CHAPTER VII.
A GAME OF POKER.
Mr. Max Lyster, in his hasty plans for an innocent village dance, hadneglected to make allowance for a certain portion of the inhabitants whoseinnocence was not of the quality that allowed them to miss anything, nomatter who was host. They would shoot the glass out of every window in ahouse, if the owner of the house should be in their bad books for anytrifling slight, and would proceed to "clean out" any establishment wheretheir own peculiar set was ignored.
There were, perhaps, seven or eight women in the place who were shown allrespect by men in general. They were the wives and daughters of the cityfathers--the first of the "family folks" to give the stamp of permanencyto the little camp by the river. These ladies and their husbands, togetherwith the better class of the "boys," were the people whom Mr. Lysterexpected to meet and to partake of his hospitality in the cheery abode ofMrs. Huzzard.
But Overton knew there were one or two other people to consider, and feltimpatient with Lyster for his impulsive arrangements. Of course, 'Tanacould not know and Mrs. Huzzard did not, but Lyster had at least been verythoughtless.
The fact was that the well-ordered establishment of Mrs. Huzzard was agrievance and a thorn in the side of certain womankind, who dwelt alongthe main street and kept open drinking saloons seven days in the week.They would have bought ribbons and feathers from her, and as a millinerthought no more about her, or even if she had opened a hotel, with a barattached, they would have been willing to greet her as a fellow worker,and all would have had even chances. But her effrontery in opening aneating house, where only water--pure or adulterated with tea orcoffee--was drunk--Well, her immaculate pretensions, to use the vernacularof one of the disgusted, "made them sick."
It may have been their dislike was made more pronounced because of thefact that the more sober-minded men turned gladly to the irreproachableabode of Mrs. Huzzard, and the "bosses" of several "gangs" of workmen hadarranged with her for their meals. Besides, the river men directed anystrangers to her house; whereas, before, the saloons had been the firstpoint of view from which travelers or miners had seen Sinna Ferry. Allthese grievances had accumulated through the weeks, until the climax wascapped when the report went abroad that a dance was to take place at thesickeningly correct restaurant, and that only the _elite_ of thesettlement were expected to attend.
Thereupon some oaths had been exchanged in a desultory fashion over thebars at Mustang Kate's and Dutch Lena's; and derisive comments made as toMrs. Huzzard and her late charge, the girl in the Indian dress. Some ofthe boys, who owned musical instruments--a banjo and a mouth organ--wereopenly approached by bribery to keep away from the all too perfectgathering, so that there might be a dearth of music. But the boys with themusical instruments evaded the bribes, and even hinted aloud theirdesire to dance once anyway with the new girl of the curly hair and theIndian dress.
This decision increased somewhat the muttering of the storm brewing; andwhen Dutch Lena's own man indiscreetly observed that he would have to dropin line, too, if all the good boys were going, then indeed did the cycloneof woman's wrath break over that particular branch of Hades. Lena's manwas scratched a little with a knife before quiet was restored, and therehad been some articles of furniture flung around promiscuously; also someviolent language.
Overton divined somewhat of all this, knowing as he did the material ofthe neighborhood, though no actual history of events came to his ears. And'Tana, presenting herself to his notice in all the glory of her partydress, felt her enthusiasm cool as he looked at her moodily. He would haveliked to shut her away from all the vulgar gaze and comment he knew hercharming face would win for her. His responsibilities as a guardian forcedon him so many new phases of thought. He had never before given the socialside of Sinna Ferry much consideration; but he thought fast and angrily ashe looked down on the slim, girlish, white-draped figure and the lovelyappealing face turned upward to him.
"You don't like it--you don't think it is pretty?" she asked, and hermouth was a little tremulous. "I tried so hard. I sewed part of it myself,and Mrs. Huzzard said--"
Lyster arose from a seat by the window. He had entered the room but amoment before, and now lounged toward her with critical eyes.
"Mrs. Huzzard said you were enchanting in your new gown--is not that it?"he asked, and then frowned at Overton in a serio-comic way. "And livesthere a man with soul so dead that he cannot perceive the manifoldbeauties arranged for his inspection? Well, you know I told you Iappreciate you much more than he will ever do; so--"
"What nonsense you are talking!" said Overton, irritably. "Of course, thedress is all right. I don't know much about such things, though; so myopinion is not worth much. But I don't think little girls should be toldso much of their charms, Lyster. They are too likely to be made think thatprettiness is the only thing worth living for."
He smiled at 'Tana to soften the severity of his speech; but she was notlooking at him just then, and so missed the softening accompaniment. Shefelt it was herself who was taken to task instead of Lyster, and stoodwith drooped, darkening face until the door closed behind Overton.
