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The Blue Hotel · The Monster and Other Stories

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Section three of The Monster and Other Stories by Stephen Crane Slibrivox recordings in the
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public domain read by Ben Tucker. The Blue Hotel one the Palace Hotel at
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Fort Ramper was painted a light blue, a shade that is on the legs
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of a kind of heron, causing the bird to declare its position against any
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background. The Palace Hotel, then was always screaming and howling in a way
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that made the dazzling winter landscape of Nebraska seem only a gray, swampish hush.
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It stood alone on the prairie, and when the snow was falling,
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the town two hundred yards away was not visible. But when the traveler lighted
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at the railway station, he was obliged to pass the Palace Hotel before he
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could come upon the company of low clapboard houses which composed Fort Romper. And
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it was not to be thought that any traveler could pass the Palace Hotel without
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looking at it. Pat Scully, the proprietor, had proved himself a master
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of strategy when he chose his paints. It is true true that on clear
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days, when the great Transcontinental expresses, long lines of swaying pullmans swept through
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Fort Romper. Passengers were overcome at the sight and the cult that knows the
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brown reds and the subdivisions of the dark greens of the east, expressed shame,
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pity, horror in a laugh. But to the citizens of this prairie
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town, and to the people who would naturally stop there, Pat Scully had
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performed defeat with this opulence and splendor. These creeds classes egotisms that streamed through
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Ramper on the rail's day after day, they had no color in common,
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as if the displayed delights of such a blue hotel were not sufficiently enticing.
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It was Scully's habit to go every morning and evening to meet the leisurely trains
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that stopped at the Romper and work his seductions upon any man that he might
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see, wavering gripsack in hand. One morning, when a snow crusted engine
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dragged its long string of freight cars and its one passenger coach to the station,
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Scully performed the marvel of catching three men. One was a shaky and
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quick eyed swede with a great shining cheap valise. One was a tall,
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bronzed cowboy who was on his way to a ranch near the Dakota line.
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One was a little silent man from the east who didn't look it and didn't
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announce it. Scully practically made them prisoners. He was so nimble and merry
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and kindly that each probably felt it would be the height of brutality to try
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to escape. They trudged off over the creaking board sidewalks in the wake of
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the eager little irishman. He wore a heavy fur cap squeezed tightly down on
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his head. It caused his two red ears to stick out stiffly, as
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if they were made of tin. At last, Scully, elaborately, with
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boisterous hospitality, conducted them through the portals of the Blue Hotel. The room
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which they entered was small. It seemed to be merely a proper temple for
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an enormous stove, which in the center was humming with godlike violence. At
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various points on its surface, the iron had become luminous and glowed yellow from
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the heat. Beside the stove, Scully's son, Johnny, was playing high
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five with an old farmer who had whiskers both gray and sandy. They were
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quarreling frequently. The old farmer turned his face towards a box of sawdust colored
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brown from tobacco juice that was behind the stove, and spat with an air
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of great impatience and irritation with a loud flourish of words. Scully destroyed the
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game of cards and bustled his son upstairs with part of the baggage of the
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new guests. He himself conducted them to three basins of the coldest water in
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the world. The cowboy in the easterner burnished themselves fiery red with this water
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until it seemed to be some kind of a metal polish. The Swede,
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however, merely dipped his fingers gingerly and with trepidation. It was notable that
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throughout this series of small ceremonies, the three travelers were made to feel that
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Scully was very benevolent. He was conferring great favors upon them. He handed
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the towel from one to the other with an air of philanthropic impulse. Afterwards,
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they went to the first room, and, sitting above the stove,
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listened to Scully's officious clamor at his daughters, who were preparing the midday meal.
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They reflected in the silence of experienced men who tread carefully amid new people.
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Nevertheless, the old farmer, stationary invincible in his chair near the warmest
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part of the stove, turned his face from the sawdust box frequently and addressed
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a glowing commonplace to the strangers. Usually he was answered in short but adequate
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sentences by either the cowboy or the Easterner. The Swede said nothing. He
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seemed to be occupied in making furtive estimates of each man in the room.
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One might have thought that he had the sense of silly's suspicion, which comes
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to guilt. He resembled a badly frightened man. Later, at dinner,
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he spoke a little, addressing his conversation entirely to Scully. He volunteered that
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he had come from New York, where for ten years he had worked as
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a tailor. These facts seemed to strike Scully as fascinating, and afterwards he
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volunteered that he had lived at Roper for fourteen years. The Swede asked about
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the crops and the price of labour. He seemed barely to listen to Scully's
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extended replies. His eyes continued to rove from man to man. Finally,
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with a laugh and a wink, he said that some of these western communities
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were very dangerous. And after his statement, he straightened his legs under the
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table, tilted his head, and laughed again loudly. It was plain that
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the demonstration had no meaning to the others. They looked at him, wondering
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and in silence. Two As the men trooped heavily back into the front room,
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the two little windows presented views of a turmoiling sea of snow. The
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huge arms of the wind were making attempts mighty circular futile to embrace the flakes
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as they sped a gate post like a still man with a blanched face stood
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aghast amid this profligate fury. In a hearty voice, Scully announced the presence
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of a blizzard. The guests of the Blue Hotel, lighting their pipes,
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assented with grunts of lazy, masculine contentment. No island of the sea could
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be exempt in the degree of this little room, with its humming stove.
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Johnny, son of Scully, in a tone which defied his opinion of his
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ability as a card player, challenged the old farmer, both Gray and Sandy
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Whiskers to a game of high five. The farmer agreed with a contemptuous and
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bitter scoff They sat close to the stove and squared their knees under a wide
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board. The Cowboy and the Easterner watched the game with interest. The Swede
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remained near the window aloof but with a countenance that showed signs of an inexplicable
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excitement. The play of Johnny and the Graybeard was suddenly ended by another quarrel.
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The old man arose, while casting a look of heated scorn at his
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adversary. He slowly buttoned his coat and then stalked with fabulous dignity from the
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room, and the discreet silence of all other men, the Swede laughed.
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His laughter rang somehow. Childish men by this time had begun to look at
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him askance, as if they wished to inquire what ailed him. A new
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game was formed jocosely. The Cowboy volunteered to become the partner of Johnny,
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and they all then turned to ask the Swede to throw in his lot with
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the little Easterner. He asked some questions about the game, and learning that
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it wore many names and that he played it when it was under an alias,
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he accepted the invitation. He strode towards the men nervously, as if
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he expected to be assaulted. Finally seated, he gazed from face to face
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and laughed shrilly. This laugh was so strange that the Easterner looked up quickly.
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The Cowboys sat intent and with his mouth open, and Johnny paused,
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holding the cards with still fingers. Afterwards, there was a short silence,
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then Johnny said, well, let's get at it. Come on now.
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They pulled their chairs forward until their knees were bunched under the board. They
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began to play in. Their interest in the game caused the others to forget
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the manner of the Swede. The Cowboy was a board whacker. Each time
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that he held superior cards, he waned them one by one with exceeding force,
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down upon the improvised table and took the tricks with a glowing air of
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prowess and pride that sent thrills of indignation into the hearts of his opponents.
