21
As they went back, toward Nelly's table, where Jack Landis was trying toappear carelessly at ease, the face of Donnegan was pale. One might havethought that excitement and fear caused his pallor; but as a matter offact it was in him an unfailing sign of happiness and success. Landishad manners enough to rise as they approached. He found himself beingpresented to the smaller man. He heard the cool, precise voice ofDonnegan acknowledging the introduction; and then the red-headed manwent back to his table; and Jack Landis was alone with Nelly Lebrunagain.
He scowled at her, and she tried to look repentant, but since she couldnot keep the dancing light out of her eyes, she compromised by lookingsteadfastly down at the table. Which convinced Landis that she wasthinking of her late partner. He made a great effort, swallowed, and wasable to speak smoothly enough.
"Looked as if you were having a pretty good time with that--tramp."
The color in her cheeks was anger; Landis took it for shame.
"He dances beautifully," she replied.
"Yeh; he's pretty smooth. Take a gent like that, it's hard for a girlto see through him."
"Let's not talk about him, Jack."
"All right. Is he going to dance with you again?"
"I promised him the third dance after this."
For a time Landis could not trust his voice. Then: "Kind of sorry aboutthat. Because I'll be going home before then."
At this she raised her eyes for the first time. He was astonished and alittle horrified to see that she was not in the least flustered, butvery angry.
"You'll go home before I have a chance for that dance?" she asked."You're acting like a two-year-old, Jack. You are!"
He flushed. Burning would be too easy a death for Donnegan.
"He's making a laughingstock out of me; look around the room!"
"Nobody's thinking about you at all, Jack. You're just self-conscious."
Of course, it was pouring acid upon an open wound. But she was past thepoint of caution.
"Maybe they ain't," said Landis, controlling his rage. "I don't figurethat I amount to much. But I rate myself as high as a skunk like him!"
It may have been a smile that she gave him. At any rate, he caught theglint of teeth, and her eyes were as cold as steel points. If she hadactually defended the stranger she would not have infuriated Landis somuch.
"Well, what does he say about himself?"
"He says frankly that he's a vagrant."
"And you don't believe him?"
She did not speak.
"Makin' a play for sympathy. Confound a man like that, I say!"
Still she did not answer; and now Landis became alarmed.
"D'you really like him, Nelly?"
"I liked him well enough to introduce him to you, Jack."
"I'm sorry I talked so plain if you put it that way," he admittedheavily. "I didn't know you picked up friends so fast as all that!" Hecould not avoid adding this last touch of the poison point.
His back was to Donnegan, and consequently the girl, facing him, couldlook straight across the room at the red-headed man. She allowed herselfone brief glance, and she saw that he was sitting with his elbow on thetable, his chin in his hand, looking fixedly at her. It was the gaze ofone who forgets all else and wraps himself in a dream. Other people inthe room were noting that changeless stare and the whisper buzzed moreand more loudly, but Donnegan had forgotten the rest of the world, itseemed. It was a very cunning piece of acting, not too much overdone,and once more the heart of Nelly Lebrun fluttered.
She remembered that in spite of his frankness he had not talked withinsolent presumption to her. He had merely answered her individualquestions with an astonishing, childlike frankness. He had laid hisheart before her, it seemed. And now he sat at a distance looking at herwith the white, intense face of one who sees a dream.
Nelly Lebrun was recalled by the heavy breathing of Jack Landis and shediscovered that she had allowed her eyes to rest too long on thered-headed stranger. She had forgotten; her eyes had widened; and evenJack Landis was able to look into her mind and see things that startledhim. For the first time he sensed that this was more than a carelessflirtation. And he sat stiffly at the table, looking at her and throughher with a fixed smile. Nelly, horrified, strove to cover her tracks.
"You're right, Jack," she said. "I--I think there was something brazenin the way he tagged you. And--let's go home together!"
Too late. The mind of Landis was not oversharp, but now jealousy gave ita point. He nodded his assent, and they got up, but there was noincrease in his color. She read as plain as day in his face that heintended murder this night and Nelly was truly frightened.
