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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 1924)
Desert Dust By €dwin L Sabin Author of “How Are You Feeling?” eta 1* ' The teamster backed him. “I’m on the same card,” said he. And not to be outdone— urged, I thought, by a pluck at my sleeve—I boldly followed with my own two dollars, rea soning that was warranted in partially recouping, for Benton owed me much. gambler laughed shortly. His gaze, cool and impertinent, enveloped our front. He leaned bijyk defiant. ' “Give me a chance, gentlemen. I shall not proceed with the play for that picayune sum before me. This is my last deal and I’ve been loser. It’s make or bi'eak. Who else will back that gentleman's luck I I’ve placed the cards the best I know how. But six or eight dollars is no money to me. It doesn’t pay for floor space. Is nobody else inf What? Come, come; let’s have some sport. I dure you. This time is my re venge or your good fortune. Play up, gentlemen. Don’t be crab bers.” He smiled sarcastically; bis words stung. “This isn’t juissy-in-a-corner. It’s a game of Wits. You wouldn’t bet unless you felt cock-sure of winning. ? ’ll give you one minute, gentle won, before calling all bets off unless you make the pot worth while.” The threat had effect. Nobody wished to let the marked card get away. That was not human nature. Heta rained in upon the table-bank notes, silver half dollars, the rarer dollar coins, end the common green backs. He fc.et each wager, while he sat negligent and half smiled and chewed his unlighted cigar. “This is the lust round, gentle men,’’ he reminded. “Are you all in? Don't leave with regrets. You,” ho said direct to me. “Are you in such short circumstances that you have no spunk? Why did you come here, sir, if not to win? Why, the stakes you play would not buy refreshments for the lady!” That was too much. I threw scruples aside. He had badgered me— he was there to win if he could; 1 now' was hot with the same design. I extracted my twenty-dollar note, and deaf to a quickly breathed “Wait the turn” from My Lady I planked it down before him. She should know me for a man of decision. “There, sir,” said I. “I am betting twenty-two dollars in all, which is my limit tonight, on the Bame right-end card as I stand.” I thought that I had him. Forthwith he straightened alert- 1 ly, spoke tartly. *■ “The game is closed, gentle men. Remember, you are wag ering on the first turn. There ere no splits in monte. Not at •thip table. Our friend says the right-end card. You, sir,” and he adressed Jim. “They are backing you. Which do you say is Ute queen? Lay your finger on her.” Jim so did, with a finger stuby, and dirty under the nail. “That is the card, is it? You are agreed?” he queried us, sweeping hia cold gray eyes from face to face. “We’ll have no crabing.” We nodded, intently eying the card, fearful yet, some of us, that it might be denied us. “You, sir, then.” And he ad dressed me. ‘You are the heavi est better. Suppose you turn the card for yourself and those other jgruuenuui. 1 obediently reached for it. My hand trembled. There were *ixt.y or seventy dollars upon the table, and my own contribution was my last cent. As I fumbled l felt the strain of bodies pressing •gainst mine, and heard the hiss of feverish breaths, and a foolish iaugli or two. Nevertheless the silence seemed overpowering. I turned the card—the card with the bent corner, of which l was as certain as of my own name; I faced it up, confidently, my capital already doubled; and amidst a burst of astonished cries 1 stared dumb-founded. It was the eight, of clubs! My fingers left it as though it were a snake. It was the eight of clubs! Where I had seen, in fancy, the queen j»f hearts, there lay like a changc%ig the eight of chibs, with comer bent as only token of the transformation. The crowd elbowed aborft me. With rapid movement the gambler raked in the bets—a •leader hand flashed by me— turned the next card. The queen that was, after all. The gambler darkened, gather ing the paste-boards. “We can’t both win, gentle men,” he said, tone passionless. “But I am willing to give you one more chance, from a new deck.” What the response was I did not know, nor care. My ears drummed confusedly, and seeing nothing I pushed through into the open, painfully conscious that I Was flat penniless and that in stead of having played the knave I had played the fool, for the queen of hearts. The loss of some twenty dollars might have been a trivial matter to me. once—I had at times cast that sum away as vainly as Wash ington hud cast a dollar across the Potomac; but here I had lost my all, whether large or small; and not only had I been bilked out of it—I had bilked myself out of it by sinking, in pretended smartness, below the level of a more artful dodger. I heard My Lady speaking be side me. “ I’m so sorry. ’ ’ She laid hand upon my sleeve. “You should have been content with small sums, or followed my lead. Next tune->” “There’ll be no next time,” I blurted. “I am cleaned out.” “You don’t mean-f” “I was first robbed at the hotel. Now here.” “No, nol” she opposed. Jim sidled to us. “That was a bungle, Jim.” He ruefully scratched his head. “A wrong steer for once, I ieekon. 