The Dolores star., 1920-01-09


about twenty field hands"
And house servants?"
"Three or four"
The gamblers lips set more tightly,
a duh CLEAN creeping into his eyes.
"See here, Beaucaire," he hissed
sharply. This is my game, and
play square and never sQueal. know
about what you've got. for I've looked
them over: thought we might get
down to this sometime. can make n
pretty fair guess as to what your mig
gers are worth. That's why l just
raised you ten thousand and put up
the money. Now If you think this is
bluff, call me-"
| what do you mean?"
THAT I will accept your niggers as
covering my bet"
"The field hands?"
Kirby smiled broadly.
"The whole bunch-field hands and
house servants. Most of them are old :;
l doubt If altogether they will bring
that amount, but I'll take the risk.
Throw in blanket bill of sale, and
We'll turn up our cards. If you won't
do that the pile is mine as it stands"
| Beaucaire again wet his lips, staring
at the uncovered cards in his hands.
He could not lose; with what he held
| no combination was possible which
would beat him. Yet in spite of this
| knowledge the cold, sneering conf
dence of Kirby brought with it n
strange fear. The man was n profess
]
recklessucsS? Why should he be so
eager to risk such sum on an In
| ferior hand? McAfee, sitting next
him, leaned over, managed to gain
swift glimpse at what he held, and
eagerly whispered to him word of
encouragement. The judge straight
cned up in his chair, grasped n filled
glass someone had placed at his elbow,
and gulped down the contents. The
whispered words, coupled with the
fiery liquor, gave him fresh courage
'By heaven, Kirby. I'll do it," he
blurted out. "You can't bluT me on
the hand I've got. Give me sheet
Of paper, somcbody-yes, that will
| do"
lie scrnwled halfdozen lines,
fairly digging the pen into the sheet
in his fierce eagerness. and then
signed the document, fllnging the pn-
per across toward Kirby.
"There you bloodsucker." he cried
insolently. rs that all right? VIII
that do?"
| The imperturbable gambler read |.
over slowly. carefully deciphering each
word, his thin lips tightly compressed.
"iou might add the words. This in
cludes every chattel slnve legally be-
longing to me-" he said grimly.
THAT is practically what did say"
"Then you can certainly have no
objection to putting 1t in the exact
words I choose" calmly. 81 intend to
have what is coming to me If I win,
and know the law"
Beaucaire angrIly wrote in the re-
quired extra line.
"Now what?" he asked.
Let McAfee there sign 1t MS a wit
ness, and then toss 1t over into the
pile He smiled, showing a line Of
white teeth beneath his mustache.
mice little pot, conference.-the Judge
must hold some cards to take n chance
like that" the words uttered with n
sneer. "Fours, at least, or maybe he
has had the luck to pick straight
flush"
Beaucaire's face redeemed, and his
eyes brew hard.
'That's my business" he said terse-
ly. Sign it. McAfee, and I'll call this
Growing cockerel. You young fool, I
played poker before you were born.
There now, Kirby, I've covered your
bet"
perhaps you would prefer to raise
itY
"You hell-hound-no! That Is nv
limit. and you know it. Don't crawl
now, or do any more bluffing. Show
your hand-Ive called you"
Kirby sat absolutely motionless, his
cards lying face down upon the table,
the white fingers Of one hand resting
lightly upon them, the other arm con-
cealed. He never once removed his
gaze from Beaucaire's face, and his
expression did not change, except for
the almost insulting sneer on his lips,
The silence was profound, the deeply
interested men leaning forward even
holding their breath IN intense eager.
ness. Each realized that n fortune
lay on the table; knew that the old
Judge had madly staked his all on the
value of those five unseen cards
gripped in his fingers. Again. as
though to bolster up his shaken cour.
age he stared at the face Of each, then
lifted his bloodshot eyes to the i'm.
passive face opposite.
"Beaucaire drew two kayards,'
whispered an excited voice near me.
Hell! So did Kirby" replied an.
other. They're both of 'em old
hands,"
The sharp exhaust of distant
steam pipe below punctuared the 81.