hours McWade had sold the stock. Thereafter prosperity dogged the
pair, and before long they had made reputations for themselves as
the only sure-fire wildcat promoters in town. McWade possessed the
gift of sidewalk oratory; Stoner posed as the practical field man
whose word upon prospects was final. He it was who did the
investigating, the "experting"; his partner was the bally-hoo.

But competition grew steadily keener, other promoters followed
their lead, and it became necessary to introduce new and original
methods of gathering an audience. Mere vocal persuasiveness did
not serve to arrest the flow of pedestrians, and so McWade's
ingenuity was taxed. But he was equal to the task; seldom did he
fail of ideas, and, once he had the attention of a crowd, the rest
was easy.

One morning he and his partner provided themselves with some
dice and several hundred dollars in gold coin. With these they
began shooting craps on the sidewalk in front of their office. Now
gambling was taboo, hence the spectacle of two expensively
dressed, eminently prosperous men squatting upon their heels with
a stack of double eagles before them caused a sensation, and
people halted to witness their impending arrest. Soon traffic was
blocked.

The gamblers remained engrossed in their pastime, as well they
could, having thoughtfully arranged the matter with the policeman
on duty; gravely they breathed upon the cubes; earnestly they
called upon "Little Joe," "Long Liz," "Ada," and the rest;
silently they exchanged their stacks of gold pieces as they won or
lost.