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A game with a board whacker in it is sure to become intense. The
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countenances of the Easterner and the Swede were miserable whenever the cowboy thundered down his
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aces and kings while Johnny, his eyes gleaming with joy, chuckled and chuckled.
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Because of the absorbing play, none considered the strange ways of the Swede.
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They paid strict heed to the game. Finally, during a lull caused
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by a new deal, the Swede suddenly addressed to Johnny, I suppose there
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have been a good many men killed in this room. The jaws of the
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others dropped and they looked at him. What in the hell are you talking
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about? Said Johnny. The Swede laughed again, his blatant laugh full of
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a kind of false courage and defiance. Oh you know what I mean,
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all right, he answered, I'm a liar if I do, Johnny protested.
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The card was halted and the men stared at the Swede. Johnny evidently
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felt that, as the son of the proprietor, he should make a direct
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inquiry. Now what might you be drivin at, mister, he asked.
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The Swede winked at him. It was a wink full of cunning. His
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fingers shook on the edge of the board. Oh maybe you think I have
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been to nowares maybe you think I'm a tenderfoot. I don know nothing about
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you, answered Johnny, and I don't give a damn where you've been.
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All I gotta say is that I don't know what you're driving at there hain't
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never been nobody killed in this room. The cowboy, who'd been steadily gazing
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at the Swede, then spoke, what's wrong, would you? Mister?
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Apparently it seemed to the Swede that he was formidably menaced. He shivered and
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turned white near the corners of his mouth. He sent an appealing glance in
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the direction of the little Easterner. During these moments he did not forget to
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wear his air of advanced pot Velor they say they don't know what I mean,
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he remarked mockingly to the Easterner. The latter answered, after prolonged in
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cautious reflection, I don't understand you, he said, impassively. The Swede
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made a movement then, which announced that he thought he had encountered treachery from
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the only quarter where he had expected sympathy, if not help, Oh,
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I see you're all against me. I see. The cowboy was in a
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state of deep stupefaction. Say he cried. He tumbled the deck violently down
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upon the board. Say where are you gettin? Ah? Eh. The
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swede sprang up with the celerity of a man escaping from a snake on the
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floor. I don't want to fight, he shouted, I don't want to
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fight. The cowboy stretched his long legs indolently and deliberately. His hands were
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in his pockets. He spat into the sawdust box. Well who the hell
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thought you did? He inquired. The swede backed rapidly towards a corner of
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the room. His hands were out protectingly in front of his chest, but
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he was making an obvious struggle to control his fright. Gentlemen, he quavered,
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I suppose I am going to be killed before I can leave this house.
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I suppose I'm going to be killed before I can leave this house.
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And his eyes was the dying swan. Look Through the windows could be seen
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the snow turning blue in the shadow of dusk. The wind tore at the
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house, and some loose thing beat regularly against the clapboards, like a spirit
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tapping. A door opened, and Scully himself entered. He paused in surprise
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as he noted the tragic attitude of the swede. Then he said, what's
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the matter here? The swede answered him swiftly, and eagerly. These men
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are going to kill me. Kill ya, ejaculated Scully. Kill ya.
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What are you talking? The Swede made the gesture of a martyr. Scully
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wheeled sternly upon his son. What is this, Johnny? The lad had
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grown sullen. Damned if I know, he answered, I can't make no
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sense to it. He began to shuffle the cards, fluttering them together with
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an angry snap. He says, A good many men have been killed in
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this room, or something like that. And he says he's going to be
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killed here too. I don't know what ails him. He's crazy. I
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shouldn't wonder. Scully then looked for explanation to the cowboy, but the cowboys
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simply shrugged his shoulders. Kill you, said Scully again to the Swede.
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Killia, man, you're off your nut. Oh, I know, burst
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out the Swede. I know what will happen. Yes, I'm crazy,
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y is. Yes, of course I'm crazy is. But I know one
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thing. There was a sort of sweat of misery and terror upon his face.
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I know it won't get out of here alive. The cowboy drew a
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deep breath, as if his mind was passing into the last stages of dissolution.
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Well, I'm dog owned, he whispered to himself. Scully willed suddenly
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and faced his son. You've been trouble in this man. Johnny's voice was
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loud with its burden of grievance. Why good God, I ain't done nothing
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to him, The Swede broke in, gentlemen, do not disturb yourselves.
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I will leave this house. I will go away, because he accused them
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dramatically with his glance, because I do not want to be killed. Scully
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was furious with his son. Will you tell me what is the matter,
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you young devil? What's the matter anyhow? Speak out? Blame it,
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cried Johnny in despair. Don't I tell you? I don't know? He
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he says. We want to kill him, and that's all I know.
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I can't tell you what ails him. The Swede continued to repeat, never
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mind, mister Scully, never mind, leave this house. I will go
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away because I do not wish to be killed. Yes, of course I
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am crazy, yes, but I know one thing. I will go away.
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I will leave this house. Never mind, mister Scully, never mind,
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I will go away. You will not go away, said Scully.
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You will not go away, until I hear the reason of this business.
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If anybody has troubled you, I will take care of him. This is
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my house. You are under my roof, and I will not allow any
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peaceable man to be troubled here. He cast a terrible eye upon Johnny the
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cowboy in the Easterner. Never mind, mister Scully, never mind, I
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will go away. I do not wish to be killed. The Swede moved
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towards the door, which opened upon the stairs. It was evidently his intention
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to go at once for his baggage. No, no, shouted Scully peremptorily.
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But the white faced man slid by him and disappeared. Now, said
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Scully severely, What does this mean? Johnny and the cowboy cried together,
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Why we didn't do nothing to him? Scully's eyes were cold. No,
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he said, you didn't. Johnny swore a deep oath. Why this is
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the wildest loon I ever see. We didn't do nothing at all. We
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were just sitting here playing cards. And he the father suddenly spoke to the
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Easterner, mister Blanc. He asked, what has these boys been doing?
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The Easterner reflected again, I didn't see anything wrong at all. He said
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at last, slowly, Scully began to howl. But what does it mean?
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He stared ferociously at his son. I haven't mind to lather you for
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this, me, boy, Johnny was frantic. Well what have I done?
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He bawled at his father. Three, I think you are a tongue
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tied, said Scully finally to his son, the cowboy and the Easterner,
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And at the end of this scornful sentence he left the room. Upstairs,
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the Swede was swiftly fastening the straps of his great valise. Once his back
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happened to be half turned towards the door, and hearing a noise there,
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he wheeled and sprang up, uttering a loud cry. Scully's wrinkled visage showed
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grimly in the light of the small lamp. He carried this yellow effulgence streaming
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upward, colored only his prominent features, and left his eyes, for instance,
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in mysterious shadow. He resembled a murderer, man, man, he
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exclaimed, have you gone daffy? Oh? No, oh, no,
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rejoined the other. There are people in this world who know pretty nearly as
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much as you do, understand. For a moment, they stood gazing at
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each other. Upon the Swede's deathly pale cheeks were two spots, brightly crimson
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and sharply edged, as if they had been carefully painted. Scully placed the
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light on the table and sat himself on the edge of the bed. He
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spoke ruminatively by cracky, I never heard such a thing in my life.
