Argosy, Vol. 120, No. 1 — page 140: what you’re looking at

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

130 got something on your conscience. No man that isn’t afraid to look behind his back hates music the way you do.” “You lie!” yelled Bardwell; but he did not pursue the point. ‘ And I get the smell of your coffee and your pipe, damn you, and all the other stuff that you’ve got and I haven’t. It ain’t right. It’s cruel and un- natural. You ought to be glad enough of the chance to be here under shelter to give me something. If you don’t I’ll starve to death, Lacey; before God I will.” All the anger and resentment had evapo- rated from his tone; it was wheedling and professionally pitiful. Through the smoke of his cigar, Lacey squinted unemotionally at him. ‘“‘ Let’s see,” he murmured; “ now just why should I? I don’t owe you anything. ' This shack is free to any comers. Besides which, when you got in you was as well fixed as me, I reckon, oniy you wasted it. You could have fished, back then, for sal- mon, and frozen ’em. They’d have kept all winter. Same with wood; when the light was good and cutting easy, and you’d ougnt to have made your pile, you was waiting for some one to come along and do it for.you. “ Up here a man don’t very often get two chances; lucky, most time, to have one, and damn well thankful to make the most of it. It’s sink or swim according to yourself.” Suddenly he began to chuckle again in the quiet way he had, heaving his shoulders and wrinkling up the fat around his eyes. “Never got up against anything just like this before, did you, Bardwell? Where it was man to God, and the devil take him if his foot slipped? No; I don’t believe - Ill give you any grub, Bardwell; it’s- against nature.” There was a murderous flare in Bard- well’s eyes, but he kept it out of his voice. ‘Well, then; sell it. I got—money.”’ Lacey looked surprised. For a full mo- ment he hesitated. ; ‘““No;” he decided finally. “I don’t want to. Queer reason, perhaps, but never mind. Because I’m going to put you in the way of getting what you need—actually have got to have to live, and nothing more—another way. Ina way, you figured home. THE ARGOSY. right. I don’t want to have a man dying next door if I can help it; not any man, no matter how much he deserves to starve. And if any one ever did, that’s you, Bard- well. “As you say, I’ve got grub and you've got money. Besides, I’ve a deck of cards— poker deck. Whenever you feel like it, come round in here. Bring along some dough and a dish for your grub. We'll fix up a schedule—one cracker, so much; one slice of bacon, so much; can of beans, so much—bearing in mind that it’s life itself you’re going after, and gold dust by com- parison is fairly cheap stuff.” ~““ You put your grub, hey, against my money—and if I lose—” 7 ‘“‘ Winner takes the pot. If it’s you, you get your money back, plus grub. -If it’s yours truly, what’s a little dirt beside a light in hell and a square meal? When the nights are twenty hours long, and your belt gets tighter every day with famine, Bard- well, you'll see a cup of flour or a slice of pork outweigh a man’s life like a flash of lightning. I have—often. It’s the law of supply and demand at its wickedest—”’ “You’re a crook!” snarled Bardwell. “You'll cheat! I’m damned if PI—” “Can’t you cheat, too?” smiled Lacey. ‘“That’s the whole proposition, anyhow. Take it or leave it—”’ Bardwell left it and stamped profanely But the next day there was nothing else to do but avail himself of the fat man’s good nature and reconsider. He had scraped the bottom of his boxes. In an hour’s session he lost two pounds of gold and acquired in exchange a can of beans, a quarter of a cup of sugar, six slices of bacon, and five crackers. This food sufficed him just twenty-four hours, and was lean rations at that. . For three days after that he kept away. When he reappeared he brought hunger in his eyes, and the edge of his voice was vit- riolic. For three hours they played, all jack-pots. Bardwell left behind a pint of gold, almost, and took back with him enough food for half a week. That was, as it turned out, extra good luck, for him, because he soon made it plain that in the game of poker, which requires unblemished CO 1TOO S *CO)