I ought to give this town a flash of the right thing,' he says.
"Then he goes upstairs, leaning on the balusters, and gets his four ten-dollar bills that had been folded away all neat at the bottom of his trunk, and before I could think of anythin' wholesome to say--I was that scandalised--they was goin' off across the street to the Horseshoe Gamin' Parlour, this feller Hoover seemin' very sanguine and asking Bernal whether he was sure they was a party in town could do it up right after they'd went and won the money for it.
"Well, sir, I jest set there thinkin' how this boy Bernal Linford was brought up for a preacher, and 'Jest look at him now!' I says to myself--and I guess it was mebbe an hour later I seen 'em comin' out of the swingin' blinds in the door of this place, and a laffin' fit to kill themselves.

'High Mighty! they done it!' I says, watchin' 'em laff and slap each other on the back till Hoover had to stop in the middle of the street to cough.

Well, they come into the Commercial office where I am and I says, 'Well, boys, how much did you fellers win ?' and Hoover says, 'Not a cent! We lost our roll,' he says.

'It's the blamedest funniest thing I ever heard of,' he says, just like that, laffin' again fit to choke.
"'_I_ don't see anythin' to laff at,' I says.

'How you goin' to live ?' "'How's he goin' to die ?' says Bernal, 'without a cent to do it on ?' "'That's the funny part of it,' says Hoover.