FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46  
47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   >>   >|  
strong. In that brief passage with Trampas it had been almost wholly absent. But different moods of the spirit bring different qualities of utterance--where a man comes by these naturally. The Virginian cashed in his checks. "Awhile ago," said Steve, "you had won three months' salary." "I'm still twenty dollars to the good," said the Virginian. "That's better than breaking a laig." Again, in some voiceless, masonic way, most people in that saloon had become aware that something was in process of happening. Several left their games and came to the front by the bar. "If he ain't in bed yet--" mused the Virginian. "I'll find out," said I. And I hurried across to the dim sleeping room, happy to have a part in this. They were all in bed; and in some beds two were sleeping. How they could do it--but in those days I was fastidious. The American had come in recently and was still awake. "Thought you were to sleep at the store?" said he. So then I invented a little lie, and explained that I was in search of the Virginian. "Better search the dives," said he. "These cow-boys don't get to town often." At this point I stumbled sharply over something. "It's my box of Consumption Killer," explained the drummer; "Well, I hope that man will stay out all night." "Bed narrow?" I inquired. "For two it is. And the pillows are mean. Takes both before you feel anything's under your head." He yawned, and I wished him pleasant dreams. At my news the Virginian left the bar at once; and crossed to the sleeping room. Steve and I followed softly, and behind us several more strung out in an expectant line. "What is this going to be?" they inquired curiously of each other. And upon learning the great novelty of the event, they clustered with silence intense outside the door where the Virginian had gone in. We heard the voice of the drummer, cautioning his bed-fellow. "Don't trip over the Killer," he was saying. "The Prince of Wales barked his shin just now." It seemed my English clothes had earned me this title. The boots of the Virginian were next heard to drop. "Can yu' make out what he's at?" whispered Steve. He was plainly undressing. The rip of swift unbuttoning told us that the black-headed guy must now be removing his overalls. "Why, thank yu', no," he was replying to a question of the drummer. "Outside or in's all one to me." "Then, if you'd just as soon take the wall--" "Why, cert'nly." The
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46  
47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Virginian
 

drummer

 

sleeping

 

search

 
explained
 
Killer
 

inquired

 
novelty
 

learning

 

curiously


yawned

 

pillows

 
wished
 

strung

 
softly
 
pleasant
 

dreams

 

crossed

 
expectant
 

removing


overalls

 

headed

 

undressing

 
unbuttoning
 

replying

 
question
 

Outside

 

plainly

 

whispered

 

fellow


cautioning

 

Prince

 
intense
 

silence

 

barked

 

English

 
clothes
 
earned
 

clustered

 

breaking


voiceless

 

masonic

 

twenty

 

dollars

 
Several
 

happening

 
process
 

people

 
saloon
 

salary