"That is your fault," she burst out. "He--he might have thought it wasnice, if you hadn't been here with your fool speeches. You just go aroundlaughing at everything, Mr. Max Lyster, and you're just as empty as thatchina cat on the mantel, and it's hollow. I'd like to hit you sometimeswhen you say your nice, tantalizing words--that's what _I'd_ like to do;and maybe some day I will."
"I shouldn't be surprised if you did," he agreed, and stepped back out ofrange of her clenched brown hands. "Whew! what a trial you'd be to aguardian who had nerves. You are spoiling your pretty face with thatsatanic expression. Now, why should you make war on me? I'm sure I am oneof your most devoted servants."
"You are your own devoted servant," she retorted, "and you'll never be anyother person's."
"Well, now, I'm not so sure of that," he said, and looked at hersmilingly. All her anger did not keep him from seeing what a wondrousdifference all that white, billowy lawn made in the girl whom he had takenfor a squaw that first day when he saw her swimming the Kootenai.
She looked taller, slighter, with such lovable curves in the girlish form,and the creamy neck and arms gleaming through the thin material. Noornaments or ribbons broke the whiteness of her garb--nothing but theIndian belt of beads that Overton had given her, and in it were reddishtints and golden brown the color of her hair.
To be sure, the cheeks were a little tanned by the weather, and the littlehand was browner than need be for beauty; but, for all that, he realized,as Overton had seemingly not done, that the girl, when dressed as daintygirlhood should be, was very pretty, indeed.
"I am willing to sign myself your bond slave from this hour, if that willlessen your anger against me," he protested. "Just think, I leave SinnaFerry to-morrow. How shall I do penance until then?"
"'It may be for years, and it may be forever, Then why art thou silent, O voice of my heart?'"
She pouted and frowned a little at his warbling, though a smile eventuallytouched her lips, and speculation shone in her eyes.
"I _will_ make you do penance," she declared, "and right now, too. Ihaven't any money, but I'll put up my moccasins against five dollars in agame of poker."
"You--play poker?"
"I'll try," she said briefly, and her eyes sparkled; "I'll play you andask no favors."
"Your moccasins are not worth five."
"Maybe not. Call it two-fifty then and promise me two hands at that."
"How sure you are to win!" he laughed, well pleased that she was divertedfrom her quick displeasure. "We'll call it five against the moccasins.Here are the cards. And what am I to do with those little moccasins, evenif I do win them?"
"Oh, I'll take care of the moccasins!" she said, easily. "I guess they'llnot trouble you much, Mr. Lyster. Cut for deal?"
He nodded, and they commenced their game there alone in Mrs. Huzzard'smost respectable _c
afe_. Mrs. Huzzard herself did not approve of cardplaying. No one but Captain Leek had, as yet, been allowed that privilege.His playing she had really begun to look upon as almost moral in itseffects, since he pursued it as the most innocent of pastimes, neverbetting more than a few dimes, and since it secluded him effectually fromthe roaring lion of iniquity to which so many men fell victims in thelively little settlement. But 'Tana, knowing that card playing by a girlwould not be a thing within Mrs. Huzzard's understanding, glanced warilyat the door leading to the second floor of the establishment and comfortedherself that the mistress of the domain was yet employed by her toilet forthe evening.
'Tana dealt, and did it so deftly that Lyster looked at her insurprise, even irritation. What business had she touching the bits ofpasteboard like that--like some old gambler. Such a slight slip of athing, with all the beauty of early youth in her face, and all theguilelessness of a vestal in the pure white of her garb. He fanciedhe would have felt different if he had seen her playing cards in thatIndian dress; it would not have brought such a discord with it. And it wasnot merely that she played, but it was the way she played that broughtvexation to him--that careless, assured handling of the cards. Itseemed almost professional,--it seemed--
"I'll just take that little five," remarked his opponent easily, andspread out the cards before him. "I know what you've got, and it won'ttouch this flush, and if you play again I'd advise you to gather your witsand not play so wild--that is, if you want to win."
He stared at her in astonishment. It was quite true--while his thoughtshad been with her personality and her incongruous occupation, her thoughtshad been centered very decidedly on the points of the game. She, at least,had not played "wild." A doubt even came into his mind, as to whether sheplayed honestly.
"I don't think I cared about winning," he answered, "I'd rather have givenyou the stakes than to have had you play for them that way--yes, 'Tana,double the stakes."
"Oh, would you?" she asked, with saucy indifference. "Well, I ain't askingfavors. I guess I can win all I want."
