Or so Bud read it, having trapped animals of various grades ever since he had caught the "HAWNTOAD", and seen that look many, many times in the eyes of his catch.
"How'd you like to take a trip with me--as a kind of a partner ?" Bud began carelessly, pulling a splinter off the homemade bed for which Mrs.
Hanson would not thank him--and beginning to whittle it to a sharp point aimlessly, as men have a way of doing when their minds are at work upon a problem which requires--much constructive thinking.
"Pardner in what ?" Eddie countered sullenly.
"Pardner in what I am planning to do to make money.

I can make money, you know--and stay on friendly terms with the sheriff, too.

That's better than your bunch has been able to do.

I don't mind telling you--it's stale news, I guess--that I cleaned up close to twelve thousand dollars in less than a month, off a working capital of three thoroughbred horses and about sixty dollars cash.

And I'll add the knowledge that I was playing against men that would slip a cold deck if they played solitaire, they were so crooked.