with his gun, is in league with you-all, an' shoots that copper off
designful, thinkin' the queen's comin' the other way. If accidents
is allowed to control in faro-bank, the house would never win a
chip." So,' concloodes Dan, 'they gets away with my hundred,
invokin' strict rooles onto me. While I can't say they ain't right,
I makes up my mind my luck's too rank for faro, an' registers vows
not to put a peso on another layout for a year. As the time limit
ain't up, I can't buck faro-bank none; but if you an' Ellis,
Cherokee, can tol'rate a little draw, I'm your onmurmurin' dupe.'

"As I relates prior, the play is to let Ellis win a home-stake an'
quit. At last they begins, Ellis seein' thar's no chance for faro-
bank. Dan plays but little; usual, he merely picks up his kyards,
cusses a lot, an' passes out. Now an' then, when it's his ante, or
Cherokee stays out for the looks of the thing, Dan goes to the front
an' sweetens Ellis for a handful of chips.

"Little by little, by layin' down good hands, breakin' pa'rs before
a draw, an' gen'rally carryin' on tail-first an' scand'lous,
Cherokee an' Dan is gettin' a few layers of fat on Ellis' ribs. But
they has to lay low to do it. Oh! he'd kick over the table in a
second if he even smells the play.

"Now yere's where Providence makes its deboo. It happens while these
charities is proceedin', a avaricious gent--a stranger within our
gates, he is--after regyardin' the game awhile, takes to deemin' it
easy. The avaricious gent wants in; an' as Ellis, who's a heap
elated at his luck an' is already talkin' of the killin' he's
makin', says 'Yes,' an' as Dan an' Cherokee can't say 'No' without
bein' onp'lite, the avaricious gent butts in. It all disturbs