“You headstrong, stiff-necked old fool, you’ve made a bet!  I’ve got the evidence.  Your word against mine?”

“Your word against mine.  The bet is made,” said Pete.  “What have you got?  I called you.”

“I’ve got the Dead Man’s Hand—­that’s all!” Dewing spread out three aces and a pair of eights, and smiled exasperatingly.  “You’ve got what you were looking for!  I hope you’re satisfied now!”

“Yes,” said Pete; “I’m satisfied.  Let’s see you beat this!” He tossed his cards on the table.  “Look at ’em!  A royal straight flush in diamonds, and a gun to back it!” The gun leaped up with a click.  “Come through, Dewing!  Your spy may shoot me through that panel behind me; but if he does I’ll bore you through the heart.  Boland, you’ve got a gun.  Watch the wall at my back.  If you see a panel open, shoot!  Hands on the table, lumbermen!”

“Don’t shoot!  I’ll come through,” said Dewing, coolly enough, but earnestly.  “I think you are the devil!  Where did you get those cards?”

“Call your man in from that panel.  My back itches and so does my trigger finger.”

“What do you think I am—­a fool?  Nobody’s going to shoot you.”  Dewing raised his voice:  “Come on in, Warren, hands up, before this old idiot drills me.”

“Evidence,” remarked Johnson softly, “is what I am after.  Evidence!  I have no need of any corpses.  Boland, you might go through Mr. Warren and those other gentlemen for guns.  Never mind Dewing; I’ll get his gun, myself, after the testimony.  Dewing might play a trick on you if you get too close.  That’s right.  Pile ’em in the chair.  Now, Mr. Dewing—­you were to give some testimony, I believe.”

“You’ll get it.  I robbed Wiley myself.  But I’m damned if I tell you any more till you tell me where you got that hand.  I’ll swear those are the cards I dealt you.  I never took my eyes off of you.”

“Your eyes are all right, son,” said Johnson indulgently, “but you made your play too strong.  You showed an ace and two eights.  Then, when Mr. Scotty obliged by flashing another eight, I knowed you was to deal me two aces for confidence cards and two more to yourself, to make out a full hand to beat my king-full.  So I discarded two kings.  Turn ’em over, Boland.  I took a long chance.  Drew to the king, queen, and jack of diamonds.  If one of the aces I got in the draw had been either hearts or black, I’d have lost a little money; and there’s an end.  As it happened, I drew the diamond ace and the joker, making ace, king, queen, jack, and ten—­and this poker game is hereby done broke up.  I’m ready for the evidence now.”

“You’ve earned it fair, and you’ll get it.  I told you I’d not implicate any one but myself, and I won’t.  I robbed Wiley so I could saw it off on Stan.  You know why, I guess,” said Dewing.  “If you’ll ask that little Bobby kid of Jackson Carr’s, he’ll tell you that Stan lost his spur beyond Hospital Springs about sunset on the night of the robbery, and didn’t find it again.  The three of us rode in together, and the boy can swear that Stan had only one spur.