Think you can get away with it, pulling that
old-time stuff?' I didn't trouble to argue with him. 'Oh,' I says, 'is
that it? Say, just take a slant at your man. If you don't stop him
quick he'll be in Texas.'
"For the scrappy kid was beating it while the going was good and was
half a mile away, running hard. Well, that was enough even for the
Whiting guy. 'I guess we'll call it a draw,' he says, 'and all bets
off.' I just looks at him and says, quite civil and polite: 'You darned
half-baked slob of a rough-house scrapper,' I says, 'it ain't a draw or
anything like it. My kid wins, and I'll trouble you now to proceed to
cash in with the dough, or else I'm liable to start something.' So he
paid up, and I took the White Hope indoors and give him a wash and
brush-up, and we cranks up the bubble and hikes off to the town and
spends the money on getting food for the celebration supper. And what's
over I slips into the kid's pocket and says: 'That's your first
winner's end, kid, and you've earned it.'"
Steve paused and filled his glass.
"I'm on the waggon as a general thing nowadays," he said; "but I reckon
this an occasion. Right here is where we drink his health."
And, overcome by his emotion, he burst into discordant song.
"Fo-or he's a jolly good fellow," bellowed Steve. "For he's a jolly
good fellow.
Pages:
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340