登陆注册
4610600000051

第51章

Nathaniel Letton was talking when the door opened; he ceased, and with his two companions gazed with controlled perturbation at Burning Daylight striding into the room. The free, swinging movements of the trail-traveler were unconsciously exaggerated in that stride of his. In truth, it seemed to him that he felt the trail beneath his feet.

"Howdy, gentlemen, howdy," he remarked, ignoring the unnatural calm with which they greeted his entrance. He shook hands with them in turn, striding from one to another and gripping their hands so heartily that Nathaniel Letton could not forbear to wince. Daylight flung himself into a massive chair and sprawled lazily, with an appearance of fatigue. The leather grip he had brought into the room he dropped carelessly beside him on the floor "Goddle mighty, but I've sure been going some," he sighed. "We sure trimmed them beautiful. It was real slick. And the beauty of the play never dawned on me till the very end. It was pure and simple knock down and drag out. And the way they fell for it was amazin'."The geniality in his lazy Western drawl reassured them. He was not so formidable, after all. Despite the act that he had effected an entrance in the face of Letton's instructions to the outer office, he showed no indication of making a scene or playing rough.

"Well," Daylight demanded good-humoredly, "ain't you-all got a good word for your pardner? Or has his sure enough brilliance plumb dazzled you-all?"Letton made a dry sound in his throat. Dowsett sat quietly and waited, while Leon Guggenhammer struggled into articulation.

"You have certainly raised Cain," he said.

Daylight's black eyes flashed in a pleased way.

"Didn't I, though!" he proclaimed jubilantly. "And didn't we fool'em!

I was totally surprised. I never dreamed they would be that easy.

"And now," he went on, not permitting the pause to grow awkward, "we-all might as well have an accounting. I'm pullin' West this afternoon on that blamed Twentieth Century." He tugged at his grip, got it open, and dipped into it with both his hands. "But don't forget, boys, when you-all want me to hornswoggle Wall Street another flutter, all you-all have to do is whisper the word. I'll sure be right there with the goods."His hands emerged, clutching a great mass of stubs, check-books, and broker's receipts. These he deposited in a heap on the big table, and dipping again, he fished out the stragglers and added them to the pile. He consulted a slip of paper, drawn from his coat pocket, and read aloud:-"Ten million twenty-seven thousand and forty-two dollars and sixty-eight cents is my figurin' on my expenses. Of course that-all's taken from the winnings before we-all get to figurin' on the whack-up. Where's your figures?

It must a' been a Goddle mighty big clean-up."The three men looked their bepuzzlement at one another. The man was a bigger fool than they had imagined, or else he was playing a game which they could not divine.

Nathaniel Letton moistened his lips and spoke up.

"It will take some hours yet, Mr. Harnish, before the full accounting can be made. Mr. Howison is at work upon it now. We--ah--as you say, it has been a gratifying clean-up. Suppose we have lunch together and talk it over. I'll have the clerks work through the noon hour, so that you will have ample time to catch your train."Dowsett and Guggenhammer manifested a relief that was almost obvious.

The situation was clearing. It was disconcerting, under the circumstances, to be pent in the same room with this heavy-muscled, Indian-like man whom they had robbed. They remembered unpleasantly the many stories of his strength and recklessness. If Letton could only put him off long enough for them to escape into the policed world outside the office door, all would be well; and Daylight showed all the signs of being put off.

"I'm real glad to hear that," he said. "I don't want to miss that train, and you-all have done me proud, gentlemen, letting me in on this deal.

I just do appreciate it without being able to express my feelings. But I am sure almighty curious, and I'd like terrible to know, Mr. Letton, what your figures of our winning is. Can you-all give me a rough estimate?"Nathaniel Letton did not look appealingly at his two friends, but in the brief pause they felt that appeal pass out from him. Dowsett, of sterner mould than the others, began to divine that the Klondiker was playing.

But the other two were still older the blandishment of his child-like innocence.

"It is extremely--er--difficult," Leon Guggenhammer began. "You see, Ward Valley has fluctuated so, er--""That no estimate can possibly be made in advance," Letton supplemented.

"Approximate it, approximate it," Daylight counselled cheerfully.

"It don't hurt if you-all are a million or so out one side or the other.

The figures'll straighten that up. But I'm that curious I'm just itching all over. What d'ye say?""Why continue to play at cross purposes?" Dowsett demanded abruptly and coldly. "Let us have the explanation here and now. Mr. Harnish is laboring under a false impression, and he should be set straight. In this deal--"But Daylight interrupted. He had played too much poker to be unaware or unappreciative of the psychological factor, and he headed Dowsett off in order to play the denouncement of the present game in his own way.

"Speaking of deals," he said, "reminds me of a poker game I once seen in Reno, Nevada. It wa'n't what you-all would call a square game. They-all was tin-horns that sat in. But they was a tenderfoot--short-horns they-all are called out there. He stands behind the dealer and sees that same dealer give hisself four aces offen the bottom of the deck. The tenderfoot is sure shocked. He slides around to the player facin' the dealer across the table.

"'Say,' he whispers, 'I seen the dealer deal hisself four aces.'

"'Well, an' what of it?" says the player.