1 warn’t slick enough. Too much money on the table. But it looked like the card; I never took my eyes off’n it. We’ll try ag’in, and switch to another layout. By thunder, I want revenge on this joint and I mean to get it So do you, don’t you, pardnerf” he appealed to me. As with mute, sickly denial I turned away it seemed to me that I sensed a shifting of forms at the monte table—caught the words “You watch here a mo ment;” and close following, a slim white hand fell heavily upon My Lady’s shoulder. It whirled her about, to face the gambler. His smooth olive countenance was dark with a venom of rage incarnate that poisoned the air; his syllables crackled. “You devil! I heard you, at the table. You meddle with my come-ons, will yout” And he slapped her with open palm, so that the impact smacked. “Now get out o’ here or I’ll kill you.” She flamed red, all in a single tush of blood. “Oh!” she breathed. Her hand darted for the pocket in her skirt, but I sprang between the two. Forgetful of my revolver, remembering only what I had witnessed- a woman struck by a man—with a blow I sent him reeling backward. He recovered; every vestige of color had left his face except for the spot where I had landed; his hat had sprung aside from the shock—his gray eyes, contrast ed with his black hair, fastened upon my eyes almost deliberately and his upper lip lifted over set white teeth. With lightning movement he thrust the fingers of his right hand into his waist coat pocket. i neara tne rusn of feet, a clamor of voices; and all the while, which seemed intermin able, I was tugging, awkward with deadly peril, at my revolv er. His fingers had whipped free of the pocket, I glimpsed as with second sight (for my eyes were held strongly by his) the twin litle black muzzles of a deeriuger concealed in his palm; a spasm of fear pinched me; they spurted, with ringing report, but just at the instant a flanneled arm knocked his arm up, the ball had sped ceiling-ward and the teamster of the gambling table stood against him, revolver barrel boring into his 'very stomach. “Stand pat, Mister. I call you.” In a trice all entry of any un pleasant emotion vanished from my antagonist’s handsome face, leaving it olive tinted, cameo, inert. He steadied a little, and smiled, surveying the teamster’s visage, close to his. “ You ha\ e me covered, sir. My hand is in ti e discard.” He com posedly tucked the deeriuger in ‘o his waistcoat pocket again. “That gentleman struck me; He was about to draw' on me, and by rights I might have killed him. My apologies for this little dis turbance.” lie bestowed a challenging loon upon me, a hard unforgiv ing look upon the lady; with a bow he turned for his hat, and stepping swiftly went back to his table. Now in the reaction I fought desperately against a trembling of the knees; there were con gratulations, a hubbub of voices assailing me—and the arm of the teamster through mine and his bluff invitation: “Come and have a drink ” “But you’ll return. You must. I want to speak raith you.” It was My Lady, pleading earnestly. I still could scarcely utter a word; my brain was in a smother My new friend moved me away from her. He answer ed for me. . “Not until we’ve had a little confab, lady. We’ve got matters of importance jest at present.” I saw her bite her lips, as she helplessly flushed; her blue eyes implored me, but I had no will of my owm and I certainly owed a measure of courtesy to this man who had saved my life. CHAPTER IX I Accept An Offer We found a small table, one of the several devoted to refresh ments for the dancers, in a corn er and unoccupied. The affair upon the floor was apparently past history—if it merited even that distinction. The place had resumed its program of dancing, playing and drinking as though after all a pistol shot was of no great moment in the Big Tent. “You had a narrow shave,” my friend remarked as we seated ourselves—I with a sigh of grati tude for the opportunity. “If you can’t draw quicker you’d better keep your hands in your pockets. Lot’s have a dose of t’raut’las juice to set you up.” Whereupon he ordered whiskey from a waiter. “Rut I couldn’t stand by and see him strike a woman,” I de fended. “Wall, fists mean guns in these diggin’s. Where you from?” “Albany, New Yory State.” “I sized you up as a pilgrim. You haven’t been long in camp, either, have you?” “No, but plenty long enough,” I miserably replied. “Long enough to be plucked, eh?” We had drunk the whiskey. Under its warming influence my tongue loosened. Moreover there was something strohgand kindly in the hearty voice and the rough face of this rudely clad plainsman, bla'ckbcarded to the piercing black eyes. “Yes; of my last cent.” “All at gamblin’, mebbe?” “No. Only a little, but that strapped me. The hotel had rob bed me of practically everything else.” “Had, had it? Wall, what’s the story?” I told him of the hotel part; and he nodded. “Shore. You can’t hold the hotel responsible. You can leave stuff loose in regular camp; no body enters flaps without per mission. But a room is a dif ferent proposition. I’d rather take chances among Injuns than among white men. Why, you could throw in with a Sioux vil lage for a year and not be robbed permanent if the chief thought