Adventure, July 1, 1928 — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

24 THOMSON BURTIS “Good poker,” Daly thought to him- self. “That would stop us, if we had nothing.” Derringer stayed, MacDowell dropped regretfully, and Donnelly stayed, assur- ing the table that he was sorry he couldn’t raise forever. *‘Here’s mine,” Daly said quietly, and he could see their faces mirror utter amazement. His hand won after the draw without competition. The highest hand between the three which was shown was Harris’ openers—kings and threes—and_ they had staked twenty-four thousand dollars between them. MacDowell lighted a cigaret and hummed a little tune. His eyes were pools of light. The pot had put the air- men more than ten thousand to the good, net. Daly was tense, watching the taut players like a hawk. They were com- pletely baffled. They must realize that their game was gone, probably, unless they just had better luck. They no longer knew the signals of their opponents. What would be the next move? During the next two hands there was none. The table was silent as the grave, each man playing as though life itself was at stake. The stud players at the next table were growing noisier. Donnelly, all traces of joviality gone now, shuffled the cards. He shoved them to Tex to cut. “The hell I did!” shouted a man at the next table. As Donnelly picked up the cut cards a huge, roughly dressed player rose to his feet. “Tl cut your heart out!” he shouted, and table and chips crashed to the floor. In a second there was a wild mélée while the rest of theroom watched. For just an instant Daly’s eyes, like every one’s else, was on the battle. Immediately, however, his mind was back on the game. He did not look around, but unless he was badly mistaken there was at least an even chance that Draw One Donnelly had switched decks in the excitement. He thought he had seen something from the corner of his eyes. “Got.a cold deck to use in emergen- cies!” Daly thought swiftly. The battle was over ina moment. The men left amid the hoots of the onlookers. “It was staged,” Daly reflected. He was on his feet, helping pick up chips. He caught MacDowell’s eye, and the Texan came over to him. “T think they switched decks,” Daly said swiftly. ‘Play it. Maybe we can figure something, and if we can’t I’ll have Donnelly searched if we have to pull guns!” : After a moment of general excitement, the room was quiet again and they went back to the table. “Just a bunch o’ drunks,” Donnelly said. “Well, here we go, boys. You cut them, MacDowell.” Complete quiet settled over the alcove. It was a world of itsown. Daly had never looked at a poker hand with such burning interest as he did at these five subtly fresh feeling cards which he opened. He was looking at three kings, a six and a seven. He was thinking: “Tf it’s a cold hand, they won’t dare be too crude. The hands’ll be completed on the draw.” He looked at Tex. The Southener was signaling a ten full. He had a pat hand. Instantly Daly’s mind was: made up. But which man was to beat them, and did he have his hand pat? “Pass,” he said briefly. There was no surprise on the part of any one. He was first under the gun. Harris passed, as did Derringer. “It wouldn’t be Donnelly who'd beat us; it would be one of the others. He’s dealing,” Daly thought. Tex opened for a hundred dollars. Donnelly studied his cards regretfully. He passed. One man out. Daly raised it five hundred dollars. Harris stayed, and Derringer dropped. The thin little Jew, eyes on the ftable and hands playing ceaselessly with his .cards, smoked his cigaret in nervous puffs. Never had Daly felt such mounting comicloooks.com 3