Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-12-06

promises TO aid her. Rios iS after treas
ure Suddenly Zoralda returns. bringing
vamred Ro es SIG Kendro Sad 'GE@f'i5Sy 5Ent Hsty
drIC denies ZSr6idS develops develops "iT, a new plot plot
with Rios to win kopdric's love. and hy
herself a. queen. en- KendTc Is confined nfH dat at
The s rs1ch Iorai3a ro.R ,rat invites hin to din:
RTqSsti RSs f. naS SnS urges the three men and
STAKES OF gold, which she provides.
AND HERE II CONTINUES
uAD not Betty chosen to look at him
- then Kendric's answer would have
been blunt, mo" But Betty did look,
and the glance was rs eloquent as n
gush Of stinging words. Without a
clue to the girls thoughts, he merely set
her down as the most illogical impcrti-
nent and irritating creature it had ever
been his bad lot to encounter. For
her eyes told him that he was an ami
NAL Of some sort Of q crawling species
which she abhorrcd. This aftcr he had
put in long, troubled hours seeking the
way to be of service to her!
Bah" he said in his heart, staring
coIlly at her until she averted her eyes,
"thcy'rc nll the same" And to 10
raida, I'm play, but I play with my
own money.
Xciaida only laughed. His open rude
moss seemed unmarked.
"Barlov," said KCndric, 81 want n
word with you first.
harlow did not turn or lift his eyes
"Talk fast thrn,' he rctortcd. 'lhe
game : waiting. ,
I'm private, if you don't mind y
urgcd' KcndriC.
Now Barlow looked ut him SuLlCnly.
After what happened last night,
Kcndric," he said heavily, you and
me have got no private business TO-
gcthcr. Am ] the man to take n oui-
let from another and then go Chtr' with
him|' -, ,,,
''You blame me for thatT" Kendric
was incrcdulOus. Barlow snortrd.
'WrlI." continued Kendric stitily, ut
least wo'vc unfinished business between
us. Nou haven't forgotten what brought
us down here, have yOu:
Treasure, you m"un:' Barlow spat
ont the words dcfiantly. "Put the name
to il. man. We'll, what of it,
'"The understanding was mat we
stand together. That we split what we
find fifty fifty. Does that still ,go:e
Barlow pulled n"rvously at his fore
lock his eyes wandering. For an IN
slant they were fixed on the smlllhG
fncc of Xoraida, Then grown dossco
they came back to kcndrir. -, =.
'UclI take the understanding he
b,urtrd ont sayNgrly. 1--WE stand even
tonight. one as close to tn" lnot M nS
thr nthrr. It's every man for himself
whole hog or none, and the devil take
the hindinost. That's what 1t ~
Cloud" snapped kcndric. lhat
suits me" He slammed his little PAD
of banknotcs down on the table anu tHok
his chair. "What's the game, genhe-
men,
Thcy named it poker aud played hard,
Reckless men with money we're theS
all. men accustomed to big, fast games
The most reckless of them. JIM N'u-
dric, was in mood for anything pro-
vidpd it raced. Itetty's attitude, Bct-
i tvs look, had stirred him after strange
new fashion which he did not ah9iN"''
RorIow's unreasonable untrlcnd!incSc
hurt and angcrcd; the j""r in Rios,
hard blark eyes ruffl"d his blood. And
cvrn Young Bruce looked at him with 4
defiance which Kcndric had no stomach
for. From the first card p!nycd. jim
| Keudric, like n pnCemnk"r III race
stamped his spirit upon the struggle.
Betty, seeing that sh" was not 10
. be allowed to go. sat down, ana i"r Il
spacc made prctensC of ignoring what
went forward before her. But presently
ma tho atmosphere grew strained ah!
! intense, site forgot her pr"t"nSc ana
leaned forward and wntrhM eagerly
| Zuraida had couch drawn Up Tor
( her, richly r"orrd nilkcn cushions plnc"d
! TO her taste, and stretched "ut lux
| uriousiy, her chin in her tW" hahGS.
There urc isolated games wherein
| chance enters which mako one wonder
what is this thing named chance, and
/ from which one rises at last touched
/ by the superstition which holds 50
! firm n place in the hearts Of all gam
| h'erS. from the beginning it was jim
/ Kcndric's game. When Il jack-p"t VA,
uprued he went into il with an acc
high, though IT cost him n hundred
dollars to Cull for cards which wa,
not playing poker, bur drfyiug mnthr-
matirs and challenging his luck. AND
the four cards given him Ivy Brur"
whose blue eyes named him fool, were
two more aces and two queens, NnC
the pot that Wa close /" ten hundrrC
IOllnrs before the swccteniug was dun"
was hia Barlow, who had lost most
I glarcd Mt Him and muttcr"d under hi'
breath: young Bruce merely stared in
creduluusly and looked again at tho
cards to make sure; Rios VIII" had kept
clear, smiled and murmurrd:
"Lucky n cards, unIur|I IN Ioy"
senior.
II prefer tie cards. thanks" saic
Ecndric. stuchiug his winnings. AnC
there was enough oi IL" boy left in him
10 look briefly for the first time al
Betty. XorHida saw and bit her lip.
But though it was borne in upor
those who played and those who
watched that il was Jim K"ndric :
game ther" were rlc iucvit0bI" tense
moments when each man in turn hac
his own eager hope. Bruce, no coo
hand at gambling, showed his excite
mcnt in his shining blue eyes; Barlow
muttercd to himself: Rios sat forward
in his chair and left Of pointing the
tins Of his mustach,s. At the end o
the first half hour, though Kcndric'
heap Of winnings was by far the great
est. no man Of them was down to bee
rock. And by now Kndric los
Make it . Jack pot for tnbIc stakes,
he invited cone hand for the whole
"What's the hurry%' dcmandcc
Bruce. "Nou'r" doing well enough a
it is, aren't y0uf'
"a quick killing is better than SLOW
torture" returned Jim lightly. "Ant
you'll note that ] am Offering odds
Better than two 10 one against tn
nushcst of you,
"Burno senior" suid Rios. 1T suit