you straight; but in a white man’s town—'hell! Now, how’d you get tangled up with this other outfit?” “Which?” I queried. “That brace outfit I found you with.” “The fellow ii a stranger to me, sir/' said I “I simply was foolish enough to stake what lit tle I had ou a sure thing—I was bamboozled iDto following the lead of the rest of you,” I re minded. “Now I see that there was a trick, although I don’t yet understand After that the fellow assaulted the lady, my companion, and vou stepped in for which, sir, I owe you more thanks than I ean utter.” “A trick you think!” He opened his hairy mouth for a gust of short laughter. “My Gawd, boy! We were nicely took in, and we deserve’d it. When you buck the tiger, look out for his claws. But I reckon ed he’d postpone the turn till next time. He would have, if you fellers hadn’t come down so handsome with the dust I stood pat, at that. So, you notice, did the capper, your other friend.” “The capper? Which was he, sir?” “Why, Lord bless you, son. You’re the greenest thing this side of Omyha. A capper touch ed him on the shoulder, a capper bent that there card, a capper tolled you all on with a dollar or two, and another capper fed the come-ons to his table. Aye, 6he’s a purty piece. Where’d you meet up with her?” “With her?” I gasped. “Yes, yes. The woman; the main steerer. That purty piece who damn nigh lost yju your life as well as losin’ you your money.” “You mean the lady with the blue eyes, in black?” “Yes, the golden hair. . Lady! Oh, pshaw! Where’d she hook you? At the door?” “You shall not speak of her in that fashion, sir,” I answered. “We were together on the train from Omaha. She has been kindness itself. The only part she played to-night, as far as I can see, was to chaperon me here in the Big Tent; and whatever small winnings I had made, for amusement, was due to her and the skill of an acquaintance ' Jim.” .Jim Daily, yep. O course. And she befriended you. "Why, d’you suppose?” “Perhaps because I was of some assistance to her on the way out West. I had a little setto with Mr. Daily, when he annoyed her while be was drunk. But sobered up, he seemed to wish to make amends.” “Oh, Lord!” My friend’s mouth gaped. “Amends? Yep. That’s his nature. Might call it mendin’ his pocket and his lip. And you don’t yet savvy that your ‘lady’s’ Montoyo’s wife— his woman, anyhow?” J‘Montoyo? Who’s Montoyo?” “The r.ionte thrower. That same spieler who trimmed us,” he rapped impatiently. The light that broke upon me dazed. My heart pounded. I must have looked what I felt: a fool. “No,” I stammered in my thin small voice of the hotel. “I imagined—I had reason to sus pect that she might be married. But I didn’t know to whom.” “Married? Wall, mebbe. Anyhow, she’s bound to Monto yo. He’s a breed, some Spanish, some white, like as not some Injun. A devil, and as slick as they make ’em. She’s a power too white for him, herself, but he uses her and some day he’ll kill her. You’re not the fust gudgeon she’s hooked, to feed to him. Why, she’s known all back down the line. They two have been followin’ end o’ track from North Platte, along with Hell on Wheels. Had a layout in Omyha, and in Denver. They’re not the only double-harness out fit hyar, either. You can meet a friendly woman any time, but this one got hold you fust.” Modern Buenos Aires Letter to New York Post “i1' who has long thought of North America as ths new world It is a special revelation to come to South America, which In a very real sense Is the newest world—a world that is Just passing out of its pastoral stage of development and Is now alive with plans for the upbuilding of a balanced and more highly Industrialized na tional economy. The approach to this newest world la particularly Impressive. For nearly a day's Journey coming In from sea the vast muddy volume of the River Platte discolors the ocean, and after passing Montevideo there is still a half day’s Journey up what is hardy so much an estuary as it is a broad reach of the river. The first 80 miles of ths passage are, in fact, through water that is wholly fresh, with an expanse so great that ths shore is rarely visible from either elde of t^e upper deck of the steamer. The com bined effect of the river, the crowded shipping and finally the modem dock system at Buenos Aires Is that/of a great continental gateway on (f scale that in soms undeflnable wav seems to surpass that of New Yorji harbor itself. This Impression of potentl* «M*» in the background is renewed, on landing at Buenos Aires, by finding a city ap proaching 8,000.000 population which has now largely completed a new system of boulevards and parks in ac cordance with a definite plan. In both archltecuture and city plan there is admittedly and consciously & Parisian touch, but it is only the professional critic who would class this as a defect, for blended with the Parisian touch there is already In evidence another touch which is truly Argentine. Some of this distinctiveness Is, of course, a matter of climate and lati tude, which compare roughly with that of Savannah, Ga. In the parks this winter season there is still a scattering of flowers, while palms, evergreens and eucalyptus mask the bareness of the deciduous trees. Ns Center of Universe. Alcyone, the