"'I'm tryin' to tell you-all because I thought you-all ought to know,'

同类推荐
  • 坊记

    坊记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Darrow Enigma

    The Darrow Enigma

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 随手杂录

    随手杂录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 辩中边论

    辩中边论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 龙城录

    龙城录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 夺命的邮票

    夺命的邮票

    话说在上海法租界的霞飞路南端,有一条东西走向、闹中取静的马路,被法国人起名为:“拉都路”。路东头有一爿与众不同的熟面店,何谓“与众不同”?只为面店掌柜居然不顾天高地厚,当众挂出一块醒目地黑底黄字的招牌,上书:“天下第一面”。如此大言不惭,倒使得过往客人谁都想领教领教。及至大家尝过店里的各式面膳,方知果然名不虚传。当下便有好事者向伙计问起这“天下第一面”的来历,谁知不问犹罢,一问,竟使得众面客无不张口咋舌了。
  • 我国青少年学生体育需求演变模式研究

    我国青少年学生体育需求演变模式研究

    本书从体育需求的视角,试图探查我国青少年学生体育需求演变中的相关规律及特点,为促进我国青少年学生体育活动参与提供参考。具体内容包括:国外青少年学生体育需求研究、我国青少年学生体育需求影响因素、天津市青少年学生体质健康个案分析、不同历史时期我国青少年学生体育需求发展变化等。
  • 环境美化(“科学与文化”系列科普图书)

    环境美化(“科学与文化”系列科普图书)

    环境是城市经济社会发展的载体,城市环境美化是提升城市竞争力的途径和居民生活品质的手段。本书为你介绍环境美化。
  • 青春景象

    青春景象

    锦州这天格外热,家境相对好些的迟怀德把相好的两个同学李可、黄海洋约进了小酒馆。李可说,把覃燕叫来吧。覃燕是他们的同学,更是李可的恋人。覃燕考上了大学,而迟怀德他们却名落孙山,正郁郁不得志。因此,黄海洋说,算了,不叫,人家念大学去了,你不是自找没趣吗?李可说,我还是想她。李可没有说的是,他和覃燕早偷吃了禁果,他想她想得发疯,打她电话总是不在服务区,发她短信也没有回复。他又不敢找上门去。现在迟怀德邀大伙儿喝酒,正是叫她的机会啊!可是迟怀德说,喝酒,别黏黏糊糊的!三个高中同学在酒馆喝酒,喝出了方向。
  • 乡下千金要逆袭

    乡下千金要逆袭

    她是弃婴,被乡下知青父母抛弃的弃婴,那天下着大雪,未满三个月的婴儿被冷的全身通红,一直在哪里哭着哭着。声音越来越小,正巧遇到了一对夫妇,看着孩子可怜便抱了回家,细心呵护着她。然而所有人都不知道的是,小小的婴儿里住着成年的灵魂。没错,她就是长大后的宋雪芙,她前世是被亲生父母逼着给弟弟移植心脏而死的。这一世,想要她给弟弟移植心脏?可以啊!拿命来换!--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 前夫来袭:追妻36计

    前夫来袭:追妻36计

    最要好的闺蜜怀了自己前夫的孩子?胸大无脑的堂妹还抢走了自己的现任男朋友!夏清榆觉得自己这么多年来的爱恨似乎变得有些可笑至极。“夏清榆,别忘了,谁才是你丈夫!”邪魅轻狂的某人捏着她的下巴狠狠地威胁。可是,易铭城,当初我那么爱你的时候,当初你挽着别的女人回家的时候,怎么没有想过,你是我的丈夫?易铭城发现,他亲爱的小妻子不知什么时候,已经不再是原来那个追在自己身后,要死要活要跟自己在一起的那个小女孩了。而依照她对自己的成见,这追妻之路看来是漫漫无边了啊!
  • 凡尘一梦入天河

    凡尘一梦入天河

    她天帝幼女,天界唯一的金翅凤凰,唯一一位拥有寒冰之心的寒霜仙子,他是万年天河冰川之心的寒冰珠孕育的凡人,唯一拥有玲珑心的凡人。
  • 菩提

    菩提

    我跟你说的,是个故事。故事有两层意思,一层意思是过去的事情——故,就是过去;事,就是事情、事件,合起来就是过去的事情——也就是说,它是真的,千真万确,真正发生过的,就像在此时此刻此地,我跟你讲这个故事一样,也像庙门口那尊石佛,只不过隔了几堵墙,几道门,你肉眼看不见而已;另一层意思,就是它可能是真的,也可能是假的,真真假假,假假真真,无人能辨,人们口耳相传,就成了故事。大和尚对小和尚说。那它到底是真的,还是假的?小和尚刨根问底。真的怎样,假的又如何?大和尚反问。
  • 丧夫

    丧夫

    活在半醒半睡之间,郭小小已经不知道,这样把自己扔在床上第几天了,习惯性的熬夜写文字,也习惯性的依赖阿明的照顾,所以赖在床上又如何?只是阿明呢?明明刚刚还来喊自己起床了来着,头痛病又发作了。。。。
  • 三国之巅峰召唤

    三国之巅峰召唤

    看惯了老套的三国争霸,现在来点不一样的。东明、西唐、南汉、北元、中宋……项羽大战五虎上将,张良智斗鬼谷子,白起VS韩信……最强大的诸侯阵容,最巅峰的文武群英,最艰难的一统之旅。请记住,这不仅仅是三国,更是新战国,华夏史上最混乱最精彩的乱世。【本书慢热,越往后越精彩,希望观看者可以坚持看完黄巾篇。QQ书友一群(已满):605505658;二群(已满):335289419; 三群:641415271。欢迎感兴趣的朋友加入。】