Wolfville Nights Read online

  CHAPTER III.

  How Faro Nell Dealt Bank.

  "Riches," remarked the Old Cattleman, "riches says you! Neitheryou-all nor any other gent is competent to state whether in thefooture he amasses wealth or not. The question is far beyond thethrow of your rope."

  My friend's tone breathed a note of strong contradiction while hisglance was the glance of experience. I had said that I carried nohope of becoming rich; that the members of my tribe were born withtheir hands open and had such hold of money as a riddle has of water.It was this which moved him to expostulatory denial.

  "This matter of wealth, that a-way," he continued, "is a mighty sighta question of luck. Shore, a gent has to have capacity to grasp achance an' savey sufficient to get his chips down right. But thischance, an' whether it offers itse'f to any specific sport, isfrequent accident an' its comin' or failure to come depends onconditions over which the party about to be enriched ain't got nocontrol. That's straight, son! You backtrack any fortune to itsbeginning an some'ers along the trail or at the farthest end you'llcome up with the fact that it took a accident or two, what we-alldarkened mortals calls 'luck,' to make good the play. It's likegettin' shot gettin' rich is; all you has to do is be presentpersonal at the time, an' the bullet does the rest.

  "You distrusts these doctrines. You shore won't if you sets downhard an' thinks. Suppose twenty gents has made a surround an' ishuntin' a b'ar. Only one is goin' to down him. An' in his clumsyblunderin' the b'ar is goin' to select his execootioner himse'f.That's a fact; the party who downs the b'ar, final, ain't goin' topick the b'ar out; the b'ar's goin' to pick him out. An' it's thesame about wealth; one gent gets the b'ar an' the other nineteen--an'they're as cunnin' an' industr'ous as the lucky party--don't getnothing--don't even get a shot. I repeats tharfore, that you-allsettin' yere this evenin', firin' off aimless observations, don'tknow whether you'll quit rich or not."

  At the close of his dissertation, my talkative companion puffed acloud which seemed to hang above his venerable head in a fashion ofheavy blue approval. I paused as one impressed by the utter wisdomof the old gentleman. Then I took another tack.

  "Speaking of wealth," I said, "tell me concerning the largest moneyyou ever knew to be won or lost at faro--tell me a gambling story."

  "Tell you-all a gamblin' tale," he repeated, and then mused as iflost in retrospection. "If I hesitates it's because of a multitoodeof incidents from which to draw. I've beheld some mighty cur'ousdoin's at the gamblin' tables. Once I knows a party who sinks hishopeless head on the layout an' dies as he loses his last chip. Thisdon't happen in Wolfville none. No, I don't say folks ain't cashedin at farobank in that excellent hamlet an' gone singin' to theirhome above; but it ain't heart disease. Usual it's guns; the samebein' invoked by sech inadvertencies as pickin' up some other gent'sbet.

  "Tell you-all a story about gamblin'! Now I reckons the time FaroNell rescoos Cherokee Hall from rooin is when I sees the most_dinero_ changed in at one play. You can gamble that's a thrillin'eepisode when Faro Nell steps in between Cherokee an' the destroyer.It's the gossip of the camp for days, an' when Wolfville discussesanything for days that outfit's plumb moved.

  "This gent who crowds Cherokee to the wall performs the featdeliberate. He organises a sort o' campaign ag'in Cherokee; what youmight term a fiscal dooel, an' at the finish he has Cherokeecorralled for his last _peso_. It's at that p'int Nell cuts in an'redeems the sityooation a heap. It's all on the squar'; thisinvadin' sport simply outlucks the bank. That, an' the egreegiouslimit Cherokee gives him, is what does the trick.

  "In Wolfville, we-all allers recalls that sharp-set gent who comesafter Cherokee with respect. In fact he wins our encomiums before hesets in ag'in Cherokee--before ever he gets his second drink at theRed Light bar. He comes ramblin' over with Old Monte from Tucson oneevenin'; that's the first glimpse we has of him. An' for a hour,mebby, followin' his advent, seein' the gen'ral herd is busy with themail, he has the Red Light to himse'f.

