“Bill, I'll play you a game of mumbly peg fer two bits.” replied one.
Black eagerly accepted. Betting to him was a serious matter. The game obsessed him, not the stakes. He entered into the mumbly peg contest with a thoughtful mien and a corded brow. He won. Other comrades tried their luck with him and lost. Finally, when Bill had exhausted their supply of two-bit pieces or their desire for that particular game, he offered to bet on anything.
“See thet turtle-dove there?” he said, pointing. “I'll bet he'll scare at one stone or he won't. Five pesos he'll fly or he won't fly when some one chucks a stone. Who'll take me up?”
That appeared to be more than the gambling spirit of several outlaws could withstand.
“Take thet. Easy money,” said one.
“Who's goin' to chuck the stone?” asked another.
“Anybody,” replied Bill.
“Wal, I'll bet you I can scare him with one stone,” said the first outlaw.
“We're in on thet, Jim to fire the darnick,” chimed in the others.
The money was put up, the stone thrown. The turtle-dove took flight, to the great joy of all the outlaws except Bill.