That'll make twelve, countin' Holway's own.' "'Make seventeen, you mean,' says I.'Gaius and his crowd's fifteen and Dan's sixteen and Gabe's seven--' "He winked again, and interrupted me.

'You're countin' wrong, my boy,' says he.

'Five of Gaius's folks come from the old billiard-room gang.
Just suppose somethin' happened to make that five vote, on the quiet, for Bassett.

Then--' "A customer come in then, and Tompkins had to leave; but afore he went he got me to one side and whispers: "'Keep mum, old man, and vote straight for Dan.

We'll show old Holway that we can't be led around by the nose.' "'Tompkins,' says I, 'I know your head well enough to be sartin that it didn't work this out by itself.