glance at that unfortunate assured him that he would live. When he reached the door he stopped a moment to ask a question, the tenseness of his expression relaxing into a broad, apologetic grin. "Would you mind tellin’ me where I can find some more frame-ups? I shore can use th’ money." The mumbled replies mentioned a locality not to be found on any map of the surface of the globe, and grinning still more broadly, Mr. Cassidy side-stepped and disappeared to find his horse and go on his way rejoicing. VIII THE NORTHER Johnny knew I had a notebook crammed with the stories his friends had told me; but Johnny, being a wise youth, also knew that there was always room for one more. Perhaps that explains his sarcasm, for, as he calmly turned his back on his fuming friend, he winked at me and sauntered off, whistling cheerfully.