A. M. Chisholm

“ Carey watched these tactics with a scowl. At the end of fifteen minutes, during which he had lost but moderately, Mortimer's head began to sag.
Two minutes after he fell sidewise from his chair and became unconscious.
Carey beckoned to two men. "Take him up-stairs and put him to bed," he ordered.
Collingwood interposed.
"Hardly. He's going back to his hotel."
"Is he?" said Carey. "There's where you make a mistake. When a man gets full in my house I look after him."
"Nice benevolent custom, too," said Collingwood. "I'll save you the trouble this time. He's going with me." ”

“ Duprau glanced guiltily at sheets of paper covered with intricate calculations lying on the bare pine table.
"Some day I'll just choke 'em to death," he said, with conviction. "I've made mistakes in calculation. I'll admit, and I got what was coming to me. This time I'm all right. I'm figuring out a system that's a sure winner. ”

“ This is where you get busy."
"I'm glad of it," said the other. "When I came to Galena I didn't figure on living in a blasted packing-box, with a hunch of assorted mountain-rats for company. Any time I have to see rats I want some fun first, and these are too genuine. Besides, if you want to know it, I'm down to white chips."
"If you'd quit spoiling good paper trying to figure out a system to beat cinch games you'd have a roll you couldn't carry," observed Collingwood. "It beats by me why a smart man like you is sucker enough to hand his coin to a bunch of [gams] . ”