“Sure,” was the answer. “How much do you want?” “Well, let me have two dollars’ worth of chips. I may want more.” “You’re pretty sure, aren’t you?” said Hooker. “You must think you’ve got this pot cinched.” “My chips talk,” said Shultz. “Well, mine talk, too,” snapped Roy. They made several bets. “You must have a big hand,” muttered Hooker. “Well, so have I.” “Oh, go as far as you like,” sneered Shultz. “You can bet all night if you wish, and I’ll stick by as long as I can get any chips.” “What have you got?” “Four bullets,” announced Shultz triumphantly, as he lay his cards down, exposing four aces. Hooker took a deep breath. “Well, that beats. I thought I had a pretty good hand. It’s your pot, Shultz.” “Hold on! Hold on!” spluttered Piper, his eyes bulging. “Just wait a minute. There’s something queer here.” Every one turned to him, Shultz savagely asking what was the matter. “There’s something queer about this,” reiterated Sleuth. “Why, I—I’m sure I held an ace in my hand when I laid it down.” “Go on! you’re dotty!” snarled Shultz. “There are only four aces in the pack.” But Sleuth had grabbed the discards, and, turning part of them face upwards, he exposed to view the fifth ace! CHAPTER IX THE BLOW AND AFTERWARDS. There was a moment of stunned and breathless silence as the young gamesters stared at the fifth ace thus exposed to view—the ace of spades. This silence was broken by Hooker, who, glaring at Shultz, suddenly snarled: “You sneaking, cheating robber!” With that cry, he leaped up, overturning his chair, and made a grab for Shultz’s throat. The latter had likewise risen, and with a sweep of his arm he brushed aside Hooker’s clawlike hand, at the same time driving his fist hard and straight at Roy’s face. The blow landed with a sickening smack, and Hooker was hurled backward by the force of it, tripping over his upset chair. Both his arms were flung wide in an effort to save himself. His head struck with a thud against the marble mantelpiece, the shock being sufficient to knock one or two bits of bric-a-brac to the floor. Beneath one end of the mantel he collapsed in a heap, with his shoulders against the wall, his head dropping limply over on one of them. Springer, having failed to seize Shultz in time to check that blow, now grabbed him with both hands and clung fast, panting in his ear: “For the lul-lul-love of goodness, what have you dud-done?” With a hissing sound, Shultz drew his breath through his clenched teeth, exposed by his parted lips. His nostrils were dilated, and the rage of an aroused animal blazed in his eyes. “A fight here!” fluttered Cooper. “Don’t start a fight here!” “Start one!” said Shultz hoarsely. “I didn’t. He started it. He called me a cheat and a robber. I’ll teach him to apply such words to me!”