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DIAMOND DICK, JR.
back, be assured of that. No need to say
more on that line.”
The subject was changed, and they
talked of other things the remainder of
the distance to the Thistle Club chain-
bers.
Here they entered, and when they had
passed the sentinel Chamberton turned
back for an additional word with him,
the import of which Bertie suspected.
But he had his brace of pops, so what
did he care?
He suspected, and rightly, that no
known friend of his was to be admitted
without further instructions.
They went straight up to the gaming
parlors, and there retired to a well-lighted
table at the rear end of the room at which
no players were engaged.
Here they sat down, and Bertie pro-
duced-not the nugget, at once, but the
letter from Joab Thomas to his daughter
in which it was quite frilly described,
which he read aloud.
“Now, then, gentlemen,” he said, “if
this nugget can be identified by this de-
scription as the saine one, I shall retain
it for Thomas’ daughter. I have come
here with it merely to keep faith with
Mr. Conkling, according to my promise.
Is this satisfactory ?”
Conkling and his confederate had ex-
changed a glance while Bertie was thus
speaking.
“We’ll see if it is the same nugget,
before we go to fighting over it,” Conk-
ling responded. “Produce it, and we‘ll
compare it according to agreement.”
“All right here it is,” said Bertie, tak-
ing it from his sash, still wrapped in the
big bandanna, and placing it on the table
before him with a mufided thud. “And
here are its defenders,” laying his guns
alongside of it.
RIGHTS A WRONG. 25
CI-IA PTER VIII.
THE FLY G1i<L's FLY GAME.
Conkling and the proprietor of the
place exchanged another glance, now.
And this time it was one with a
slightly different accent, to speak figura-
tively.
Diamond Dick, Jr., had his back to
the wall, and the two men were on the
side of the table opposite to him.
Separating his guns so that they lay
looking menacingly at the two men, he
next took up the nugget to remove the
handkerchief.
The nugget had been loosely wrapped
in it, beginning at one corner and ending
at another, with the other corners folded
over in opposite directions.
Taking hold of the loose corner, after
unfolding the folded ends, Bertie pulled
it and the nugget turned over and over,
thumping the table heavily as its weight
unwound it.
Then out it fell with a final thump.
“Thunder!”
“Mars!”
“What kind of d-n jugglery is this?”
“This is some infernal trick of yours,
Diamond Dick, Jr. !”
Bertie himself was staring silently at
the naked nugget, a nugget of the purest
-lead.
“That was pretty well done," he calm-
ly remarked. “About the cleverest thing
I have run up against in some time, gen-
tlemen.”
“Then you didn’t do the trick?” cried
Conkling.
“You are talking through a tube,"
said Bertie. “How the deuce could I do
it?”
“You can do anything, if all that‘s
said of you is true," declared Chamber-
ton. “I believe that you have got the
nugget on you somewhere Y”
“And you are talking like a fool,"
-lertie declared, with a show of anger‘.