"`Which you looks oneasy these autumn days,' says Tutt to Slim Jim.
'What's wrong?'
"'Nothin',' says Slim Jim, lookin' a bit woozy, 'nothin' wrong. A
friend of mine is likely to show up yere; that's all.'
"'Which he has the air of a fugitive from jestice when he says it,'
observes Tutt, when he speaks of it after all's over; 'though
jedgin' by the party who's on his trail that time I don't reckon
he's done nothin' neither.'
"It's shorely the need of money drives this Slim Jim to turnin'
route-agent an' go holdin' up the stage, for the evenin' he quits
camp he says to Cherokee Hall: 'S'pose I asks you-all to lend me
money, quite a bundle, say, would you do it?'
"'I turns faro for my money,' says Cherokee; 'which I merely
mentions it to show I comes honestly by my roll. As to borrowin' of
me, you-all or any gent in hard lines can get my money by showin' he
needs it worse than I do; an' to encourage you I might say I don't
need money much. So, go on an' tell me the news about yourse'f, an'
if it's as bad as the way you looks, I reckons I'll have to stake
you, even if it takes half my pile.' Tharupon Cherokee urges Slim
Jim to onfold his story.
"But Slim Jim gets shy an' won't talk or tell Cherokee what's
pesterin' him, or how much money he needs.
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