Pollard to his daughter barely reached the ear of Terry.
"Cut in between 'em, girl. You can handle 'em. I can't!"
She responded instantly, before Terry recovered from his shock of surprise.
"Slim, keep away from your gun!"
She spoke1 as she whirled from her chair to her feet. It was strange to see her direct all her attention to Slim, when Phil Marvin seemed the one about to draw.
"I ain't even nearin' my gun," asserted Slim truthfully. "It's Phil that's got a strangle hold on his."
"You're waiting for him to draw," said the girl calmly enough. "I know you, Slim. Phil, don't be a fool. drop your hand away from that gat!"
He hesitated; she stepped directly between him and his enemy of the moment and jerked the gun from its holster. Then she faced Slim. Obviously Phil was not displeased3 to have the matter taken out of his hands; obviously Slim was not so pleased. He looked coldly up to the girl.
"This is between him and me," he protested. "I don't need none of your help, Kate."
"Don't you? You're going to get it, though. Gimme that gun, Slim Dugan!"
"Bah! Besides, I'll give you a square deal."
She held out her hand for the weapon.
"Got any doubts about me being square, Slim?"
"Kate, leave this to me!"
"Why, Slim, I wouldn't let you run loose now for a million. You got that ugly look in your eyes. I know you, partner!"
And to the unutterable astonishment6 of Terry, the man pulled his gun from its holster and passed it up to her, his eyes fighting hers, his hand moving slowly. She stepped back, weighing the heavy weapons in her hands. Then she faced Phil Marvin with glittering eyes.
What's the straight of it, Phil? Been doing anything to these dice?"
"Me? Sure I ain't!"
Her glance lingered on him the least part of a second.
"H'm!" said the girl. "Maybe not."
Slim was on his feet, eager. "Take a look at 'em, Kate. Take a look at them dice!"
She held them up to the light—then dropped them into a pocket of her skirt. "I'll look at 'em in the morning, Slim."
"The stuff'll be dry by that time!"
"Dry or not, that's what I'm going to do. I won't trust lamplight."
Slim turned on his heel and flung himself sulkily down on the blanket, fighting her with sullen8 eyes. She turned on Phil.
"How much d'you win?"
"Nothin'. Just a couple of hundred."
"Just a couple of hundred! You call that nothing?"
Phil grunted9. The other men leaned forward in their interest to watch the progress of the trial, all saving Joe Pollard, who sat with his elbows braced10 in sprawling11 fashion on the table, at ease, his eyes twinkling contentedly12 at the girl. Why she refused to examine the dice at once was plain to Terry. If they proved to have been gummed, it would mean a gun fight with the men at a battling temperature. In the morning when they had cooled down, it might be a different matter. Terry watched her in wonder. His idea of an efficient woman was based on Aunt Elizabeth, cold of eye and brain, practical in methods on the ranch13, keen with figures. The efficiency of this slip of a girl was a different matter, a thing of passion, of quick insight, of lightning guesses. He could see the play of eager emotion in her face as she studied Phil Marvin. And how could she do justice? Terry was baffled.
"How long you two been playing?" "About twenty minutes."
"Not more'n five!" cut in Slim hotly.
"Shut up, Slim!" she commanded. "I'm running this here game; Phil, how many straight passes did you make?"
"Me? Oh, I dunno. Maybe—five."
"Five straight passes!" said the girl. "Five straight passes!"
All at once she laughed.
"Phil, give that two hundred back to Slim!"
It came like a bolt from the blue, this decision. Marvin hesitated, shook his head.
"Damned if I do. I don't back down. I won it square!"
"Listen to me," said the girl. Instead of threatening, as Terry expected, she had suddenly become conciliatory. She stepped close to him and dropped a slim hand on his burly shoulder. "Ain't Slim a pal15 of yours? You and him, ain't you stuck together through thick and thin? He thinks you didn't win that coin square. Is Slim's friendship worth two hundred to you, or ain't it? Besides, you ain't lying down to nobody. Why, you big squarehead, Phil, don't we all know that you'd fight a bull with your bare hands? Who'd call you yaller? We'd simply say you was square, Phil, and you know it."
There was a pause. Phil was biting his lip, scowling16 at Slim. Slim was sneering17 in return. It seemed that she had failed. Even if she forced Phil to return the money, he and Slim would hate each other as long as they lived. And Terry gained a keen impression that if the hatred18 continued, one of them would die very soon indeed. Her solution of the problem was a strange one. She faced them both.
"You two big sulky babies!" she exclaimed. "Slim, what did Phil do for you down in Tecomo? Phil, did Slim stand by you last April—you know the time? Why, boys, you're just being plain foolish. Get up, both of you, and take a walk outside where you'll get cooled down."
Slim rose. He and Phil walked slowly toward the door, at a little distance from each other, one eyeing the other shrewdly. At the door they hesitated. Finally, Phil lurched forward and went out first. Slim glided19 after.
"By heaven!" groaned20 Pollard as the door closed. "There goes two good men! Kate, what put this last fool idea into your head?"
"It'll work out," she said at length. "You wait for it!"
She rose, wearily, and started across the room. But she turned before she passed out of their sight and leaned against one of the pillars.
