The Tupelo journal., 1909-08-20

pleasantly WITH one OF the D~drkeeperS,
his closest teeth cleaning 20 feet
away, stood at the end OF the bar slid
ing an empty glass between his hands.
Whispering Smith pushed past the on
lockers to get to the end of the table
where Du Sang was shooting. He
made no effort to attract Du Sang's
attention, and when the latter looked
up he could have pulled the gray hat
from the head of the man whose
brown eyes were mildly fixed on Du
Sang's dice; they we're lying just In
front Of Smith. Looking indifferently
at the intruder, Du Sang reached for
the dice; just ahead of his right hand,
Whispering Smiths right hand, the
finger-tips extended on the table,
rested in front of them; it might have
been through accident, or it might
have been through design. In his left
hand Smith held the broken cigar, and
without looking at Du Sang he passed
the wrapper again over the tip of his
tongue and slowly across his lips.
Du Sang now looked sharply at him,
and Smith looked at his cigar. Others
we're playing around the semi-circular
tablet might mean nothing. Du
Sang waited. Smith lifted his right
hand from the table and felt in his
waistcoat for a match. Du Sang, how
ever, made no effort to take up the
dice. He watched Whispering Smith
scratch a match on the table, and,
either because it failed to light or
through design, it was scratched the
second time on the table, marking a
cross between the two dice.
The meanest negro in the joint
would not have stood that, yet Du
Sang hesitated. Whispering Smith,
mildly surprised, looked up. Hello,
Pearline! You shooting here?" He
pushed the dice back toward the out
law. "Shoot again!"
Du Sang, scowling, snapped the
dice and threw badly.
up jump the devil, II It? Shoot
again!" And, pushing back the dice,
Smith moved closer to Du Sang. The
two men touched arms. Du Sang.
threatened in a way wholly new to
him, waited like a snake braved by a
mysterious enemy. His eyes blinked
like a badgers. He caught up the
dice and threw. "Is that the best you
can do?" asked Smith. See here!'
He took up the dice. "Shoot with mel"
Smith threw the dice up the table to-
ward Du Sang. Once he threw craps,
but, reaching directly in front of Du
Sang, he picked the dice up and threw
eleven. "Shoot with me-. Du Sang"
! whats your gamer" snapped Du
Sang, with an oath.
what do you care, If I've got the
coin? I'll throw you for $40 gold
pieces"
Du Sang's eyes glittered. Unable to
understand the reason for the affront,
he stood like a cat waiting to spring.
This is my camel" he snarled.
Then play It,"
Look here. what do you want?"
Smith stepped closer. ANY game
you've got. I'll throw you left-handed,
Du Sang" With his right hand he
snapped the dice under Du Sang's nose
and looked squarely into his eyes.
Got any Sugar Buttes money!"
Du Sang for an instant looked keen
ly back; his eyes contracted in that
time to a mere narrow slit; then, sud.
den as thought, he sprang back into
the corner. Kennedy, directly across
the table, watched the lightning-like
move. For the first time the crap.
dealer looked i~mpatiently up.
1t was a showdown. No one watch
ing the two men under the window
breathed for a moment. Whispering
Smith, motionless, only watched the
half-closed eyes. "You can't shoot
craps" he said, coldly. What can
you shoot, Pearline? You can't stop
a man on horseback"
Du Sang knew he must try for a
quick kill or make a retreat. He
took in the field at a glance. Ken
nedy's teeth cleaned only ten feet
away, and with his right hand half
under his coat lapel he toyed with his
~watch-chain. McCloud had moved in
from the slot machine and stood at
the point of the table, looking at Du
Sang and laughing at him. Whisper
ing Smith threw off all pretense.
Take your hand away from your gun,
you albino! I'll blow your head of
~left-handed If you pull! VIII you get
out of this town tonight? If you can't
drop a man in the saddle at $50 yards,
what do you think you'd look like aft
err break with me? Go back to the
whelp that hired you, and tell him
when he wants a friend Of mine to
send a man that can shoot. If you are
within 20 miles Of Medicine Bend at
daylight I'll rop you like a fat COW
and drag you down Front street,"
Du Sang, with burning eyes, shrank
narrower and smaller into his corner,
ready to shoot II he had to, but
not liking the chances. No man in
Williams Cache could pull or shoot
with Du Sang, but no mar in the
mountains had ever drawn ~successful-
~ against the man that faced him.
Whispering Smith saw that he would
not draw. He tainted him again in
low tones, and, backing away, spoke
laughingly to McCloud. While Ken
nedy covered the corner, Smith backed
to the door and waited for the two to
join him. They halted a moment at
the door, then they backed slowly up
the steps and out into the street.
There was no talk till they reached
the Wickiup office. Nov, will some
Of you tell me who Du Sang is?" asked
McCloud, after Kennedy and Whisper.