cern now was to get away, to take the money with
him.

Em shuffled in a slipshod, inattentive manner;
Mr. Ottinger opened his hand boldly, faced his bad
luck with a stony eye; Jake labored under a painful
excitement, obviously not connected with his losses;
his long, waxy fingers quivered, a feverish point
of fire flickered in either cadaverous cheek; his eyes
glowed between hollow, sunken temples. "Four,"
he demanded, with shaking lips. Mr. Ottinger
rapped out a request for one. "I'm satisfied," Gordon
said.

"Don't that sucker beat hell!" Em declared, the
solicitous manner that, earlier in the evening, had
marked her manner toward Gordon, carelessly discarded.
"I'm taking three." A sudden, visible
boredom fell upon her as she glanced at her filled
hand. "Leave us double it," she remarked. Gordon
nodded, and she threw her hand upon the table;
it held four nines. She reached her fat, chalky arm
toward the money, but Gordon was before her.
"Four queens," he shot out, grasping the crumpled
bills.

Em cursed; then followed a short, awkward silence.
It was Ottinger's deal, but he did not pick
up the scattered cards. Gordon gathered himself
alertly, measuring the distance to the door. "I've
got enough," he remarked; "I'm going to quit."

[[63]]

p062 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p063w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p064

v?