"Dad, why you so anxious to get me out of the way?"
"What d'you mean by that? I got no reason. Run along and don't bother me!"
He turned his shoulder on her. As for the girl, she remained a moment, looking thoughtfully at the broad back of Pollard. Then her glance shifted and dwelt a moment on Terry—with pity, he wondered?
"Good night, boys!"
When the door closed on her, Joe Pollard turned his attention more fully2 on his new employee, and when Terry suggested that it was time for him to turn in, his suggestion was hospitably24 put to one side. Pollard began talking genially25 of the mountains, of the "varmints" he expected Terry to clean out, and while he talked, he took out a broad silver dollar and began flicking26 it in the air and catching27 it in the calloused28 palm of his hand.
"Call it," he interrupted himself to say to Terry.
"Heads," said Terry carelessly.
"You win," said Pollard. "Well, you're a lucky gent, Terry, but I'll go you ten you can't call it again."
But again Terry called heads, and again the coin chimed, steadied, and showed the Grecian goddess. The rancher doubled his bet. He lost, doubled, lost again, doubled again, lost. A pile of money had appeared by magic before Terry.
"I came to work for money," laughed Terry, "not take it away."
"I always lose at this game," sighed Joe Pollard.
The door opened, and Phil Marvin and Slim Dugan came back, talking and laughing together.
"What d'you know about that?" Pollard exclaimed softly. "She guessed right. She always does! Oughta be a man, with a brain like she's got. Here we are again!"
He spun the coin; it winked31, fell, a streak32 of light, and again Terry had won. He began to grow excited. On the next throw he lost. A moment later his little pile of winnings had disappeared. And now he had forgotten the face of Joe Pollard, forgotten the room, forgotten everything except the thick thumb that snapped the coin into the air. The cold, quiet passion of the gambler grew in him. He was losing steadily33. Out of his wallet came in a steady stream the last of his winnings at Pedro's. And still he played. Suddenly the wallet squeezed flat between his fingers.
"Pollard," he said regretfully, "I'm broke."
The other waved away the idea.
"Break up a fine game like this because you're broke?" The cloudy agate34 eyes dwelt kindly35 on the face of Terry, and mysteriously as well. "That ain't nothing. Nothing between friends. You don't know the style of a man I am, Terry. Your word is as good as your money with me!"
"I've no security—"
"Don't talk security. Think I'm a moneylender? This is a game. Come on!"
Five minutes later Terry was three hundred behind. A mysterious providence36 seemed to send all the luck the way of the heavy, tanned thumb of Pollard.
"No, no!" Pollard spread out his big hand on the table. "You got the red hoss, son. You can bet to a thousand. He's worth that—to me!"
"I won't bet a cent on him," said Terry firmly.
"Every damn cent I've won from you ag'in' the hoss, son. That's a lot of cash if you win. If you lose, you're just out that much hossflesh, and I'll give you a good enough cayuse to take El Sangre's place."
"A dozen wouldn't take his place," insisted Terry.
"That so?"
Pollard leaned back in his chair and put a hand behind his neck to support his head. It seemed to Terry that the big man made some odd motion with his hidden fingers. At any rate, the four men who lounged on the farther side of the room now rose and slowly drifted in different directions. Oregon Charlie wandered toward the door. Slim sauntered to the window behind the piano and stood idly looking out into the night. Phil Marvin began to examine a saddle hanging from a peg38 on one of the posts, and finally, chunky Marty Cardiff strolled to the kitchen door and appeared to study the hinges.
All these things were done casually39, but Terry, his attention finally off the game, caught a meaning in them. Every exit was blocked for him. He was trapped at the will of Joe Pollard!
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1
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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2
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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displeased
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| a.不快的 | |
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crooking
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| n.弯曲（木材等的缺陷）v.弯成钩形( crook的现在分词 ) | |
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5
dice
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| n.骰子；vt.把（食物）切成小方块，冒险 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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7
stunts
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| n.惊人的表演( stunt的名词复数 )；（广告中）引人注目的花招；愚蠢行为；危险举动v.阻碍…发育[生长]，抑制，妨碍( stunt的第三人称单数 ) | |
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8
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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10
braced
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| adj.拉牢的v.支住( brace的过去式和过去分词 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来 | |
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11
sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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contentedly
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| adv.心满意足地 | |
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ranch
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| n.大牧场，大农场 | |
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growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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15
pal
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| n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友 | |
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16
scowling
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的现在分词 ) | |
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sneering
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| 嘲笑的，轻蔑的 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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19
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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20
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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21
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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22
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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23
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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24
hospitably
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| 亲切地，招待周到地，善于款待地 | |
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genially
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| adv.亲切地，和蔼地；快活地 | |
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26
flicking
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| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的现在分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
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27
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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28
calloused
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| adj.粗糙的，粗硬的，起老茧的v.（使）硬结，（使）起茧( callous的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）冷酷无情 | |
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29
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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30
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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31
winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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32
streak
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| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
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33
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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34
agate
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| n.玛瑙 | |
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35
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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36
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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37
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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38
peg
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| n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定 | |
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39
casually
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| adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地 | |
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