So she tried different tactics. All the way to the substantial littlehouse which Lebrun had built at a little distance from the gamblinghall, she kept up a running fire of steady conversation. But when shesaid good night to him, his face was still set. She had not deceivedhim. When he turned, she saw him go back into the night with longstrides, and within half an hour she knew, as clearly as if she wereremembering the picture instead of foreseeing it, that Jack and Donneganwould face each other gun in hand on the floor of Milligan's dance hall.
Still, she was not foolish enough to run after Jack, take his arm, andmake a direct appeal. It would be too much like begging for Donnegan,and even if Jack forgave her for this interest in his rival, she hadsense enough to feel that Donnegan himself never would. Something,however, must be done to prevent the fight, and she took the straightestcourse.
She went as fast as a run would carry her straight behind theintervening houses and came to the back entrance to the gaming hall.There she entered and stepped into the little office of her father.Black Lebrun was not there. She did not want him. In his place there satthe Pedlar and Joe Rix; they were members of Lord Nick's chosen crew,and since Nick's temporary alliance with Lebrun for the sake ofplundering Jack Landis, Nick's men were Nelly's men. Indeed, this was aformidable pair. They were the kind of men about whom many whispers andno facts circulate: and yet the facts are far worse than the whispers.It was said that Joe Rix, who was a fat little man with a great aversionto a razor and a pair of shallow, pale blue eyes, was in reality amerciless fiend. He was; and he was more than that, if there be astronger superlative. If Lord Nick had dirty work to be done, there wasthe man who did it with a relish. The Pedlar, on the other hand, was anexact opposite. He was long, lean, raw-boned, and prodigiously strong inspite of his lack of flesh. He had vast hands, all loose skin andoutstanding tendons; he had a fleshless face over which his smile wascapable of extending limitlessly. He was the sort of a man from whom onewould expect shrewdness, some cunning, stubbornness, a dry humor, andmany principles. All of which, except the last, was true of the Pedlar.
There was this peculiarity about the Pedlar. In spite of his broad grinsand his wise, bright eyes, none, even of Lord Nick's gang, extended afriendship or familiarity toward him. When they spoke of the Pedlar theynever used his name. They referred to him as "him" or they indicated himwith gestures. If he had a fondness for any living creature it was forfat Joe Rix.
Yet on seeing this ominous pair, Nelly Lebrun cried out softly indelight. She ran to them, and dropped a hand on the bony shoulder of thePedlar and one on the plump shoulder of Joe Rix, whose loose fleshrolled under her finger tips.
"It's Jack Landis!" she cried. "He's gone to Milligan's to fight thenew man. Stop him!"
"Donnegan?" said Joe, and did not rise.
"Him?" said the Pedlar, and moistened his broad lips like one on theverge of starvation.
"Are you going to sit here?" she cried. "What will Lord Nick say if hefinds out you've let Jack get into a fight?"
"We ain't nursin' mothers," declared the Pedlar. "But I'd kind of liketo look on!"
And he rose. Unkinking joint after joint, straightening his legs, hisback, his shoulders, his neck, he soared up and up until he stood aprodigious height. The girl controlled a shudder of disgust.
"Joe!" she appealed.
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"You want us to clean up Donnegan?" he asked, rising, but withoutinterest in his voice.
To his surprise, she slipped back to the door and blocked it with heroutcast arms.
"Not a hair of his head!" she said fiercely. "Swear that you won't harmhim, boys!"
"What the devil!" ejaculated Joe, who was a blunt man in spite of hisfat. "You want us to keep Jack from fightin', but you don't want us tohurt the other gent. What you want? Hogtie 'em both?"
"Yes, yes; keep Jack out of Milligan's; but for heaven's sake don't tryto put a hand on Donnegan."
"Why not?"
"For your sakes; he'd kill you, Joe!"
At this they both gaped in unison, and as one man they drawled in vastadmiration: "Good heavens!"
"But go, go, go!" cried the girl.
And she shoved them through the door and into the night.