Five Thousand an Hour: How Johnny Gamble Won the Heiress

  CHAPTER III

  IN WHICH JOHNNY MIXES BUSINESS AND PLEASURE

  A general desire to bet on the last race had sent all the occupants ofthe Boyden box, except Constance, Polly and Gresham, down to thebetting shed when Gamble returned; and he was very glad there was roomenough for him to sit down and enjoy himself. He had evil designs uponGresham.

  "This is my lucky day," he observed, smiling upon Miss Joy. "I beganthis afternoon to pile up an exact million. A near horse gave me afive-thousand-dollar start."

  "If you keep on at the rate of five thousand dollars an hour you'llhave your million in two hundred hours," Constance figured for him.

  "I won't work Sundays, evenings, holidays or birthdays," he objected.

  "How fussy!" commented Polly. "Which was the kind horse?"

  "A goat by the name of Angora," he replied.

  "That race should call for an inquiry," sternly stated Gresham.

  "You must have bet on the favorite," returned Gamble, and laughed whenGresham winced. Not a shade of Gresham's expression was escaping himnow.

  "We all did," acknowledged Constance smilingly. "This is the first timeI ever bet on the races; and I sent down to bet on every horse in thislast one, so I'll be sure to win just once. I suppose you attend theraces frequently, Mr. Gamble?"

  "I'll give you one more guess," he returned. "I don't like to walkhome."

  "You won't have to walk this time," she reminded him.

  "Not while I ride!" asserted Polly stoutly.

  "I'm so glad you won, Johnny. I guess you'll stay in Baltimore now."

  "And give this back? I'll get an injunction against myself first.Polly, I owe you twenty-five hundred dollars. Here's the money."

  "This is so sudden," she coyly observed. "My memory's poor, though,Johnny."

  "It's a promise I made myself: If I won this bet half of the winningsbelonged to the babies' hotel."

  "Wait, Johnny," objected Polly, pushing the money away from her. "I'drather have you on the new subscription list, by and by, for thefurnishing and remodeling fund."

  "I'll go on both of them," he offered, putting the money in her lap."You ought to know that I stick."

  "Yes, you do," she sighed, and passed him the list, covertly pointingout Gresham's name as she did so and showing the amount opposite it tobe one hundred dollars.

  "Mr. Gamble wants to make sure that you'll get it," sneered Gresham,and laughed. He was anxious to belittle Gamble in the eyes of Constance.

  "If Johnny Gamble puts his name down it's as good as paid!" flaredPolly. "By the way, Mr. Gresham, I have that Corn Exchange check blankfor you now."

  She handed him the blank and her fountain-pen; and, with some slightreluctance, Mr. Gresham paid his subscription.

  "Thanks," said Polly briskly. "Johnny, did you say I should put you onthe other list for the same amount?"

  Constance leaned hastily forward, with the impulse to interfere againstso foolhardy a thing, but caught herself; and, leaning back, she lookedat Johnny Gamble in profile and smiled. There was something fascinatingabout the fellow's clear-eyed assurance as he cheerfully answered: "Ifyou please, Polly."

  "It will take you four hundred hours now to make your million," Greshamadvised him, with scarcely concealed contempt.

  "I'm no loafer," Gamble declared.

  They all laughed at that.

  "I beg your pardon," apologized Gresham. "Let's see. How long will ittake you to make your million at the rate of five thousand an hour? Howmany hours a day?"

  "About seven on regular days; three on Saturdays."

  Both the girls were still laughing at the absurdity of it all.

  "Counting off for Sundays, you should have your million in about fortydays," persisted Gresham, figuring it with pencil and paper.

  Johnny studied the problem carefully.

  "All right; I'll do it," he announced, and looked at his watch.

  "Bravo!" applauded Constance. "If you could succeed in that you woulddisplay a force which nothing could resist."

  Gresham looked at her with a quick frown.

  "And if he failed he would display a presumption which nothing couldforgive," he paraphrased. "If it's not asking too much, Mr. Gamble, I'mcurious to know how you propose to accumulate your million." And hesmiled across at Miss Joy, who turned to Gamble, waiting interestedlyfor his reply.

  "Work a lot of neglected stunts. I never wanted to make a million tillnow. I know how, though. I think I'll start with real estate." And hewatched Gresham narrowly.

  "That's a dismal enough opening," announced Gresham with a painedexpression. "It is impossible to secure a decent price for property,especially when you want to sell it."

  "If you want to get rid of some I'll buy it," offered Gamble promptly.