  "On this yere o'casion, thar's likewise present in Wolfville--he'sbeen infringin' 'round some three days--a onsettled an' migratorymiscreant who's name is Ugly Collins. He's in a heap of ill repootein the territories, this Ugly Collins is; an' only he contreebutesthe information when he arrives in camp that his visit is to bemighty temp'rary, Enright would have signed up Jack Moore to take hisguns an' stampede him a lot.

  "At the time I'm talkin' of, as thar's no one who's that abandoned asto go writin' letters to Ugly Collins, it befalls he's plentyfootloose. This leesure on the part of Ugly Collins turns out somedisastrous for that party. Not havin' no missives to read leaves himfree to go weavin' about permiscus an' it's while he's strayin' herean' thar that he tracks up on this stranger who's come after Cherokee.

  "Ugly Collins sees our pilgrim in the Red Light an', except BlackJack,--who of course is present offishul--the stranger's alone. He'sweak an' meek an' shook by a cough that sounds like the overture to afooneral. Ugly Collins, who's a tyrannizin' cowardly form ofoutcast, sizes him up as a easy prey. He figgers he'll have a heapof evil fun with him, Ugly Collins does. Tharupon he approaches theconsumptive stranger:

  "'You-all seems plenty ailin', pard,' says Ugly Collins.

  "'Which I shore ain't over peart none,' retorts the stranger.

  "'An' you-all can put down a bet,' returns Ugly Collins, 'I learns ofyour ill-health with regrets. It's this a-way: I ain't had noexercise yet this evenin'; an' as I tracks in yere, I registers a vowto wallop the first gent I meets up with to whom I've not beenintrodooced ;--merely by way of stretchin' my muscles. Now I mustsay--an' I admits it with sorrow--that you-all is that onhappy sport.It's no use; I knows I'll loathe myse'f for crawlin' the hump of agent who's totterin' on the brink of the grave; but whatever else canI do? Vows is vows an' must be kept, so you might as well prepareyourse'f for a cloud of sudden an' painful vicissitoodes.'

  "As Ugly Collins says this he kind o' reaches for the invalid gentwhere he's camped in a cha'r. It's a onfortunate gesture; theinvalid--as quick as a rattlesnake,--prodooces a derringer, same asDoc Peets allers packs, from his surtoot an' the bullet carries awaymost of Ugly Collins' lower jaw.

  "'You-all is goin' to be a heap sight more of a audience than aorator yereafter, Collins,' says Doc Peets, as he ties up thevillain's visage that a-way. 'Also, you oughter be less reckless an'get the address of your victims before embarkin' on themskelp-collectin' enterprises of yours. That gent you goes ag'inst isDoc Holliday; as hard a game as lurks anywhere between the Slope an'the Big Muddy.'

  "Does the Stranglers do anything to this Holliday? Why, no, notmuch; all they does is present him with a Colt's-44 along with thecompliments of the camp.

  "'An' it's to be deplored,' says Enright, when he makes thepresentation speech to Holliday, 'that you-all don't have this weeponwhen you cuts loose at Collins instead of said jimcrow derringer. Insech events, that hoss-thief's death would have been assured. Shore!shootin' off Collins' jaw is good as far as it goes, but it can't beregyarded as no sech boon as downin' him complete.

  "It's after supper when this Holliday encounters Cherokee; the twohas a conference. This Holliday lays bar' his purpose.

  "'Which I'm yere,' says this Holliday, 'not only for your money, butI wants the camp.' Then he goes for'ard an' proposes that they playstill one is broke; an, if it's Cherokee who goes down, he is to vamosthe outfit while Holliday succeeds to his game. 'An' the winner isto stake his defeated adversary to one thousand dollars wherewith tobegin life anew,' concloodes this Holliday.

  "'Which what you states seems like agreeable offers,' says Cherokee,an' he smiles clever an' gentlemanly. 'How strong be you-all, may Iask?'

  "'Thirty thousand dollars in thirty bills,' replies this Holliday.'An' now may I enquire how strong be you? I also likes to know howlong a trail I've got to travel.'

  "'My roll is about forty thousand big,' says Cherokee. Then he goeson: 'It's all right; I'll open a game for you at second drink timesha
rp.'

  "'That's comfortin' to hear,' retorts this Holliday. 'Thechances,--what with splits an' what with the ten thousand youoversizes me,--is nacherally with you; but I takes 'em. If I lose, Igoes back with a even thousand; if I win, you-all hits the trail witha thousand, while I'm owner of your roll an' bank. Does thatonderstandin' go?'