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It's a complete model. I can't, for the soul of me think how
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you ever got this idea into your head. Presently, he lifted his eyes
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and asked, and did you sure think they were going to kill you?
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The Swede scanned the old man as if he wished to see into his mind.
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I did, he said at last. He obviously suspected that this answer
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might precipitate an outbreak. As he pulled on a strap, his whole arms
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shook, the elbow wavering like a bit of paper. Scully banged his hand
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impressively on the foot board of the bed. Come on, we're going to
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have a line of electric street cars in this town next spring. A line
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of electric street cars, repeated the Swede stupidly, and said Scully. There's
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a new railroad going to be built down from broken arm to here. Not
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to mention the four churches and the smashing big brick schoolhouse. Then there's the
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big factory tool. Why in two years Romper will be a metropolis. Having
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finished the preparation of his baggage, the Swedes straightened himself. Mister Scully,
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he said, with sudden hardihood, how much do I owe you? You
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don't owe me anything, said the old man angrily. Yes I do,
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retorted the Swede. He took seventy five cents from his pocket and tindered it
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to Scully, but the latter snapped his fingers in disdainful refusal. However,
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it happened that they both stood gazing in a strange fashion at three silver pieces
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on the Swedes open and palm. I'll not take your money, said Scully
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at last, not after what's been going on here. Then a plan seemed
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to strike him. Here, he cried, picking up his lamp and moving
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towards the door. Here, come with me a minute, No, said
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the Swede in overwhelming alarm. Yes, urged the old man. Come on,
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I want you to come and see a picture just across the hole in
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my room. The Swede must have concluded that his hour was come. His
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jaw dropped and his teeth showed like a dead man's. He ultimately followed Scully
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across the corridor, but he had the step of one hung in chains.
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Scully flashed light high on the wall of his own chamber. There was revealed
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a ridiculous photograph of a little girl. She was leaning against a balustrade of
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gorgeous decoration, and the formidable bang to her hair was prominent. The figure
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was as graceful as an upright sled stake, and withal it was of the
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hue of lead. There said Scully tenderly, that's the picture of my little
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girl that died. Her name was Carry. She had the pertiest harry you
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ever saw. I was that fond of her. She turning then he saw
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that the Swede was not contemplating the picture at all, but instead was keeping
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keen watch on the gloom in the rear. Look, man, cried Scully
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heartily. That's the picture of me little gal that died. Her name was
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Carry. And then here's the picture of my oldest boy, Michael. He's
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a lawyer in Lincoln and doin Well. I gave that boy a grand education,
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and I'm glad for it. Now he's a fine boy. Look at
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him, now, ain't he bowled his blazes him there and Lincoln and honored
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and respected gentleman, an honored un respected gentleman, concluded Scully with a flourish
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and so saying, he smote the swede jovially on the back. The swede
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faintly smiled. Now, said the old man. There's only one more thing.
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He dropped suddenly to the floor and thrust his head beneath the bed.
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The swede could hear his muffled voice. I'd keep it under me pillar if
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it wasn't for that boy, Johnny. Then there's the old woman. Where
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is it now? I never put it twice in the sea? Ah,
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Now come off with you presently. He backed clumsily from under the bed,
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dragging with him an old coat rolled into a bundle. I fetched him,
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he muttered. Kneeling on the floor, he unrolled the coat and extracted from
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its hard a large yellow, brown whiskey bottle. His first maneuver was to
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hold the bottle up to the light. Reassured apparently that nobody had been tampering
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with it, he thrust it with a generous movement towards the Swede. The
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weak kneed Swede was about to eagerly clutch this element of strength, but he
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suddenly jerked his hand away and cast a look of horror upon Scully. Drink,
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said the old man affectionately. He had risen to his feet and now
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stood facing the Swede. There was a silence. Then again Scully said,
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drink. The Swede laughed wildly. He grabbed the bottle, put it to
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his mouth, and as his lips curled absurdly around the opening and his throat
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worked, he kept his glance burning with hatred upon the old man's face.
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Poor After the departure of Scully, the three men, with the cardboard still
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upon their knees, preserved for a long time and astoundings. Then Johnny said,
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that's the dog. Dang is sweet? I ever see? He ain't
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no Swede, said the cowboy scornfully. Well what is he? Then,
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cried Johnny. What is he? Then? It's my opinion, replied the
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cowboy deliberately, He's some kind of a Dutchman. It was a venerable custom
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of the country to entitle a Swedes all light haired men who spoke with a
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heavy tongue. In consequence, the idea of the cowboy was not without its
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daring. Yes, sir, he repeated, it's my opinion this feller or
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some kind of a Dutchman. Well, he says he's a sweet anyhow,
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muttered Johnny sulkily. He turned to the Easterner. What do you think,
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mister Blaine. Oh I don't know, replied the Easternner. Well what do
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you think makes him back that way? Asked the cowboy, Why he's frightened?
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The Easterner knocked his pipe against the rim of the stove. He's clear
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frightened out of his boots. What at? Cried Johnny and the cowboy together.
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The Easterner reflected over his answer. What at? Cried the others.
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Again, Oh, I don't know, but it seems to me this man
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has been reading dime novels and he thinks he's right out in the middle of
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it. The shootin, an stabbin and all. But said the cowboy,
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deeply scandalized. This ain't why owen neer, none of them places. This
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is Nebraska, yes, added Johnny, And why don't he wait till he
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gets out west? The traveled Easterner laughed. It isn't different there, even
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not in these days. But he thinks he's right in the middle. O
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hell, Johnny, the cowboy mused. Long, it's awful funny, remarked
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Johnny. At last, yes, said the cowboy. The queer game.
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Oh we don't get snowed in, cause then we'd have to stand this here
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man beIN around with us all the time. That wouldn't be no good.
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I wish Pap would throw him out, said Johnny. Presently they heard a
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loud stamping on the stairs, accompanied by ringing jokes in the voice of Old
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Scully and laughter, evidently from the suite. The man around the stove stared
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vacantly at each other. Gosh, said the cowboy. The door flew open,
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and Old Scully flushed, and Anecdotal came into the room. He was
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jabbering at the Swede, who followed him, laughing bravely. It was the
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entry of two roisterers from a banquet hall. Come now, said Scully sharply
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to the three seated men, Move up and give us a chance at the
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stove. The Cowboy and the Easterner obediently sidled their chairs to make room for
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the newcomers. Johnny, however, simply arranged himself in a more indolent attitude,
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and then remained motionless. Come get over there, said Scully. Plenty
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of room on the other side of the stove, said Johnny. Do you
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think we want to sit in the draft? Roared the father. But the
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Swede here interposed with a grandeur of confidence. No, no, let the
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boy sit where he likes, he cried in a bullying voice to the father.
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All Right, all right, said Scully deferentially. The cowboy in the
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easterner exchanged glances of wonder. The five chairs were formed in a crescent about
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one side of the stove. The Swede began to talk. He talked arrogantly,
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profanely, angrily. Johnny, the cowboy in the easterner, maintained a
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morose silence, while old Scully appeared to be receptive and eager, breaking in
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constantly with sympathetic ejaculations. Finally, the Swede announced that he was thirsty.