"No doubt you can," he assented, gravely. "But as young ladies do notgenerally depend on their skill with cards to earn their pocket money, I'mafraid Overton would have a lecture ready for you, if he learned of yourskill."
"Let him," she said, recklessly. "I've tried to be good, and tried to benice, and--and even pretty," she added, touching the dainty sleeve andskirt of her dress, "but what use is it? He just stands off and staresat me, and even speaks sharp as if he's sorry he ever brought me downhere. I didn't think he'd be like that. He was nicer in Akkomi's village;and now--"
She hesitated, and, seeing that Lyster's eyes were watching herattentively, she laughed in a careless way, and curled the five-dollarbill around her finger.
"So I might as well be bad, don't you see? and I'm going to be, too. Iwant this five dollars to gamble with, and for nothing else in the world.I'm going to get square with some one."
"Which means you are going to worry some one else, just because Overtonhas annoyed you," decided Lyster. "That is a woman's idea of retaliation,I believe. Am I the selected victim?"
"Of course you're not, or I wouldn't have told you. All I wanted of youwas to give me a start."
"Exactly; your frankness is not very flattering; but, in spite of it, I'dlike to give you a start in a different way--toward a good school, forinstance. How would you like that?"
She looked at him for a moment suspiciously, she was so used to railleryfrom him; then she answered briefly:
"But you are not my guardian, Mr. Max Lyster."
"Then you prefer card playing?"
"No, I don't. I'd like it, but my income can't cover such luxuries, and Ihave booked myself to play for a time this evening, if I can get the man Iwant to play with."
"But that is what you must not do," he said, hastily. "With Overton ormyself, of course, a game would not do you any special harm; but yousimply must not indulge in such pastime with this promiscuous gatheringof people--of men."
"But it isn't men--it's only one man I want to play--do you see?"
"I might if I knew who it was; but you don't know any men here but Dan andme."
"Yes, I do, too. I know Captain Alphonso Leek."
"Perhaps, but--" Lyster smiled, and shook his head dubiously.
"But he won't play with me, because he don't like me; that's what youwould say, if you were not too polite--isn't it? He doesn't approve of me,and can't understand why I'm on the face of the earth, and especially whyDan should take any responsibility but Captain Leek on his hands. Huh!Can't I see? Of course I do. I heard him call me _'that'_ this morning.And so, I want to play a game of poker with him."
She looked impishly at him from under her brows, and twirled the money.
"Won't you be a messenger of peace and fix the game for me?" she asked,insinuatingly. "You know you promised to do penance."
"Then I forswear all rash promises for the future," he declared.
"But you did promise."
"Well, then, I'll keep my word, since you are such a little Shylock. Andif it is only the captain--"
She laughed after he had gone out, and sat there shuffling the cards andbuilding them into various forms. She was thus employed when Overton againpassed the window and entered the room ere she could conceal them. Heobserved her attempt to do so and smiled indulgently.
"Playing with the cards, are you?" he asked, in a careless way. "They areexpensive toys sometimes. But I'll teach you 'seven-up' some day; it's aneasy game."
"Is it?" she said; but did not look up at him. His indifference to thepretty dress had not yet ceased to annoy her.
"Yes. And see here, 'Tana! I forgot to give you a present I brought you alittle while ago. It's a ring a fellow from the upper lake region worriedme into buying, as he was dead broke. He bought it from an Indian up nearKarlo. Queer for an Indian to have, isn't it?"
"Near Karlo?" she said, and reached out her hand for it.
There was a strange look on her face, a strange choking sound in herthroat. He noticed it, and his voice was very kindly as he spoke again.
"You don't like even to hear of that region, do you? You must have beenvery miserable somewhere up there. But never mind, little girl; we'll tryto forget all that. And if the ring fits you, wear it, no matter whatcountry it comes from."
She tried to thank him, but the words would not come easily, and heroutstretched hand in which the ring lay was tremulous.
"Oh, that's all right," he said hastily, afraid, no doubt, she was goingto cry, as he had seen her do before at kind words. "Never mind about thethanks. If you care to wear it, that's all that's necessary; though asnake ring is not the prettiest of ornaments for a girl. It fits, doesn'tit?"
"Yes, it fits," she returned, and slipped it on her finger. "It is verynice," but she shivered as with cold, and her hand shook.
It was curious enough to attract notice anywhere, a silver and a goldsnake twined together with their heads meeting, and in the flattened goldhead, eyes of garnet gleamed, while the silver head had eyes of emerald.Not a girlish looking ornament, surely.
"I'll wear it," she said, and dropped the hand to her side. "But don'ttell the rest where it came from. I may want to tease them."
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