Adventure, July 1, 1928 — page 24: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

18 THOMSON BURTIS element, although nobody likes him. Nasty chap—” “He’s sure acting very funny,” Tex remarked. “As though he was going to pull off a big job. Listen to this.” As Tex told briefly the events of the afternoon which concerned Conklin, Ivers stood motionless, his fat legs spread widely and his face without a trace of ex- pression. The flesh seemed to fold more tightly around his eyes, however, until that impression of a stranger looking forth from the flesh which disguised him became more powerful than ever. When MacDowell had finished Ivers scratched his head absently. Daly thought that he was much more im- pressed than he seemed to be. Before saying a word he made one slow turn of the room, his head down in thought. “Jed’s pot something up his sleeve, sure as hell,” he said finally in that throaty wheeze. He seemed to be trying to digest the possibilitiesin the situation. “Of course, most of this town don’t give a damn. There are two organized mino- rities — Derringer’s and Jed’s. Derrin- ger’s is stronger. The rest of the town’ll just be satisfied with whatever happens. Jed aims to have things happen this way. He’s got a coup prepared, and he wants no law in the shape of patrolmen, or any other brand of it. Well, I'll be damned. So the little rooster’s laid a trap of some sort—”’ He ceased talking, and resumed his walk. Daly thought that he was con- siderably exercised over the situation for a man who had little interest one way or the other. “Of course he has—he hates Der- ringer,” he reminded himself. Aloud he said:. “Funny situation, isn’t it? Here you hate Derringer and we’re planning to rook him plenty. At the same time, we're in a sort of feud with our principal ally, although he doesn’t know it.” Ivers nodded, his fleshy face blank. “Well,” he said abruptly. “Let’s get set on this poker business.” He sat down, but his heart did not seem to be in the project as it had been. “Just for your own information,” he said absently, “here are the papers show- ing Bill and I the legal owners of this acreage. Within ten or fifteen minutes you'll find the game crooked. That’s certain.’ Daly and Tex examined the papers casually. There was no doubt of their genuineness. : . “Now,” Ivers said, “how do you plan to work things? As I said, I’m a babe in arms along that line, although I’ve played a little small poker. Inasmuch as you're going to be playing with ten thousand dollars of mine, I’m naturally interested in the modus operandt.”’ Duke noted that Latin phrase. Mr. Henry Ivers was evidently a man of parts. He was becoming more and more interested in the past of this merchant of the frontier who betrayed education and experience aside from that gained in such places as the Yukon and the Texas border. MacDowell looked over at Daly, and Ivers’ eyes also seemed to gravitate in the direction of the slim blond young man with the youthful face. “TI think we’d better forget crooked stud dealing,” Daly said evenly, “except as an occasional thing. It would spoil our draw game to sit side by side, and perhaps I can get away with an occasional stud hand unassisted. Now on draw we'd better have at least three sets of signals, change them every ten hands, and per- haps we can get away with our share of the boodle. If there’s an innocent outsider in the game, we'll return his money afterward.” He described the signals in detail, and for fifteen minutes various matters which might arise were taken up. Henry Ivers sat there, immobile and expressionless, but his eyes were very bright. “Well,” he said finally, getting up from his chair, “‘let’s get you boys a quick bite to eat and then let you go to it. While yow’re eating [ll fix up a twenty thousand dollar credit—no, I believe V'll make it thirty thousand. That game’s liable to comnlicloooks.com