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He moved in his chair and said that he would go for a drink of
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water. I'll get it for you, cried Scully at once. No,
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said the Swede contemptuously, I'll get it for myself. He arose and stalked
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with the air of an owner, often to the executive parts of the hotel.
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As soon as the Swede was out of hearing, Scully sprang to his
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feet and whispered intensely to the others up stairs. He thought I was trying
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to poison him, say, said Johnny. This makes me sick. Why
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don't you throw him out in the snow. Why he's all right now,
23:51
declared Scully. It was only that he was from the east and he thought
23:53
this was a tough place. That's all. He's all right now. The
23:57
cowboy looked with admiration upon the easterner. You are straight, he said.
24:03
You are on to that there, Dutchman. Well, said Johnny to his
24:07
father. He may be all right now, but I don't see it.
24:10
Other time he was scared, but now he's too fresh. Scully's speech was
24:15
always a combination of Irish brogue and idiom, Western twaining in idiom, and
24:18
scraps of curiously formal diction taken from the story books and newspapers. He now
24:22
hurled a strange mass of language at the head of his son. What do
24:26
I keep? What do I keep? What do I keep? He demanded
24:30
in a voice of thunder. He slapped his knee impressively to indicate that he
24:33
himself was going to make reply, and that all should heed. I keep
24:37
a hotel, he shouted, A hotel. Do you mind? A guest
24:41
under my roof has sacred privileges. He is to be intimidated by none,
24:45
Not one word shall he hear that would prejudice him in favor of going away.
24:51
I'll not have it. There's no place in this here town where they
24:53
can say they ever took in a guest of mine. Because he was afraid
24:57
to stee here, he willed souddenly upon the cowboy in the Easterner, Am
25:02
I right, yes, mister Scully, said the cowboy. I think you're
25:07
right. Yes, mister Scully, said the Easterner, I think you're right.
25:11
Five At six o'clock supper, the Swede fizzed like a fire wheel.
25:17
He sometimes seemed on the point of bursting into riotous song, and in all
25:21
his madness he was encouraged by old Scully. The Easterner was encased in reserve.
25:26
The cowboy sat in wide mouthed amazement forgetting to eat, while Johnny wrathily
25:30
demolished great plates of food. The daughters of the house when they were obliged
25:33
to replenish the biscuits approached as warily as Indians, and, having succeeded in
25:38
their purpose, fled with ill concealed trepidation. The Swede domineered the whole feast,
25:44
and he gave it the appearance of a cruel bachanal. He seemed to
25:47
have grown suddenly taller. He gazed brutally disdainful into every face. His voice
25:52
rang through the room. Once when he jabbed out harpoon fashion with his forked
25:56
to pinion of biscuit, the weapon nearly impaled the hand of the Easterner,
25:59
which had stretched quietly out for the same biscuit. After supper, as the
26:03
men filed towards the other room, the Swedes smote Scully ruthlessly on the shoulder.
26:07
Well, boys, that was a good square meal. Johnny looked hopefully
26:11
at his father. He knew that shoulder was tender from an old fall,
26:15
and indeed it appeared for a moment as if Scully was going to flame out
26:18
over the matter. But in the end he smiled a sickly smile and remained
26:22
silent. The others understood from his manner that he was admitting his responsibility for
26:26
the Swede's new viewpoint. Johnny, however, addressed his parent in an aside,
26:32
why don't you lassen somebody to kick you downstairs? Scully scowled darkly by
26:36
way of reply. When they were gathered about the stove, the Swede insisted
26:40
on another game of high five. Scully gently deprecated the plan at first,
26:45
but the Swede turned a wolfish glare upon him. The old man subsided in
26:48
the Swede canvass the others. In his tone, there was always a great
26:51
threat. The cowboy and the Easterner both remarked indifferently that they would play.
26:56
Scully said that he would presently have to go to meet the six fifty eight
26:59
train, and so the Swede turned menacingly upon Johnny. For a moment their
27:03
glances crossed like blades, and then Johnny smiled and said, yes, I'll
27:07
play. They formed a square with the little board on their knees. The
27:11
Easterner and the Swede were again partners. As the play went on, it
27:15
was noticeable that the cowboy was not board whacking as usual. Meanwhile, Scully,
27:21
near the lamp, had put on his spectacles, and, with an
27:22
appearance curiously like an old priest, was reading a newspaper. In time,
27:26
he went out to meet the six fifty eight train, and despite his precautions,
27:30
a gust of polar wind whirled into the room as he opened the door.
27:34
Besides scattering the cards, it chilled the players to the marrow. The
27:37
Swede cursed frightfully. When Scully returned, his entrance disturbed a cozy and friendly
27:42
scene, the Swede again cursed. But presently they were once more intent,
27:47
their heads bent forward and their hands moving swiftly. The Swede had adopted the
27:52
fashion of board whacking. Scully took up his paper and for a long time
27:56
remained immersed in matters which were extraordinarily remote from him. The lamp burned badly,
28:02
and once he stopped to adjust the wick. The newspaper, as he
28:04
turned from page to page, rustled with a slow and comfortable sound. Then
28:08
suddenly he heard three terrible words, You are cheating. Such scenes often proved
28:15
that there can be little of dramatic import and environment. Any room can present
28:19
a tragic front, any room can be comic. This little den was now
28:23
hideous as a torture chamber. The new faces of the men themselves had changed
28:27
it. Upon the instant. The Swede held a huge fist in front of
28:32
Johnny's face, while the latter looked steadily over it into the blazing orbs of
28:36
his accuser. The easterner had grown pallid. The Cowboy's jaw had dropped into
28:41
that expression of bovine amazement, which was one of his important mannerisms. After
28:45
the three words, the first sound in the room was made by Scully's paper
28:48
as it floated forgotten to his feet. His spectacles had also fallen from his
28:52
nose, but by a clutch he had saved them in air. His hand
28:56
grasping the spectacles now remained poised awkwardly and near his UIs shoulder. He stared
29:00
at the card players. Probably the silence was while a second elapsed. Then
29:06
if the floor had been suddenly twitched out from under the men, they could
29:08
not have moved quicker. The five men had projected themselves headlong towards a common
29:12
point. It happened that Johnny, in rising to hurl himself upon the swede,
29:17
had stumbled slightly because of his curiously instinctive care for the cards on the
29:21
board. The loss of the movement allowed time for the arrival of Scully,
29:23
and also allowed the cowboy time to give the suite a great push, which
29:27
sent him staggering back. The men found tongue together, and horse shouts of
29:32
rage, appeal, or fear burst from every throat. The Cowboy pushed and
29:36
jostled feverishly at the Swede and the Easterner, and Scully clung wildly to Johnny.
29:41
But through the smoky air, above the swaying bodies of the peace compellers,
29:45
the eyes of the two warriors ever sought each other in glances of challenge
29:48
that were at once hot and steely. Of course, the board had been
29:52
overturned, and now the whole company of cards was scattered over the floor,
29:56
where the boots of the men trampled the fat and painted kings and queens as
30:00
they gazed with their silly eyes at the war that was now waging above them.
