THE LUCK OF NO-LUCK DRENNEN
Drennen's entrance into the game, informal as it had been, elicited no
comment from the other players. He had made his little stack of silver
in front of him, coins of the States. There was other American money
staked, jingling fraternally against pieces struck in the Canadian
mint. Even a few _pesos_ had found their way from Garcia's pockets and
were accepted without challenge.
For fifteen minutes the game was quiet and slow enough. Then at a
smiling suggestion from the Mexican the original bet was doubled. It
was poker dice now, having begun as razzle dazzle. There were no
horses since horses delayed matters. Beside Drennen and Garcia there
were five other men playing. The Mexican when he suggested doubled
stakes was losing. Then his fortunes began to mend. The man across
the table from him, cleaned out of his few dollars, got up and went to
watch the game of solo. Quite steadily for a little Garcia won. He
sang his fragments of love songs and between throws made eyes at
Ernestine Dumont. Drennen frowned at him, both for his singing and for
his love making. Garcia continued to win and to sing.
Drennen lost as steadily as Garcia won. "No-luck" his nickname
was--"No-luck" the goddess at his elbow to-night. Without speaking,
when the dice cup came around to him, he doubled the already doubled
stakes. One other man, shaking his head, silently drew out of the
game. The others accepted the challenge as it had been given, in
silence. Garcia, with every air of confidence, turned out the high
throw and fingered his winnings smilingly. Drennen's hand sought his
pocket.
"Double again?" he asked bluntly, his hard grey eyes upon the Mexican.
Ramon Garcia laughed.
"As you will, señor," he said lightly. And under his breath,
musically, his eyes going to the nook by the fireplace, "_Dios_! It is
sweet to be young and to love!"
Drennen's hand brought from his pocket a canvas bag heavy with gold.
There was a goodly pile of money in front of the Mexican. The stakes
were doubling fast, the two evidently meant business, and when the dice
rolled again they were playing alone and a little knot of men was
watching.
"You shall see," chuckled the dried-up little man from Moosejaw.
Ernestine Dumont was whispering in Kootanie George's ear. From the
mesh bag at her wrist she took something, offering it to him eagerly.
George stared at her and then shook his head.
"Keep it," he muttered. "I don't need it."
He didn't look at the hand which was being dealt him but left his table
and went across the room to where Drennen and Ramon Garcia were
sitting, carrying with him the money he had had before him. As he went
he thrust his big hand down into his pocket and as he slumped heavily
into a chair opposite Drennen he brought out another canvas bag. It
too struck heavily against the table top. Drennen did not look at him.
Garcia smiled and nodded brightly, and in turn, dropped to the table
his purse, heavy like the others and giving forth the musical metallic
chink.
"Ah! But this is pretty!" murmured Père Marquette, glad at once to see
peace and a game which would interest his guests. "Jules, bring more
wine, plenty. Make the fires up, big."
"How big are you bettin' 'em?" Kootanie George demanded as he emptied
his canvas bag and piled several hundred dollars in neat yellow stacks.
Garcia lifted his shoulders, showed his fine white teeth pleasantly and
looked to Drennen.
"As big as you like," retorted Drennen crisply. And then, lifting his
voice a little, "Marquette!"
"Oui, m'sieu." Marquette came quickly to the table.
"I want some money . . . for this."
Then Drennen spilled the contents of his bag upon the table and for a
moment every man who saw sat or stood riveted to his place, absolutely
without motion. Then a gasp went up, a gasp of wonder, while here and
there a quick spurt of blood in the face or a brilliant gleam of the
eye told of quickened heart beats and the grip of that excitement which
man never lived who could fight down altogether. Drennen had turned
out upon the table top a veritable cascade of nuggets.
"Gold!"
The word sped about the room, whispered, booming loudly, creating a
sudden tense eagerness. Men shoved at one another, craning necks, to
peer at the thing which Drennen so coolly had disclosed. Gold!
Nuggets that were, in the parlance of the camp, "rotten" with gold.
Drennen two weeks ago had left the Settlement with his last cent gone
in a meagre grub stake; now he was back and he had made a strike. A
strike such as no man here had ever dropped his pick into in all of the
ragged years of adventuresome search; a strike which could not be a
week's walk from MacLeod's, a strike which might mean millions to the
first few who would stake out claims.
Père Marquette stared and muttered strange, awestruck French oaths and
made no move to unclasp his hands, lifted before him in an attitude
incongruously like that of prayer. Kootanie George, whom men called
rich and who owned a claim for which two companies were contending,
stared and a little pallor crept into his cheeks. Ramon Garcia broke
off in the midst of his little song softly whispering, "_Jesus Maria_."
No-luck Drennen had found gold!
"Well?" demanded Drennen savagely, swinging about upon Marquette, who
was bending tremulously over him. "Didn't you hear me?"
"_Mais oui, m'sieu_," Marquette said hastily, his tongue running back
and forth between his lips. "But, m'sieu, I have not so much money in
the house."
The men who had surged about the table dropped back silently and began
speaking in half whispers, each man after a moment seeking for his
"pardner." One of them upon such a quest carried the word across the
street to the warehouse and the dance came to an end in noisy
confusion. . . . To-night the Settlement was filled to overflowing;
to-morrow it would be deserted.
