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"You old son-of-a!" he cried affectionately. "Drinks are due now," said the Virginian. "My treat, Steve. But I reckon your suspense will have to linger a while yet." Thus they dropped into direct talk from that speech of the fourth dimension where they had been using me for their telephone. "Any cyards going to-night?" inquired the Virginian. "Stud and draw," Steve told him. "Strangers playing."
But even as he called Jake spoke. "It ain't no good," he said, in a hoarse tone. "I'm done. Done up by that lyin' son-of-a , 'Tough' McCulloch. I might 'a' known. Guess I flicked him sore." He paused as the sound of running feet came from the bunkhouse and Arizona's voice was calling to know Tresler's whereabouts. Then the foreman's great frame gave a shiver.
"It was that mean to see, that shameless and unkind, that even a thoughtless kid like the McLean boy felt offended, and favorable to some sort of remonstrance. 'The son-of-a ! he said to me. 'The son-of-a ! If he don't stop, let's stop him. And I reckon we might have. "But Hank he quit.
I thought it was kinda funny he'd let me waste all this time, but I didn't have no idea at all he'd got me out of the way a-purpose to put across that dirty deal. Why, the rotten son-of-a " "Easy, kid," cautioned Buck, glancing at the open door of the store. "You'll have Pop comin' out to see what all the excitement's about, and that isn't our game yet."
Then two or three others grabbed me, and this Hawse had me by the collar, and Sheriff McRae walked up and said 'You are the son-of-a that was over here last week, and I answered, 'I was working here last week. Then he said, 'Are you an I. W. W.? I said, 'Yes, and he hit me an upward swing on the nose.
The crowd would move along, starting to chant the favorite refrain: You're in the army now, You're not behind the plow ; You son-of-a , You'll never get rich You're in the army now! And from farther down the street would come a chorus from another crowd of marchers: I got a girl in Baltimore, The street-car runs right by her door.
The next threw his cards down. It was now the Virginian's turn to bet, or leave the game, and he did not speak at once. Therefore Trampas spoke. "Your bet, you son-of-a ." The Virginian's pistol came out, and his hand lay on the table, holding it unaimed.
Bet yu' drinks yu' can't have the American's." "Go yu'" said the Virginian. "I'll have his bed without any fuss. Drinks for the crowd." "I suppose you have me beat," said Steve, grinning at him affectionately. "You're such a son-of-a when you get down to work. Well, so long! I got to fix my horse's hoofs." I had expected that the man would be struck down.
Jake's fury needed no urging; the spirit had wound him up to the proper pitch. "You black son-of-a ," he cried, "you shall answer to me. For two pins I'd wring your blasted neck, only I'm savin' that fer the rope. I'll tell you wher' you was last night. You wer' out. Out with the horses. D'you hear? And you weren't at the Breed camp neither. I know wher' you was."
As it was he listened to Jake's final words, with every nerve throbbing. "You lie, you black son-of-a ; you lie!" And then he saw him swing round on his heel and stride away to the rancher's house, as if he could no longer control himself and sought safety in flight. For the moment the watcher was so interested in the half-breed that he lost the significance of the foreman's going.
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