  "'It goes!' says Cherokee. Then he turns off for a brief powwow withFaro Nell.

  "'But thar's one thing you-all forgets, Cherokee,' says Nell. 'If hebreaks you, he's got to go on an' break me. I've a bundle of threethousand; he's got to get it all before ever the play is closed.Tell this yere Holliday party that.'

  "Cherokee argues ag'in it; but Nell stamps 'round an' starts to weepsome, an' at that, like every other troo gent, he gives in abject.

  "'Thar's a bet I overlooks,' observes Cherokee, when he resoomes histalk with this Holliday; 'it's my partner. It's only a little matterof three thousand, but the way the scheme frames itse'f up, after I'mdown an' out, you'll have to break my partner before Wolfville's allyour own.'

  "'That's eminent satisfactory,' returns this Holliday. 'An' I freelyadds that your partner is a dead game sport to take so brief afortune an'--win all, lose all--go after more'n twenty times as much.Your partner's a shore enough optimist that a-way.'

  "Cherokee don't make no retort. This Holliday ain't posted none thatthe partner Cherokee's mentionin' is Faro Nell, an' Cherokee allowshe won't onbosom himse'f on that p'int onless his hand is forced.

  "When the time arrives to open the game, the heft of Wolfville'spublic is gathered at the Red Light. The word goes 'round as to theenterprisin' Holliday bein' out for Cherokee's entire game; an' theprospect of seein' a limit higher than a cat's back, an' a dooel tothe death, proves mighty pop'lar. The play opens to a full house,shore!

  "'What limit do you give me?' says this Holliday, with a sort o'cough, at the same time settin' in opposite to Cherokee. 'Belib'ral; I ain't more'n a year to live, an' I've got to play 'em highan' hard to get average action. If I'm in robust health now, with along, useful life before me, the usual figgers would do. Considerin'my wasted health, however, I shore hopes you'll say something likethe even thousand.'

  "'Which I'll do better than that,' returns Cherokee, as he snaps thedeck in the box, 'I'll let you fix the limit to suit yourse'f. Makeit the ceilin' if the sperit moves you.'

  "'That's gen'rous!' says Holliday. 'An' to mark my appreciationtharof, I'll jest nacherally take every resk of splits an' put tenthousand in the pot, coppered; ten thousand in the big squar'; an'ten thousand, coppered, on the high kyard.'

  "Son, we-all sports standin' lookin' on draws a deep breath. Thirtythousand in three ten thousand dollar bets, an' all on the layout atonce, marks a epock in Wolfville business life wherefrom folks canonblushin'ly date time! Thar it lays however, an' the two sharpsmost onmoved tharby is Cherokee an' Holliday themse'fs.

  "'Turn your game!' says this Holliday, when his money is down, an'leanin' back to light a seegyar.

  "Cherokee makes the turn. Never does I witness action so sudden an'complete! It's shore the sharpest! The top kyard as the deck laysin the box is a ten-spot. An' as the papers is shoved forth, how doyou-all reckon they falls! I'm a Mexican! if they don't comeseven-king! This Holliday wins all along; Cherokee is out thirtythousand an' only three kyards showed! How's that for perishin'flesh an' blood!

  "I looks at Cherokee; his face is as ca'm as a Injun's; he's toofinely fibred a sport to so much as let a eyelash quiver. ThisHolliday is equally onemotional. Cherokee shoves over three yallerchips.

  "'Call 'em ten thousand each,' says Cherokee. Then he waits for thisHolliday to place his next bets.

  "'Since you-all has exackly that sum left in your treasury,' observesthis Holliday, puffin' his seegyar, 'I reckons I'll let one of theseyaller tokens go, coppered, on the high kyard ag'in. You-all doublesor breaks right yere.'

  "The turn falls trey-eight. Cherokee takes in that ten thousanddollar chip.

  "'Bein's that I'm still playin' on velvet,' remarks this Holliday,an' his tone is listless an' languid like he's only half interested,'I'll go twenty thousand on the high kyard, open. This trip we omitsthe copper.'

