about it? Are you twenty-five hundred behind, or fifteen ahead?"

Colonel Calvin Blount had now feverishly finished his julep, and as
the other stopped, he placed his glass beside him on the board-pile
and swung a long leg across so that he sat directly facing his
enigmatical guest. The latter, in the enthusiasm of his argument,
swung into a similar position, and so they sat, both hammering on the
board between them.

"Well, I would like to _see_ that damned claim agent offer me
fifteen dollars for that filly," said Blount. "I might take fifty,
for the sake of the road; but fifteen--why, you see, it's not the
money; I don't care fifteen cents for the fifteen dollars, but it's
the principle of the thing. T'aint right."

"Well, what would you do?"

"Well, by God, sir, if I saw that claim agent--"

"Well, by God, sir, _I'm_ that claim agent; and I _do_ offer you
fifteen dollars for that filly, right now!"

"What! You--"

"Yes, me!"

"Fifteen dollars!"

"Yes, sir, fifteen dollars."