30:03
Scully's voice was dominating the yells stop now, stop, I say,
30:07
stop now. Johnny as he struggled to burst through the rank formed by Scully,
30:11
and the Easterner was crying. Well, he says I cheated, He
30:15
says I cheated. I won't allow no man say I cheated. If he
30:19
says I cheated, he's a The cowboy was telling the Swede quit now,
30:23
quit, do you hear? The screams of the Swede never ceased. He
30:27
did cheat. I saw him, I saw him. As for the Easterner,
30:33
he was importuning in a voice that was not heated. Wait a moment,
30:37
can't you? Oh? Wait a moment? What's the good of fighting
30:38
over a game of cards? Wait a moment? In this tumult, no
30:42
complete sentences were clear. Cheat quit, he says. These fragments pierced the
30:48
uproar and rang out sharply. It was a remark that, whereas Scully undoubtedly
30:52
made the most noise, he was the least heard of any of the riots
30:55
band. Then suddenly there was a great cessation. It was as if each
31:00
man had paused for breath, and although the room was still lighted with the
31:03
anger of men, it could be seen that there was no danger of immediate
31:06
conflict. And at once Johnny, shouldering his way forward, almost succeeded,
31:10
and confronting the Swede, what did you say? I cheated for? What
31:14
you say I cheated for? I don't cheat, and I won't let no
31:17
man say I do. The Swede said, I saw you. I saw
31:21
you, well, cried Johnny. I'll fight any man. What says I?
31:25
Cheat. No, you won't, said the cowboy. Not here I
31:30
be still, can't you? Said Scully, coming between them. The quiet
31:34
was sufficient to allow the Easterner's voice to be heard. He was repeating,
31:38
Oh, wait a moment, can't you what's the good of fighting over a
31:41
game of cards? Wait a moment. Johnny, his red face appearing above
31:45
his father's shoulder, hailed the Swede again, did you say I cheated?
31:51
The Swede showed his teeth yes, then said Johnny. We must fight,
31:57
Yes, fight, roared this. He was like a demoniac. Yes,
32:01
fight, I'll show you what kind of a man I am. I'll show
32:05
you who you want to fight. Maybe you think I can't fight. Maybe
32:07
you think I can't, I'll show you. You skin your card sharp?
32:12
Yes, you cheated, you cheated, you cheated. Well, let's go
32:16
at it, then, mister, said Johnny coolly. The Cowboy's brow was
32:21
beaded with sweat from his efforts and intercepting all sorts of raids. He turned
32:24
in despair to Scully, what are you going to do now? A change
32:30
had come over the Celtic visage of the old man. He now seemed all
32:32
eagerness. His eyes glowed We'll let them fight, he answered stalwartly. I
32:39
can't put up with it any longer. I've stood this dumb swede till I'm
32:43
sick. We'll let them fight. Six the men prepared to go out of
32:50
doors. The easterner was so nervous that he had great difficulty in getting his
32:53
arms into the sleeves of his new leather coat. As the cowboy drew his
32:58
fur cap down over his ears, his hands trembled. In fact, Johnny
33:02
and Old Scully were the only ones who displayed no agitation. These preliminaries were
33:07
conducted without words. Scully threw open the door. Well, come on,
33:13
he said. Instantly, a terrific wind caused the flame of the lamp to
33:16
struggle at its wick, while a puff of black smoke sprang from the chimney
33:20
top. The stove was amid current of the blast, and its voice swelled
33:23
to equal the roar of the storm. Some of the scarred and bedabbled cards
33:29
were caught up from the floor and dashed helplessly against the farther wall. The
33:32
men lowered their heads and plunged into the tempest as into a sea. No
33:37
snow was falling, but great whirls and clouds of flakes swept up from the
33:40
ground by the frantic winds, were streaming southward with the speed of bullets.
33:45
The covered land was blue with the sheen of an unearthly satin, and there
33:49
was no other hue save where at the low Black railway station, which seemed
33:52
incredibly distant. One light gleamed like a tiny jewel. As the men floundered
33:58
into a thigh deep drift, it was known that the Swede was bawling out
34:00
something. Scully went to him, put a hand on his shoulder and projected
34:05
an ear What's that you say, he shouted, I see bawled the suite
34:09
again. I won't stand much shoe against this gang. I know you'll all
34:14
pitch on me. Scully smote him, reproachfully on the arm. Totemann,
34:17
he yelled. The wind tore the words from Scully's lips and scattered them far
34:22
Aleave, You're all a gang of boomed the Swede. But the storm also
34:28
sees the remainder of this sentence. Immediately turning their backs upon the wind,
34:32
the men had swung around a corner to the sheltered side of the hotel.
34:37
It was the function of the little house to preserve. Here amid this great
34:40
devastation of snow and irregular v shape of heavily encrusted grass, which crackled beneath
34:45
the feet, one could imagine the great drifts piled against the windward side.
34:52
When the party reached the comparative piece of this spot, it was found that
34:54
the Swede was still bellowing, Oh, I know what kind of a thing
34:58
this is. I know you're all a pitch on me. I can't lick
35:00
you. Old Scully turned upon him panther fashion. You'll not have to whip
35:07
all of us. You'll have to whip my son, Johnny on the man.
35:08
What trouble should during that time will have me to deal with. The
35:13
arrangements were swiftly made. The two men faced each other, obedient to the
35:16
harsh commands of Scully, whose face, in the subtly luminous gloom, could
35:21
be seen set in the austere impersonal lines that are pictured on the countenances of
35:24
the Roman veterans. The easterner's teeth were chattering, and he was hopping up
35:30
and down like a mechanical toy. The cowboys stood rock like the contestants had
35:36
not stripped off any clothing. Each was in his ordinary attire. Their fists
35:39
were up, and they eyed each other in a calm that had the element
35:43
of leonine cruelty in it. During this pause, the Easterner's mind, like
35:46
a film, took lasting impressions of three men, the iron nerved master of
35:51
the ceremony, the Swede, pale, motionless, terrible, and Johnny serene
35:55
yet ferocious, brutish yet heroic. The entire prelude had in it a tragedy
36:00
greater than the tragedy of action, and this aspect was accentuated by the long,
36:05
mellow cry of the blizzard as it sped the tumbling and wailing flakes into
36:08
the black abyss of the south. Now, said Scully, the two combatants
36:14
leaped forward and crashed together like bullocks. There was heard the cushioned sound of
36:17
blows, and of a curse squeezing out from between the tight teeth of one.
36:22
As for the spectators, the Easterner's pent up breath exploded from him with
36:25
a pop of relief, absolute relief from the tension of the preliminaries. The
36:30
cowboy bounded into the air with a yowl. Scully was immovable, as from
36:35
supreme amazement and fear at the fury of the fight, which he himself had
36:38
permitted and arranged. For a time. The encounter in the darkness was such
36:43
a perplexity of flying arms that it presented no more detail than would a swiftly
36:47
revolving wheel. Occasionally, a face, as if illumined by a flash of
36:52
light, would shine out ghastly and marked with pink spots. A moment later.
