FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   >>   >|  
ears pricked up for the riot call. The gambler pretended to deliberate, his cool, shifty eyes running over the group before him. A small door immediately behind him swung slowly ajar an inch or so. "Got the money?" he asked. "Have you?" countered Orde. Apparently satisfied, the man nodded. "I'll go you, bub, if I lose," said he. "Lay out your money." Orde counted out nine fifty-dollar bills and five tens. Probably no one in the group of men standing about had realised quite how much money five hundred dollars meant until they saw it thus tallied out before them. "All right," said the gambler, taking up the cards. "Hold on!" cried Orde. "Where's yours?" "Oh, that's all right," the gambler reassured him. "I'm with the house. I guess McNeill's credit is good," he laughed. "That may all be," insisted Orde, "but I'm putting up my good money, and I expect to see good money put up in return." They wrangled over this point for some time, but Orde was obstinate. Finally the gamblers yielded. A canvass of the drawer, helped out by the bar and the other games, made up the sum. It bulked large on the table beside Orde's higher denominations. The interested audience now consisted of the dozen men comprised by Orde's friends; nearly twice as many strangers, evidently rivermen; eight hangers-on of the joint, probably fighters and "bouncers"; half a dozen professional gamblers, and several waitresses. The four barkeepers still held their positions. Of these, the rivermen were scattered loosely back of Orde, although Orde's own friends had by now gathered compactly enough at his shoulder. The mercenaries and gamblers had divided, and flanked the table at either side. Newmark, a growing wonder and disgust creeping into his usually unexpressive face, recognised the strategic advantage of this arrangement. In case of difficulty, a determined push would separate the rivermen from the gamblers long enough for the latter to disappear quietly through the small door at the back. "Satisfied?" inquired the gambler briefly. "Let her flicker," replied Orde with equal brevity. A gasp of anticipation went up. Quite coolly the gambler made his passes. With equal coolness and not the slightest hesitation, Orde planted his great red fist on one of the cards. "That is the jack," he announced, looking the gambler in the eye. "Oh, is it?" sneered the dealer. "Well, turn it over and let's see." "No!" roared Orde. "
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

gambler

 

gamblers

 

rivermen

 

friends

 

mercenaries

 

shoulder

 

flanked

 

compactly

 
gathered
 

divided


hangers

 

fighters

 

bouncers

 
evidently
 

strangers

 
professional
 
scattered
 
loosely
 

positions

 
waitresses

barkeepers

 

passes

 

coolness

 

hesitation

 

slightest

 

coolly

 

brevity

 

replied

 

anticipation

 
planted

dealer
 
roared
 
sneered
 

announced

 

flicker

 

recognised

 
strategic
 
advantage
 
arrangement
 

unexpressive


growing
 

disgust

 

creeping

 

difficulty

 

determined

 

quietly

 

Satisfied

 

inquired

 

briefly

 

disappear