"I've had all of that money I want," he declared. "Whatever schemes
you have in the future you will have to work yourself, and whatever
trouble comes of it you may also enjoy alone--because I'll throw
you."

"You would find difficulty in doing that," Gresham observed with a
smile. "I fancy that, if I were to send the missing books of the
defunct Gamble-Collaton Irrigation Company to Mr. Gamble, you would
be too busy explaining things on your account to bother with my
affairs to any extent."

"I was in jail once," Collaton told him with. quiet intensity. "If I
ever go again the man who puts me there will have to go along, so
that I will know where to find him when I get out. Good-by."

"Wait a minute," said Gresham. "Your digestion is bad or else you
made a recent winning in your favorite bucket-shop. Now listen to
me: Whatever Johnny Gamble's doing at the present time is of no
consequence. Let him go through with the deal he has on and think he
has scared you off. I'll only ask you to make one more attempt
against him. That's all that will be necessary, for it will break
him and at the same time destroy Miss Joy's confidence in him. He
has over a third of a million dollars. We can get it all."

"Excuse me," refused Collaton. "If I ran across Johnny Gamble's
pocket-book in a dark alley I'd walk square around it without
stopping to look for the string to it."

Gresham rose.