brlghest star of tne Pleiades, equals In brightness the star Zeta. It was at one time fanci fully pictured as the center of the unlvyse by the astronomer Madier. but tnis was merely a speculation for which there is absolutely no foun dation. Pleiades form, In fact, a moving cluster of stars of 200 or more members, and its principal stars are associated with a nebula of vayt size. Yhere Is no reason to belivs that our sun wCth his family of planets is moving around this or any other center In the universe. It has been estimated that the distance of the Pleiades from the solar system Is over 300 light years, or, in other words, that the light from this clus ter takes over 300 years to travel to the earth. We see these stars today aa they were before the Pilgrim Fathers landed in America. Is Winter Time Your Backache Time? DOES every cold, chill or attack of grip leave you lame, achy and all worn out? Does your back throb and ache until it seems you just can’t keep going another day? Do you know these troubles are often due to weakened kidneys? *5°^® ant^ chills throw a heavy strain on the kid ney®- The kidneys are apt to weaken and fall behind in filtering the blood. Poisons accumulate and upset blood and nerves* Then comes constant backache, rheumatic pains, headache dizziness and kidney irregularities. Don’t wait I Delay is often serious. Use Doan’s Pills—& etimulantdiuretic to the kidneys. Doan’s have helped thou sands. They are recommended by users everywhere. Ask your neighborl “Use Doans/9 Say These Good Folks: Clinton Heaton, farmer, R. F. D. No. 1, Bosholt, S. D., says: “I suffered from "weak kidneys for a couple of years and at times whs just about all in from lame back. I was lame and there were times that I would have no con trol over my kidneys. A friend advised me to try Doan’s Pills and I got two boxes and used them. They cured me up in good shape.*'_ Mrs.,Morgan Anglin, 412 Dart mouth St., Vermilion, S. D., says: "My kidneys caused me to suffer a lot. Backache kept me feeling miserable and sapped my strength and energy until I was so worn out I couldn’t keep my work up. The action of my kidneys was irregular, being too frequent most of the time. I used Doan’s Pills and they soon j> cured me of kidney complaint, It making my back strong and well.’’ | Doan’s Pills Jr Stimulant Diuretic to the Kidneys At all dealer*, 60c a box. Fotter-Milbum Co., Mfg. C? smitts, Buffalo, N. Y. The Busy Bee In order to store up a kilogram (two and one-fifth pounds) of honey, bees lave £o visit at least 0,000,000 heads of red clover, according to computa tions based on observances of their work by Dr. L. Armbruster of Berlin. Clover lioney requires the most work. Fewer visits to other honey-producing plants are required, as low ns 80WX) 'n the case of peas. Always Keep a Box on Hand. Brandreth Pills are a safe and reli able laxative, made In America for ninety years, entirely vegetable.—Adv, Leavet SO Feet Long The Imaja palm, growing in South America, has leaves reaching a length of fifty feet and are often ten feet wide. Another palm, a native of Cey lon, has leaves twenty feet long and eighteen feet broad, from which the natives make tents and shelters. Just So Children capable of producing bright sayings would be a great help to a tired humorist. No good cause ever started with a working majority. Janiculum Is a Famous Hill Janiculum a famous hill in tluj city q£ Rome, situated on the right banlj of the Tiber, and south of St. Peter’s church. It affords a fine pros pect of the city and its environs and .derives its name, according to tradi tion, from Janus, the sun god of the Latins. Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome, was buried there; and Ancus Martius, the fourth king, fortified the hill and connected it with the city by means of the Pons Subllcius, the first Roman bridge. This is the bridge that | was so valiantly defended by Horatlus Codes against the Etruscans com manded by Porsena. The Janiculum is not one of the “Seven Hills of Rome."—Detroit News. , “DANDELION BUTTER COLOR” A harmless vegetable butter color used by millions for 50 years. Drug stores and general stores sell bottles of “Dandelion’' for 85 cents.—Adv. Keeping a secret is one kind of con fidence game. Mirrors furnish a good deal of food for reflection. Children Cry for “Castoria” Especially Prepared for Infants and Children of All Ages Mother! Fletchers Castorla has been In use for over 80 years as a pleasant, harmless substitute for Castor Oil, Paregoric, Teething Drops and Soothing Syrups. Contains no narcotics. Proven directions are on each package. Physicians everywhere recommend It. The kind you have always bought bears signature of m % - SB _ %£ rnA»s two pleasant ways to relieve a cough Take your choice and suit j your taste. S B—or Menthol J flavor. A sure relief for coughs, A colds and hoarseness. Put one (6j in your mouth at bedtime. ™ Always kesp a boa on hand. HARM SMITH BROTHERS as c0¥gJlJ>3,0PS «aa»B> HEADACHE a good dose of Carter's little liver Pills then take 2 or 3 for a few nights after. They restore the organa to their proper functions and Headache and theiauaea of it pass away. THEY REGULATE THE BOWELS aad PREVENT CONSTIPATION _Pwi Swsfl frits
