wherein an invisible needle pricks the dealer's thumb, thus
signalling the presence of certain cards, the Bronco Kid had
determined to use the "sand-tell." In other words, he would employ
a "straight box," but a deck of cards, certain ones of which had
been roughened or sand-papered slightly, so that, by pressing more
heavily on the top or exposed card, the one beneath would stick to
its neighbor above, and thus enable him to deal two with one
motion if the occasion demanded. This roughness would likewise
enable him to detect the hidden presence of a marked card by the
faintest scratching sound when he dealt. In this manipulation it
would be necessary, also, to shave the edges of some of the
pasteboards a trifle, so that, when the deck was forced firmly
against one side of the box, there would be exposed a fraction of
the small figure in the left-hand corner of the concealed cards.
Long practice in the art of jugglery lends such proficiency as to
baffle discovery and rob the game of its uncertainty as surely as
the player is robbed of his money. It is, of course, vital that
the confederate case-keeper be able to interpret the dealer's
signs perfectly in order to move the sliding ebony disks to
correspond, else trouble will accrue at the completion of the hand
when the cases come out wrong.

Having completed his instructions, the proprietor went forward,
and Cherry wormed her way towards the roulette-wheel. She wished
to watch Glenister, but could not get near him because of the
crowd. The men would not make room for her. Every eye was glued
upon the table as though salvation lurked in its rows of red and
black. They were packed behind it until the croupier had barely
room to spin the ball, and although he forced them back, they
pressed forward again inch by inch, drawn by the song of the