these short-horns."

He spoke more loudly: "Are you makin' that bet for the sake of
arguin', partner, or do you calculate to back it up with cold cash?"

Morgan whirled upon him with a scowl, "I ain't pulled a bluff in my
life that I can't back up!" he said sharply.

"Well," said Silent, "I ain't so flush that I'd turn down fifty bucks
when a kind Christian soul, as the preachers say, slides it into my
glove. Not me. Lead out the dollar, pal, an' kiss it farewell!"

"Who'll hold the stakes?" asked Morgan.

"Let your friend Mike," said Jim Silent carelessly, and he placed
fifty dollars in gold in the hands of the Irishman. Morgan followed
suit. The crowd hurried outdoors.

A dozen bets were laid in as many seconds. Most of the men wished to
place their money on the side of Morgan, but there were not a few who
stood willing to risk coin on Jim Silent, stranger though he was.
Something in his unflinching eye, his stern face, and the nerveless
surety of his movements commanded their trust.

"How do you stand, Jim?" asked Lee Haines anxiously. "Is it a safe
bet? I've never seen you try a mark like this one!"

"It ain't safe," said Silent, "because I ain't mad enough to shoot my
best, but it's about an even draw. Take your pick."