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Updated: May 15, 2025
"I was half afraid ye wouldn't have anything but a kick for Donovan this morning," he said, with a somewhat rueful smile. Burke's own brief smile showed for a moment. "I shouldn't start on you anyway," he said. "You found young Guy?" Kelly made an expressive gesture. "Oh yes, I found him, him and his master too. At Hoffstein's of course.
His eyes, grey and indomitable, looked straight into Guy's, and they held him in spite of himself. Guy quivered and stood still. "You've got to," he reiterated. "Don't tell me you're enjoying yourself barkeeping at Hoffstein's! I've known you too long to swallow it. It just won't go down." "It's preferable to doing the white nigger on your blasted farm!" flashed back Guy.
But though Burke drank with him, his face did not relax. A little later they left the hotel together. A strong wind was still blowing, sprinkling the dust of the desert everywhere. They pushed their way against it, striding with heads down through the swirling darkness of the night. Hoffstein's bar was in a low quarter of the town and close to the mine-workings.
As they came within sight of Hoffstein's tavern, they encountered groups of men coming away, but no one was disposed to loiter on that night of turmoil; no one accosted them as they approached. The place was built of corrugated iron, and they heard the sand whipping against it as they drew near. Kelly paused within a few yards of the entrance.
"I shall get what I've come for in any case." "Oh, don't you worry yourself! I'm on," responded Kelly, with his winning, Irish smile. "When do you want to catch your hare? Tonight?" "Yes; to-night," said Burke soberly. "I'll come down with you to Hoffstein's, and if you can get him out, I'll do the rest." "Hurrah!" crowed Kelly softly, lifting his glass. "Here's luck to the venture!"
Kelly swore again furiously. "Ah, why did I ever lend myself to digging young Guy out of Hoffstein's? Only a blasted fool could have expected to bring anything but corruption out of that sink of evil. It was Burke's own doing, but I was a fool I was a three times fool to give in to him."
"But it is yours really," Sylvia said. "No. It is yours." Burke spoke with insistence. "But I think he is right. You had better sell it. Vreiboom and some of Hoffstein's gang are after it. They don't know yet who won it. Donovan covered Guy's tracks pretty cleverly. But they'll find out. It isn't a thing to keep." She turned to him impulsively. "You take it, partner!" she said.
"I call all the saints in heaven to witness that as sure as my name is Donovan Kelly so sure is it that I'll be damned to the last most nether millstone before ever I'll undertake to dig a man out of Hoffstein's marble halls again. You'd better watch him, Burke. His skin is about as full as it'll hold." "We'll get back," said Burke briefly.
I helped Burke dig him out of Hoffstein's several weeks back, and a tough job it was. How has he behaved himself lately? Been on the bust at all?" Sylvia hesitated. She knew this man for a friend, and she trusted him without knowing why; but she could not speak with freedom to anyone of Guy and his sins. But again the Irishman saw and closed the breach. His shrewd eyes smiled kindly comprehension.
"That dirty dog you thrashed last night Kieff; he's dead," she told him briefly. "Killed himself with an overdose of opium, died at Hoffstein's early this morning." She glanced beyond him at Sylvia who stood behind. "And a good job, too," she said vindictively. "He's ruined more people in this town than I'd like to be responsible for the filthy parasite. He was the curse of the place."
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