d tossed it back across the desk
to me. "Thanks," he said. "You'll get half of this back if you
decide to join the Lodge within a week."

"What's all this about a Lodge?" I tried weakly. "What Lodge?"

"Why, this Lodge," Lefty said, waving a hand around loosely.
"It's an organization of folks with psi powers. Guys like you and
me, Tex."

"I'm no TK!" I growled. "I didn't manipulate those cards in any
way."

"Funny you say that," he said, looking interested and leaning his
elbows on the desk. "You're right. I hadn't actually bothered to
stack the deck, Tex. Just kept a light TK touch on it to see if
you were moving cards. You weren't, but you were hitting them
right all the time. I haven't had time to tell Maragon the boys
on the Crap Patrol were wrong. It wasn't telekinesis, Tex. It was
precognition. You're a PC, Tex." He stood up and pointed toward
the door. I was shaking so badly from the heart attack the snake
had induced that I got up helplessly and allowed him to steer me
out by the elbow.

"Remember," he said at the head of the steps that led down to the
street. "You've got a week to make up your mind about joining
the Lodge. In the meantime, don't gamble."

"Great," I said bitterly. "You sapped me down and rolled me for
my poke, or the next thing to it. And now you tell me not to get
in a game and try to get whole again. Why should you care?"

"You don't listen," he said sourly. "Look, psis _are_ supermen,
in spite of your sneers. And whether you like it or not, Tex,
you've got some psi powers. Normals resent, fear and hate us. We
can't afford to have you make a killing at a poker table and then
get exposed as a 'snake.' We psis are a tiny minority. We all get
blamed for things any one of us does."

"I'm a Normal," I said, a little hollowly.

"You're more fortunate than that," he assured me. "Just so you
understand the origin and purpose of the Lodge. We find strength
in union, strength to resist the pressure of the majority. And
membership in the Lodge gives us control--control over psis like
you who might bring the wrath of the Normal majority down on us
by their shortsightedness."

I shook my head. "You don't have to dress it up like this," I
protested. "This is blackmail or extortion, I'm not sure which.
I'm not joining anything you bunch of creeps are a part of."

"You won't find that practical," he said, turning to go back
inside. "And remember: stay away from cards."

* *