  "The first kyard to show is a deuce. It's better than ten to oneCherokee will win. But disapp'intment chokes the camp; the nextkyard is a ace, an' Cherokee's swept off his moccasins. The bank isbroke; and to signify as much, Cherokee turns his box on its side,counts over forty thousand dollars to this Holliday an' gets up fromthe dealer's cha'r.

  "As Cherokee rises, Faro Nell slides off the lookout's stool an' intothe vacated cha'r. When Cherokee loses the last bet I hears Nell'steeth come together with a click. I don't dare look towards her atthe time; but now, when she turns the box back, takes out the deck,riffles an' returns it to its place I gives her a glance. Nell's asgame as Cherokee. As she sets over ag'inst this lucky invalid hercolour is high an' her eyes like two stars.

  "'An' now you've got to break me,' says Nell to this Holliday.'Also, we restores the _statu quo_, as Colonel Sterett says in that_Coyote_ paper, an' the limit retreats to a even hundred dollars.'

  "'Be you-all the partner Mister Hall mentions?' asks this Holliday,at the same time takin' off his sombrero an' throwin' away hisseegyar.

  "Nell says she is.

  "'Miss,' says this Holliday, 'I feels honoured to find myse'f acrossthe layout from so much sperit an' beauty. A limit of one hundred,says you; an' your word is law! As a first step then, give me threethousand dollars worth of chips an' make 'em fifty dollars each.I'll take the same chance with you on that question of splits I doesformer, an' I wants a hundred on every kyard, middle to win ag'in theends.'

  "The deal begins; Nell is winner from the jump; she takes in threebets to lose one plumb down to the turn. This Holliday calls theturn for the limit; an' loses. The kyards go into the box ag'in an'a next deal ensooes. So it continyoos; an' Nell beats this Hollidayhard for half a hour. Nell sees she's in luck; an' she feels thatstrong she concloods to press it some.

  "'The limit's five hundred!' says Nell to this Holliday. 'Come afterme!'

  "Holliday bows like he's complimented. 'I'm after you; an' I comesa-runnin',' he says.

  "Down goes his money all over the lay-out; only now its five hundredinstead of one hundred.

  "It's no avail, this Holliday still loses. At the end of a hour Nellsizes up her roll; she's a leetle over forty thousand strong; jestwhere Cherokee stands at the start.

  "Nell pauses as she's about to put the deck in the box for a deal.She looks at this Holliday a heap thoughtful. That look excites DanBoggs who's been on the brink of fits since ever the play begins,he's that 'motional.

  "'Don't raise the limit, Nell!' says Dan in a awful whisper. 'That'swhere Cherokee's weak at the go-off. He ought never to have thrownaway the limit.'

  "Nell casts her eyes--they're burnin' like coals!--on Dan. I can seehis bluff about Cherokee bein' weak has done decided her mind.

  "'Cherokee does right,' says Nell to Dan, 'like Cherokee allers does.An' I'll do the same as Cherokee. Stranger,' goes on Nell, turnin'from Dan to this Holliday; 'go as far as you likes. The bridle's offthe hoss.'

  "'An' much obleeged to you, Miss!' says this Holliday, with anotherof them p'lite bows. 'As the kyards goes in the box, I makes you thesame three bets I makes first to Mister Hall. Ten thousand,coppered, in the pot; ten thousand, open, in the big squar'; an' tenthousand on the high kyard, coppered.'

  "'An' now as then,' says Nell, sort o' catchin' her breath, 'theten-spot's the soda kyard!'

  "Son, it won't happen ag'in in a billion years! Nell's right handshakes a trifle--she's only a child, mind, an' ain't got the nervesthat goes with case-hardened sports--as she shoves the ten-spotforth. But it's comin' her way; her luck holds; as certain as we allsets yere drinkin' toddy, the same two kyards shows for her as forCherokee, but this time they falls 'king-seven'; the bank wins, an'pore Holliday is cleaned out.

  "'Thar, Che
rokee,' says Nell, an' thar's a soft smile an' a sigh ofdeep content goes with the observation, 'thar's your bank ag'in; onlyit's thirty thousand stronger than it is four hours ago.'

  "'Your bank, ladybird, you means!' says Cherokee.

  "'Well, our bank, then,' retorts Nell. 'What's the difference?Don't you-all tell me we're partners?' Then Nell motions to BlackJack. 'The drinks is on me, Jack,' she says; 'see what the housewill have.'"