The Argosy, April 1912 — page 77: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ROOST OF THE TUMBLING Q. happy than ever. Here was a gink who might prove to be a veritable gold-mine, if handled properly. ‘What do you call a man-sized wager?” asked Square Visage. “Why, I wouldn’t mind riskin’ a thou- sand on this hand,”’ answered Roost. Square Visage looked both pleased and disappointed. “I don’t believe I’ve got that much real money with me,” he said. “Well, I ain’t either,” confessed Roost, “but here’s something that'll answer just as well,” and he pulled the buckskin sack from his pocket and tossed it on to the board. It fell with a mighty thud that caused both the confidence men to jump nervously. “Wh-what’s that?” stammered Square Visage. e Well, sir,” began Roost, as he picked up the sack and weighed it tentatively in his hand, “that there little sack oughter assay up at least fifteen hundred dollars in gold, or even more, if I ain’t mistaken. There wasn’t overmuch United States cur- rency floatin’ ’round Dawson when I left, so I just poked this sack o’ dust into my jeans as an extra precaution. Lucky thing, too, for I’m mighty near strapped for real cash.” “Do I understand that this sack is filled with gold from Alaska?” asked Square Visage as Roost paused. = Sure thing. Just wait and I'll show you.” Roost fumbled at the knot for several minutes, but it was evident to all that it was tied too tightly. Then, apparently for the first time, he caught sight of the lump of metal he had inserted in the mouth of the sack and by dint of much prying and twisting managed to dislodge it. sf There,”. said Roost as he tossed it on to the board. “My partner fixed this sack up for me, and I reckon he fastened it shut so that nothin’ short 0’ a knife would loosen it again; howsomever, I’ve managed to pry this sample out and you can see for your- self what she is.” Square Visage picked up the lump and examined it closely. There was no ques- tion but that it was a virgin nugget of pure gold, and Roost’s lamblike frankness and simplicity misled the other into the belief that the contents of the sack were identical with the sample he held. Without hesitation he dug up his wallet and counted out all the cash he had. It 63 amounted to four hundred and twenty dol- lars in bank-notes. Then he extracted from another compartment of the wallet a piece of paper which he spread out on the board. This last was a certified check for eleven hundred dollars. Roost never batted an eyelash, although he instantly recognized the check as the one he had been robbed of earlier in the day. As a matter of fact, Roost had rec- ognized the wallet as his own when Square Visage produced it to make his bet with Bald Head, and it was only that his native wit had prompted him that he might have trouble in proving his property if he re- sorted to violence that he refrained from throttling the thief on the spot. A second thought had convinced him that strategy would be better than force, and to that end he had worked out this little coup on the confidence men. He picked up the check and examined it carelessly. “This is all right, I reckon?” he asked innocently. “Of course it is,’ Square Visage assured him. “Just as good as gold. Any bank in Chicago will cash it for its face value any time. Why, the man who signed that check is one of the best-known financiers in the Middle West. The man it is made out to is an uncle of mine, and worth twenty millions.” Roost stifled a grin at this information. “The boss’ll be tickled to death when he hears o’ his sudden ascension to great wealth, but I dunno how he’ll cotton up to his nephew,” was what he thought. “Well, in she goes then,” ‘said Roost. “ How much you got there altogether ? - “Fifteen hundred and twenty dollars.” “Well, we'll make it that amount against this sack o’ dust. Is that a go?” “Sure thing,” said Square Visage, smi- ling happily. He was thinking that this was the easiest bunch of coin he had picked up in many a day, and he promptly pushed his money and check into the middle of the board. where Roost had deposited his sack. Square Visage knew —or believed he knew—that he had absolutely nothing to risk and everything to gain; in fact, he was certain that he knew exactly what cards Roost would hold. He could rely on his partner to take care of that. On the draw, Roost discarded the jack and ten-spot, as he knew he was expected Com cClooolk<