36:57
The men might have been known as shadows if it were not for the
37:00
involuntary utterance of oaths that came from them in whispers. Suddenly, a holocaust
37:06
of warlike desire caught the cowboy, and he bolted forward with the speed of
37:08
a broncho. Go it, Johnny, go it, kill him, kill
37:14
him. Scully confronted him. Camp back, he said, and by his
37:19
glance the cowboy could tell that this man was Johnny's father. To the Easterner,
37:23
there was a monotony of unchangeable fighting that was an abomination. This confused
37:28
mingling was eternal to his sense, which was concentrated in a longing for the
37:31
end, the priceless end. Once the fighters lurched near him, and as
37:37
he scrambled hastily backwards. He heard them breathe like men on the rack.
37:40
Kill him, Johnny, kill him, kill him, kill him. The
37:45
cowboy's face was contorted like one of those agony masks in museums. Keep stell,
37:51
said Scully icily. Then there was a sudden, loud grunt, incomplete
37:55
cut short, and Johnny's body swung away from the swede and fell with sickening
38:00
heaviness, to the grass. The cowboy was barely in time to prevent the
38:04
mad swede from flinging himself upon his prone adversary. No you don't, said
38:08
the cowboy, interposing an arm. Wait a second. Scully was at his
38:13
son's side. Johnny, Johnny, me boy. His voice had a quality
38:16
of melancholy tenderness. Johnny, can you go on with it? He looked
38:22
anxiously down into the bloody, pulpy face of his son. There was a
38:25
moment of silence, and then Johnny answered in his ordinary voice, Yes,
38:30
I it Yes. Assisted by his father, he struggled to his feet.
38:37
Wait a bit now, till you get your wind. A few paces away,
38:42
the cowboy was lecturing the swede. No, you don't, wait a
38:45
second. The Easterner was plucking at Scully's sleeve. Oh this is enough,
38:51
he pleaded, This is enough. Let it go as it stands. This
38:53
is enough, well, said Scully. Get out of the road the cowboyside.
39:00
Now the combatants were actuated by a new caution. As they advanced towards
39:06
collision. They glared at each other, and then the Swede aimed a lightning
39:08
blow that carried with it his entire weight. Johnny was evidently half stupid from
39:13
weakness, but he miraculously dodged, and his fist sent the overbalanced Swede sprawling.
39:19
The cowboy, Scully and the Easterner burst into a cheer that was like
39:22
the chorus of triumphant soldiery. But before its conclusion, the Swede had scuffled
39:25
agilely to his feet and come in berserk, abandoned at his foe. There
39:30
was another perplexity of flying arms, and Johnny's body again swung away and fell
39:36
even as a bundle might fall from a roof. The Swede instantly staggered to
39:40
a little wind waved tree and leaned upon it, breathing like an engine,
39:44
while his savage and flame lit eyes roared from face to face. As the
39:47
men bent over Johnny. There was a splendor of isolation in his situation at
39:52
this time, which the Easterner felt once. When lifting his eyes from the
39:55
man on the ground, he beheld that mysterious and lonely figure waiting. Are
40:01
ye any good yet, Johnny asked Scully in a broken voice. The sun
40:07
gasped and opened his eyes languidly. After a moment he answered, no Ah,
40:14
I ain't any good any more than from shame and bodily ill. He
40:20
began to weep, the tears furrowing down through the blood stains on his face.
40:24
He was too too, too heavy for me. Scully straightened and addressed
40:31
the waiting figure stranger. He said, evenly, it's all up with our
40:36
sight. Then his voice changed into that vibrant huskiness which is commonly the tone
40:40
of the most simple and deadly announcement. Johnny is whipped. Without replying,
40:46
the victor moved off on the route to the front door of the hotel.
40:51
The cowboy was formulating new and unspellable blasphemies. The Easterner was startled to find
40:57
that they were out in a wind that seemed to come directly from the shadowed
41:00
Arctic flows. He heard again the wail of the snow as it was flung
41:05
to its grave in the south. He knew now that all this time the
41:07
cold had been sinking into him deeper and deeper, and he wondered that he
41:12
had not perished. He felt indifferent to the condition of the vanquished man.
41:17
Johnny cony Walk, asked Scully, Did I hurt hurt him? Many,
41:23
asked the son, can you walk, boy, cony walk. Johnny's voice
41:29
was suddenly strong. There was a robust impatience in it. I ask you
41:34
whether I hurt him any? Yes, yes, Johnny answered the cowboy consolingly.
41:39
He's hurt a good deal. They raised him from the ground, and
41:44
as soon as he was on his feet, he went tottering off, rebuffing
41:46
all attempts at assistance. When the party rounded the corner, they were fairly
41:51
blinded by the pelting of the snow. It burned their faces like fire.
41:54
The cowboy carried Johnny through the drift to the door. As they entered,
41:59
some cards again rose from the floor and beat against the wall. The Easterner
42:02
rushed to the stove. He was so profoundly chilled that he almost dared to
42:07
embrace the glowing iron. The Swede was not in the room. Johnny sank
42:10
into a chair, and, folding his arms on his knees, buried his
42:14
face in them. Scully, warming one foot and then the other at a
42:17
rim of the stove, muttered to himself with celtic mournfulness. The cowboy had
42:22
removed his fur cap, and with a dazed and rueful air, he was
42:24
running one hand through his tousled locks. From overhead, they could hear the
42:29
creaking of boards as the swede tramped here and there in his room. The
42:32
sad quiet was broken by the sudden flinging open of a door that led towards
42:36
the kitchen. It was instantly followed by an inrush of women. They precipitated
42:42
themselves upon Johnny amid a chorus of lamentation, before they carried their prey off
42:45
to the kitchen, there to be bathed and harangued with that mixture of sympathy
42:50
and abuse which is the feet of their sex. The mother straightened herself and
42:53
fixed old Scully with an eye of stern reproach. Shame be on you,
42:58
Patrick Scully, she cried, your own son, too, Shame be upon
43:01
you. There now be quiet, now, said the old man weakly,
43:07
shame be upon you, Patrick Scully. The girls, rallying to the slogan,
43:10
sniffed disdainfully in the direction of those trembling accomplices, the cowboy and the
43:15
Easterner. Presently they bore Johnny away and left the three men to dismal reflection.
43:22
Seven. I'd like to fightless here, Dutchman myself, said the cowboy,
43:28
breaking along silence. Scully wagged his head sadly. No, that wouldn't
43:32
do It wouldn't be right. It wouldn't be right. Well, why wouldn't
43:37
it, argued the cowboy. I don't see no harm in it. No,
43:40
answered Scully, with mournful heroism. It wouldn't be right. It was
43:45
Johnny's fight, and now we mustn't whip the mine just because he whipped Johnny.
43:51
Yes, that's true enough, said the cowboy, But he'd better not
43:54
get fresh with me, because I couldn't stand no more of it. You
44:00
will not say a word to him, commanded Scully. And even then they
44:02
heard the tread of the swede on the stairs. His entrance was made theatric
44:07
He swept the door back with a bang and swaggered to the middle of the
44:09
room. No one looked at him. Well, he cried insolently at Scully.
44:15
I suppose you'll tell me now how much I owe you. The old
44:19
man remained stolid. You don't owe me nothin. Humph, said the Swede.
44:24
Humph, don't owe him nothing. The cowboy addressed the suite stranger.