  "I want cash." And again Gresham smiled over at Constance. The slighttrace of a frown flitted across her brow. She had always thought ofGresham as a man of perfect breeding.

  "Name the right figure. I'll make a deal with you on the spot."

  "This is scarcely the place for business," Gresham reproved him.

  "I beg pardon," Gamble quickly said, and looked at Constance, a trifleabashed.

  "Please go ahead," that young lady urged. "This is more fun than theraces."

  "Thanks." He smiled gratefully, "Now, Gresham, let's get down tostatistics. These are working hours. Here's twenty-five hundred."

  "What for?" asked Gresham, looking at the money avariciously.

  "To show confidence in the dealer. You have a vacant lot up-town.What's it worth?"

  "Forty thousand dollars," recited Graham.

  "If you want forty it's worth thirty," Gamble sagely concluded. "I'llsplit it with you. Give you thirty-five."

  Gresham shook his head; but Gamble, watching him closely, saw that hewas figuring.

  "I can't let the property go for less than its value."

  "I don't want you to. I offered you thirty-five."

  "On what terms?" inquired Gresham cautiously.

  "Thirty days cash. This twenty-five hundred is a first payment. I wanta renewable option. If I don't cross over with the balance in thirtydays, spend the money."

  "What do you mean by a renewable option?" asked Gresham, hesitating.

  "When this option runs out I get another at the same price--and twicemore after that."

  "Nonsense!" exclaimed Gresham, turning away. "Why, I'd be letting youtie up my property for four months."

  "I'm offering you over eighty per cent, a year. You'd rather stay tied."

  Gresham pondered that problem for a moment.

  "By Jove, you're right!" he said. "I'm selfish enough to hope that youcan't pay for it in thirty days." He reflected that in all probabilitythis reckless person was playing another long shot. "I'll take you."

  Gamble piled the money into his hands, and with Polly's fountain-pen,wrote a clear and concise statement of the option upon the back of anunimportant letter. Gresham, as soon as he had finished counting themoney with caressing fingers, read and reread the optioncautiously--and signed it.

  Polly reached out for it.

  "Let me witness this," she requested with a glance of meaning at herfriend Johnny; and, writing the word "Witnesses" in its proper place,she signed her name and passed the paper to Miss Joy. "Come in,Constance; the water's fine," she invited. "Be a witness with me andlet's all be in vulgar trade."

  Constance signed the paper gravely, puckering her lips adorably as shemade a careful business of it. She gave the paper to Mr. Gamble, and hefelt foolish enough to kiss the signature. She found another paper uponher lap and opened it mechanically. It was the subscription list.Suddenly she burst into laughter.

  "This last donation is from Angora!" she exclaimed. "That's a generoussubscription, Mr. Gamble; but I don't know whether to thank you or thehorse."

  "Thank the goat, whoever that is," he suggested, smiling into her eyes.Great Scott, what eyes they were! "Polly, Colonel Bouncer is over thereby the band stand. I'll give you a
nickel's worth of peanuts if you'lltell him what I'm doing."

  Mr. Gresham turned olive green.

  "Wait a minute, Miss Parsons," he protested. "Mr. Gamble, you managevery nicely without Mr. Collaton. If you knew of a probable purchaserfor my property you have just taken a most unethical advantage of me."

  "You didn't have your fingers crossed," Gamble serenely reminded him.

  "Not once," corroborated Polly. "I watched him all the time. Just leavethe colonel to me, Johnny. I'll scare him to death on the way here,"and she hurried away upon her errand.

  "I suppose I must take my medicine," said Gresham glumly. "I shouldhave sent you to my lawyer. I might have known that your businessethics and my own would be entirely different."

  "What are business ethics, Mr. Gresham?" asked Constance withsuspicious innocence.

  "There do not seem to be any," he responded.

  "I never heard of any," agreed Gamble cheerfully. "My principle is, Seeit first and grab it."

  "That's the rule of every highwayman, I believe," charged Gresham. "Youwill excuse me for a few moments, please?" And he hurried away inpursuit of a man whom he had seen passing.

  "That's the rule of life," said Gamble. "I had to learn it quick. Ittook me four months to save up my first eighteen dollars. I thought I'dnever get it."

  "You must have wanted something very much," suggested Constance,smiling sympathetically at her vision of this man as a boy, hoardinghis pennies and nickels like a miser for so long a time.

  "I did," he admitted simply. "I wanted a cook stove with silver knobs.The day I had it brought home was the proudest of my life. My motherknelt down and hugged it. It had four lids and not one of them wascracked."

  Constance looked at him with a musing smile. He must have been ahandsome boy.