"Give me what you've got," Drennen commanded, his hand lying very still
by the heap of dull-gleaming rock. "Bring the scales here."
The scales were brought, and after a mixture of guessing and weighing,
Drennen pushed two of the nuggets across the table to Marquette and
accepted minted gold amounting to six hundred dollars.
"The rest, m'sieu?" offered Marquette. "Shall I put it in the safe for
you?"
"No, thanks," said Drennen drily, as he put the remainder into his
pocket. "I prefer to bank for myself." The brief words, the insult of
the glance which went with them, whipped a flush into the old man's
cheeks. He offered no remark, however, and went back with his scales
to the counter where he was surrounded by men who wanted the "feel" of
the nuggets in their palms.
No longer was Ernestine the only woman in the rooms. Flush-cheeked and
sparkling eyed, old women and young, alike impressed with the story
which in its many forms was already going its rounds, came trooping
back from the dance. Many hands at once reached out for the two
nuggets, tongues clacked incessantly, while old prospectors and young
girls alike ventured their surmises concerning the location of the
strike. It was to be noted that no one had asked the only man who knew.
No-luck Drennen's luck had come to him. That was the word which again
ran through the babel of conjectures. And when a man has had the luck
which had been Drennen's for the years which the North had known him,
and that luck changed, the change would be sweeping. Men might follow
in his wake to a path of gold.
Meanwhile Dave Drennen played his game of dice in sombre silence. Over
and over, losing almost steadily, he named a larger wager and Garcia
and Kootanie George met his offer. He bet fifty dollars and lost, a
hundred and lost, two hundred on a single cast and lost. In three
throws over half of his money was gone. Three hundred and fifty
dollars; he had two hundred and fifty left to him. Twice had the
Mexican won; once George, taking in the two-hundred dollar bet.
George's face was flushed; he had won four hundred dollars at one throw
since the Mexican's two hundred had come to him with Drennen's. George
had never played dice like this and the madness of it got into his slow
blood and stood glaring out of his eyes.
"Two hundred fifty," offered Drennen briefly. He shoved the last of
his pile out on the table. George covered it quickly, his big, square
fingers shaking.
Garcia smiled at them both, then transferred his smile to his own
money. In two throws he had won three hundred dollars, in one he had
lost two hundred. He seemed to hesitate a moment; then he saw
Ernestine Dumont standing upon a deserted card table, her cheeks rosy
with excitement, and the sight of her decided him. He sighed, raked
his money from the table to his pocket and got to his feet, moving
gracefully through the crowd with many, "_Dispensame, señor_," and went
to Ernestine's side. Kootanie George did not mark his going. For it
was Kootanie George's throw and two hundred and fifty dollars were to
be won . . . or lost.
George turned out the cubes and a ripping oath followed them. He had
thrown a pair of deuces. His big fist came down upon the table with a
crash. Drennen stared at him a brief moment while the cup was raised
in his hand, contempt unveiled in his eyes. Then he rolled out the
dice. Something akin to a sob burst from Kootanie George's lips.
Drennen had turned out a "stiff," no pair at all.
"It's mine!" cried George, his great body half thrown across the table
as he tossed out both arms to sweep in his winnings. "Mine, by God!"
Ernestine was clapping her hands, her eyes dancing with joy even while
they were shot through with malice. Drennen's glance went to her, came
back to Kootanie George to rest upon him sneeringly. Then he laughed,
that ugly laugh which few men had heard and those few had remembered.
"Gold!" jeered Drennen. "It's a little pinch of gold, and you go crazy
over it! You are a fool."
"It's mine!" cried George again. He had won only a little over six
hundred dollars and he could have afforded to have lost as much. But
he was in the grip of the passion of the game.
"You've got about a thousand dollars there," said Drennen eyeing the
jumble of coins in front of the big Canadian. He jerked the old canvas
bag out of his pocket and let it fall heavily to the table. "One throw
for the whole thing, mine against yours."
Kootanie George knew gold when he saw it and now he knew that there was
nearer two thousand than one in that bag. He gripped the dice box,
glared at Drennen angrily, hesitated, then with a sudden gesture turned
out the dice.
He had cursed before when he had made his throw; now he just slumped
forward a little in his chair, his jaw dropping, the color dribbling
out of his cheeks, finding all words inadequate. He had thrown two
deuces again. Again Drennen looked at him contemptuously. Again
George heard his ugly laugh. Drennen threw his dice carelessly. And
upon the table, between the canvas bag and the glitter of minted gold,
there stared up into George's face five fives.
"Damn you," cried the Canadian hoarsely, his fingers hooked and
standing apart like claws as he half rose from his chair. "Damn you!"
His nerves were strung high and tense and the words came from him
involuntarily. They were the clean words of rage at which no man in
the world could take offence unless he sought a quarrel. And yet
Drennen, as he moved forward a little to draw his winnings toward him,
thrust his face close up to Kootanie George's and said crisply:
"Say that again and I'll slap your face!"
"Damn you!" shouted George.
And with the words came the blow, Drennen's open palm hard against
George's cheek.
"And now George will kill him!" cried Ernestine through her set teeth.