44:30
I don't see how you come to be so gay around here. Old Scully
44:35
was instantly alert. Stop, he shouted, holding his hand forth, fingers
44:39
upward. Bill, you shut up. The cowboy spat carelessly into the sawdust
44:44
box. I didn't say a word, did I? He asked. Mister
44:50
Scully called the Swede, how much do I owe you? It was seen
44:53
that he was attired for departure, and that he had his valise in his
44:57
hand. Ye don't owe me nothin, repeated Scully, in his same imperturbable
45:01
way. Huh, said the Swede. I guess you're right. I guess
45:06
if it was any way at all, you know me something, That's what
45:09
I guess. He turned to the cowboy. Kill him, kill him,
45:13
kill him. He mimicked, and then guffawed victoriously. Kill him. He
45:19
was convulsed with ironical humor, but he might have been jeering the dead.
45:23
The three men were immovable and silent, staring with glassy eyes at the stove.
45:29
The swede opened the door and passed into the storm, giving one derisive
45:31
glance backward at the still group. As soon as the door was closed,
45:36
Scully and the cowboy leaped to their feet and began to curse. They tramped
45:39
to and fro, waving their arms and smashing into the air with their fists.
45:44
Oh but that was a hard minute, wailed Scully. That was a
45:47
hard minute. Him there, leered and scoffing one bag in his nose was
45:52
worth forty dollars to me at that minute. How did you stand it?
45:54
Bill? How did I stand it? Cried the cowboy in a quiver voice.
46:00
How did I stand it? Oh? The old man burst into sudden
46:05
brogue. I'd like to take that Swede, he wailed, and hold him
46:10
down on stone flour and bade him to a jelly with a stick. The
46:15
cowboy groaned in sympathy. I'd like to get him by the neck and hammer
46:21
him. He brought his hand down on a chair with a noise like a
46:23
pistol. Shot. Hammer that there, dutchmen until he couldn't tell himself from
46:28
a dead coworry. I'd bait him until he I'd show him some things,
46:34
and then together they raised a yearning, fanatical cry, oh only wicked,
46:38
yes, ugh, and the night ooh eight. The swede, tightly gripping
46:47
his valise, tacked across the face of the storm as if he carried sails.
46:52
He was following a line of little, naked, gasping trees, which
46:55
he knew must mark the way of the road. His face, fresh from
46:59
the pounding of Johnny fists, felt more pleasure than pain. In the wind
47:01
and the driving snow. A number of square shapes loomed upon him finally,
47:07
and he knew them as the houses of the main body of the town.
47:09
He found a street and made travel along it, leaning heavily upon the wind.
47:14
Whenever at a corner a terrible blast caught him. He might have been
47:17
in a deserted village. We pictured the world as thick with conquering and the
47:21
late humanity, But here, with the bugles of the tempest pealing, it
47:24
was hard to imagine a peopled earth. One viewed the existence of man then
47:30
as a marble, and conceited a glamor of wonder to these lice, which
47:34
were caused to cling to a whirling fire, smoke, ice, locked,
47:37
diseased, stricken, space, lost bulb. The conceit of man was explained
47:40
by the storm to be the very engine of life. One was a cockscomb,
47:45
not to die in it. However, the swede found a saloon in
47:49
front of it. An indomitable red light was burning, and the snow flakes
47:52
were made blood color as they flew through the circumscribed territory of the lamps shining.
47:58
The swede pushed open the door of the saloon and entered. A sanded
48:01
expanse was before him, and at the end of it four men sat about
48:05
a table drinking. Down one side of the room extended a radiant bar,
48:08
and its guardian was leaning upon his elbows, listening to the talk of the
48:13
men at the table. The swede dropped his valise upon the floor, and,
48:16
smiling fraternally upon the bar keeper, said give me some whiskey, will
48:21
you. The man placed a bottle, a whisky glass, and a glass
48:23
of ice thick water upon the bar. The swede poured himself an abnormal portion
48:29
of whisky and drank it in three gulps. Purty bad night, remarked the
48:32
bar tender indifferently. He was making the pretension of blindness, which is usually
48:38
a distinction of his class, but it could have been seen that he was
48:42
furtively studying the half erased blood stains on the face of the Swede. Bad
48:46
not, he said again. Oh it's good enough for me, replied the
48:52
Swede heartily, as he poured himself some more whisky. The bar keeper took
48:55
his coin and maneuvered it through its reception by the highly nickeled cashman. A
49:00
bell rang, A card labeled twenty cents had appeared. No, continued the
49:06
Swede. This isn't too bad weather. It's good enough for me, so
49:12
murmured the bar keeper languidly. The copious DRAMs made the Swede's eyes swim,
49:15
and he breathed a trifle heavier. Yes, I like this weather, I
49:20
like it. It suits me. It was apparently his design to impart a
49:23
deep significance to these words, so murmured the bartender again. He turned to
49:30
gaze dreamily at the scroll like birds and bird like scrolls which had been drawn
49:34
with soap upon the mirror's back of the bar. Well. I guess I'll
49:37
take another drink, said the Swede. Presently have something. No thanks,
49:44
I'm not drinkin, answered the bartender. Afterwards, he asked, how did
49:49
you hurt your face? The Swede immediately began to boast loudly. Why in
49:53
a fight? I thought the soul out of a man down here at Scully's
49:57
hotel. The interest of the four men at the table was at last aroused.
50:01
Who was it? Said one? Johnny Scully, blustered the Swede.
50:07
Son of the man? What runs it? He will be pretty near dead
50:09
for some weeks. I can tell you I made a nice thing of him.
50:13
I did. He couldn't get up. They carried him in the house.
50:15
Have a drink. Instantly the men, in some subtle way encased themselves
50:21
in reserve. Now, thanks, said one. The group was of curious
50:25
formation. Two were prominent local business men, One was the district attorney,
50:30
and one was a professional gambler of the kind known as square. But a
50:36
scrutiny of the group would not have enabled an observer to pick the gambler from
50:38
the men of more reputable pursuits. He was, in fact a man so
50:43
delicate in manner when among people of fair class, and so judicious in his
50:46
choice of victims, that in the strictly masculine part of the town's life he
50:51
had come to be explicitly trusted and admired. People called him a thoroughbred.
