Wolfville Nights

Nell De

nor any other gent is competent to state whether in the footure he ama

ad said that I carried no hope of becoming rich; that the members of my tribe were born with their hands op

port, is frequent accident an' its comin' or failure to come depends on conditions over which the party about to be enriched ain't got no control. That's straight, son! You backtrack any fortune to its beginning an some'ers along the trail or at the farthe

ct his execootioner himse'f. That's a fact; the party who downs the b'ar, final, ain't goin' to pick the b'ar out; the b'ar's goin' to pick him out. An' it's the same about wealth; one gent gets the b'ar an' the other nineteen-an'

ed to hang above his venerable head in a fashion of heavy blue approval. I paused

rning the largest money you ever knew to be

n's at the gamblin' tables. Once I knows a party who sinks his hopeless head on the layout an' dies as he loses his last chip. This don't happen in Wolfville none. No, I don't say folks ain't cashed in

ost dinero changed in at one play. You can gamble that's a thrillin' eepisode when Faro Nell steps in between Cherokee an' t

iscal dooel, an' at the finish he has Cherokee corralled for his last peso. It's at that p'int Nell cuts in an' redeems the sityooation a heap.

n Cherokee-before ever he gets his second drink at the Red Light bar. He comes ramblin' over with Old Monte from Tucson one evenin'; that's the firs

ho's name is Ugly Collins. He's in a heap of ill repoote in the territories, this Ugly Collins is; an' only he contreebutes the information wh

tloose. This leesure on the part of Ugly Collins turns out some disastrous for that party. Not havin' no missives to read leaves him fr

' meek an' shook by a cough that sounds like the overture to a fooneral. Ugly Collins, who's a tyrannizin' cowardly form of outcast, sizes h

enty ailin', pard,

t over peart none,'

st gent I meets up with to whom I've not been introdooced ;-merely by way of stretchin' my muscles. Now I must say-an' I admits it with sorrow-that you-all is that onhappy sport. It's no use; I knows I'll loathe myse'f

t's a onfortunate gesture; the invalid-as quick as a rattlesnake,-prodooces a derringer, same as D

visage that a-way. 'Also, you oughter be less reckless an' get the address of your victims before embarkin' on them skelp-collectin' e

Why, no, not much; all they does is present him wit

when you cuts loose at Collins instead of said jimcrow derringer. In sech events, that hoss-thief's death would have been assure

counters Cherokee; the two has a confere

ey plays till one is broke; an, if it's Cherokee who goes down, he is to vamos the outfit while Holliday succeeds to his game. 'A

fers,' says Cherokee, an' he smiles clever an'

s Holliday. 'An' now may I enquire how strong be you? I

erokee. Then he goes on: 'It's all right; I'll

nd you oversizes me,-is nacherally with you; but I takes 'em. If I lose, I goes back with a even thousand; if I

kee. Then he turns off

o N

, he's got to go on an' break me. I've a bundle of three thousand; he's got to

ound an' starts to weep some, an' at that, li

it's my partner. It's only a little matter of three thousand, but the way the scheme frames its

partner is a dead game sport to take so brief a fortune an'-win all, lose all-go a

t the partner Cherokee's mentionin' is Faro Nell, an' Cherokee allo

es 'round as to the enterprisin' Holliday bein' out for Cherokee's entire game; an' the prospect of seein' a limi

n't more'n a year to live, an' I've got to play 'em high an' hard to get average action. If I'm in robust health now, with a long, useful l

snaps the deck in the box, 'I'll let you fix the limit to s

t nacherally take every resk of splits an' put ten thousand in the pot, coppered

ts, an' all on the layout at once, marks a epock in Wolfville business life wherefrom folks can onblushin'ly

iday, when his money is down, an'

the box is a ten-spot. An' as the papers is shoved forth, how do you-all reckon they falls! I'm a Mexican! if they don't come seven-kin

nely fibred a sport to so much as let a eyelash quiver. This Hollid

d each,' says Cherokee

o place hi

olliday, puffin' his seegyar, 'I reckons I'll let one of these yaller tokens

t. Cherokee takes in that

is tone is listless an' languid like he's only half interested, 'I'll go

p; the next kyard is a ace, an' Cherokee's swept off his moccasins. The bank is broke; and to signify as much, Cherok

ogether with a click. I don't dare look towards her at the time; but now, when she turns the box back, takes out the deck, riffles an' returns it to

Also, we restores the statu quo, as Colonel Sterett says in that

' asks this Holliday, at the same time takin'

says s

ys you; an' your word is law! As a first step then, give me three thousand dollars worth of chips an' make 'em fifty dollars each. I'll ta

lls the turn for the limit; an' loses. The kyards go into the box ag'in an' a next deal ensooes. So it continyoos; an' Nell

ed!' says Nell to this H

limented. 'I'm after you; an'

the lay-out; only now its five

a hour Nell sizes up her roll; she's a leetle over forty

about to put the deck

iday a heap thoughtful

he brink of fits sinc

hat 'm

l whisper. 'That's where Cherokee's weak at the go

oals!-on Dan. I can see his bluff about Che

' I'll do the same as Cherokee. Stranger,' goes on Nell, turnin' from Da

ds goes in the box, I makes you the same three bets I makes first to Mister Hall. Ten thousand, coppe

sort o' catchin' her breath,

with case-hardened sports-as she shoves the ten-spot forth. But it's comin' her way; her luck holds; as certain as we all sets yere drinkin' to

of deep content goes with the observation, 'thar's your bank ag'i

ybird, you means

en,' retorts Nell. '

we're partners?' The

on me, Jack,' she say

hav