50:55
The fear and contempt with which his craft was regarded was undoubtedly the reason that
51:00
his quiet dignity shone conspicuous above the quiet dignity of men who might be merely
51:05
hatters, billiard markers, or grocery clerks. Beyond an occasional unwary traveler who
51:10
came by rail, this gambler was supposed to pray solely upon reckless and senile
51:15
farmers, who, when flushed with good crops, drove into town in all
51:20
the pride and confidence of an absolutely invulnerable stupidity. Hearing, at times in
51:24
circuitous fashion, of the despoilment of such a farmer, the important men of
51:29
Romper invariably laughed in contempt of the victim, and if they thought of the
51:32
wolf at all, it was with a kind of pride at the knowledge that
51:36
he would never dare think of attacking their wisdom and courage. Besides, it
51:39
was popular that this gambler had a real wife and two children in a neat
51:44
cottage in a suburb where he led an exemplary home life, and when anyone
51:49
even suggested a discrepancy in his character, the crowd immediately vociparated descriptions of this
51:53
virtuous family circle. Then men who led exemplary home lives and men who did
51:59
not leave exemplary home lives all subsided in a bunch, remarking that there was
52:04
nothing more to be said. However, when a restriction was placed upon him,
52:08
as for instance, when a strong clique of members of the New Polywog
52:13
Club refused to permit him, even as a spectator, to appear in the
52:15
rooms of the organization, the candor and gentleness with which he accepted the judgment
52:21
disarmed many of his foes and made his friends more desperately partisan. He invariably
52:25
distinguished between himself and a respectable romper man, so quickly and frankly that his
52:30
manner actually appeared to be a continual broadcast compliment. And one must not forget
52:36
to declare the fundamental fact of his entire position and romper. It is irrefutable
52:40
that in all affairs outside of his business, in all manners that occur eternally
52:45
and commonly between man and man, the steeving card player was so generous,
52:49
so just so moral, that in a contest he could have put to flight
52:53
the consciences of nine tenths of the citizens of Romper. And so it happened
52:58
that he was seated in this saloon with the two prominent local merchants and the
53:01
district attorney. The Swede continued to drink raw whiskey, meanwhile babbling at the
53:07
bar keeper and trying to induce him to indulge in quotations. Come on,
53:12
have a drink, Come on, what No, We'll have a little one.
53:15
Then, by god, I've whipped him on to night, and I
53:16
want to celebrate I whipped him. Good gentlemen, the Swede cried to the
53:22
men at the table, have a drink, sh said the bar keeper.
53:25
The group at the table, although furtively attentive, had been pretending to be
53:30
deep in talk. But now a man lifted his eyes toward the Swede and
53:32
said shortly, thanks, we don't want any more. At this reply,
53:37
the Swede ruffled out his chest like a rooster. Well, he exploded,
53:42
it seems I can't get anybody to drink with me in this town. Seems
53:45
so, don't it. Well, sh said the bartender. Say, snarled
53:52
the Swede. Don't you try to shut me up. I won't have it.
53:54
I'm a gentleman and I want people to drink with me, and I
53:58
want em to drink with me now now, Oh do you understand? He
54:00
wrapped the bar with his knuckles. Years of experience had calloused the bartender.
54:07
He merely grew sulky. I hear you, he answered, Well, cried
54:12
the Swede. Listen hard didn't see those men over dere Well, they're going
54:15
to drink with me. And don't you forget it now you watch, ha,
54:21
yelled the barkeeper. This won't do. Why I won't it, demanded
54:25
the Swede. He stalked over to the table and, by chance, laid
54:29
his hand upon the shoulder of the gambler. How about this, he asked,
54:32
wrathfully. I asked you to drink with me. The gambler simply twisted
54:37
his head and spoke over his shoulder. My friend, I don't know you,
54:44
Oh hell, answered the Swede. Come and have a drink now,
54:47
my boy, advised the gambler. Kindly take your hand off my shoulder and
54:52
go away mind your own business. He was a little slim man and it
54:58
seemed strange to hear him use this tone of heroic patronage to the burly swede.
55:01
The other men at the table said nothing. What you won't drink with
55:06
me, a little dude, I'll make you, then, I'll make you.
55:09
The swede had grasped the gambler frenziedly at the throat, and was dragging
55:14
him from his chair. The other men sprang up. The bar keeper dashed
55:19
around the corner of his bar. There was a great tumult, and then
55:22
was seen a long blade in the hand of the gambler. It shot forward,
55:25
and a human body the citadel of virtue, wisdom, power was pierced
55:30
as easily as if it had been a melon. The swede fell with a
55:32
cry of supreme astonishment. The prominent merchants and the district attorney must have at
55:37
once tumbled out of the place backward. The bartender found himself hanging limply to
55:42
the arm of a chair and gazing into the eyes of a murderer. Henry
55:46
said the latter, as he wiped his knife on one of the towels that
55:49
hung beneath the bar rail. You tell him where to find me. I'll
55:52
be home waitin for him. Then he vanished. A moment afterwards, the
55:57
bar keeper was in the street, dending through the storm for help and moreover
56:00
companionship. The corpse of the swede, alone in the saloon, had its
56:06
eyes fixed upon a dreadful legend that dwelt the top of the cash machine.
56:10
This registers the amount of your purchase. Nine months later, the cowboy was
56:16
frying pork over the stove of a little ranch near the Dakota line, when
56:21
there was a quick thud of hoofs outside, and presently the Easterner entered with
56:24
the letters and the papers. Well, said the Easterner at once, the
56:29
chap that killed the swede has got three years. Well that much was it?
56:32
Yes, three years. The cowboy poised his pan of pork while he
56:37
ruminated upon the news. Three years. I ain't much. No, it
56:44
was a light sentence, replied the Easterner as he unbuckled his spurs. Seems
56:49
there was a good deal of sympathy for him and ropper. If the bartender
56:53
been in it, good, observed the cowboy. Thoughtfully, he would have
56:57
gone in and cracked up their dutchmen on the head the bottle. In the
57:00
beginning of it and stopped all this here murdering. Yes, a thousand things
57:05
might have happened, said the Easterner. Tartly. The cowboy returned his pen
57:08
of pork to the fire, but his philosophy continued. It's funny, ain't
57:13
it. If he hadn't said Johnny was cheating, he'd be alive this minute.
57:16
He was an awful fool. Game played for fun too, not for
57:21
money. I believe he was crazy. I feel sorry for that gambler,
57:24
said the Easterner. Oh so do, I said the cowboy. They don't
57:29
deserve none of it for killing who he did. Swede might not have been
57:32
killed if everything had been square, might not have been killed, exclaimed the
57:38
cowboy. Everything to square. Why when he said that Johnny was cheating,
57:42
en acted like such a jackass, And then in the saloon when he fairly
57:45
walked up to get hurt with these arguments, the cowboy browbeat the Easterner and
57:50
reduced him to a rage. You're a fool, cried the Easterner viciously.
57:54
You're a bigger jackass than the Swede by a million majority. Now let me
57:58
tell you one thing. Let me tell you something. Listen, Johnny was
58:01
cheating, Johnny, said the cowboy blankly. There was a minute of silence,
58:07
and then he said robustly, why no, the game was only for
58:09
fun, fun or not, said the Easterner, Johnny was cheating. I
58:15
saw him, I know it. I saw him, and I refuse to
58:16
stand up and be a man. I let the swede fight it out alone.
58:21
And you, you were simply puffing around the place and wanting to fight.
58:24
And then Old Scully himself, we are all in it. This poor
58:28
gambler isn't even noun, He is kind of an adverb. Every sin is
58:32
the result of a collaboration. We five of us have collaborated in the murder
58:37
of this swede. Usually there are from a dozen to forty women really involved
58:42
in every murder, but in this case it seems to be only five men.
58:45
You, I, Johnny, Old Scully, and that fool of an
58:49
unfortunate gambler came merely as a culmination the apex of a human movement and gets
58:53
all the punishment. The cowboy, injured and rebellious, cried out blindly into
58:59
the spot of a mysterious theory. Well, I didn't do anything, Dida.
59:06
End of section three. The Blue hotel