At twelve o’clock a procession of cloaks issued single file from the
women’s dressing-room and, each one pairing with a coated beau like
dancers meeting in a cotillion figure, drifted through the door with
sleepy happy laughter--through the door into the dark where autos
backed and snorted and parties called to one another and gathered
around the water-cooler.
Jim, sitting in his corner, rose to look for Clark. They had met at
eleven; then Clark had gone in to dance. So, seeking him, Jim wandered
into the soft-drink stand that had once been a bar. The room was
deserted except for a sleepy negro dozing behind the counter and two
boys lazily fingering a pair of dice at one of the tables. Jim was
about to leave when he saw Clark coming in. At the same moment Clark
looked up.
“Hi, Jim!” he commanded. “C’mon over and help us with this bottle. I
guess there’s not much left, but there’s one all around.”
Nancy, the man from Savannah, Marylyn Wade, and Joe Ewing were lolling
and laughing in the doorway. Nancy caught Jim’s eye and winked at him
humorously.
They drifted over to a table and arranging themselves around it waited
for the waiter to bring ginger ale. Jim, faintly ill at ease, turned
his eyes on Nancy, who had drifted into a nickel crap game with the
two boys at the next table.
“Bring them over here,” suggested Clark.
Joe looked around.
“We don’t want to draw a crowd. It’s against club rules.”
“Nobody’s around,” insisted Clark, “except Mr. Taylor. He’s walking up
and down like a wild-man trying find out who let all the gasolene out
of his car.”
There was a general laugh.
“I bet a million Nancy got something on her shoe again. You can’t park
when she’s around.”
“O Nancy, Mr. Taylor’s looking for you!”
Nancy’s cheeks were glowing with excitement over the game. “I haven’t
seen his silly little flivver in two weeks.”
Jim felt a sudden silence. He turned and saw an individual of
uncertain age standing in the doorway.
Clark’s voice punctuated the embarrassment.
“Won’t you join us, Mr. Taylor?”
“Thanks.”
Mr. Taylor spread his unwelcome presence over a chair. “Have to, I
guess. I’m waiting till they dig me up some gasolene. Somebody got
funny with my car.”
His eyes narrowed and he looked quickly from one to the other. Jim
wondered what he had heard from the doorway--tried to remember what
had been said.
“I’m right to-night,” Nancy sang out, “and my four bits is in the
ring.”
“Faded!” snapped Taylor suddenly.
“Why, Mr. Taylor, I didn’t know you shot craps!” Nancy was overjoyed
to find that he had seated himself and instantly covered her bet. They
had openly disliked each other since the night she had definitely
discouraged a series of rather pointed advances.
“All right, babies, do it for your mamma. Just one little seven.”
Nancy was _cooing_ to the dice. She rattled them with a brave
underhand flourish, and rolled them out on the table.
“Ah-h! I suspected it. And now again with the dollar up.”
Five passes to her credit found Taylor a bad loser. She was making it
personal, and after each success Jim watched triumph flutter across
her face. She was doubling with each throw--such luck could scarcely
last. “Better go easy,” he cautioned her timidly.
“Ah, but watch this one,” she whispered. It was eight on the dice and
she called her number.
“Little Ada, this time we’re going South.”
Ada from Decatur rolled over the table. Nancy was flushed and
half-hysterical, but her luck was holding.
She drove the pot up and up, refusing to drag. Taylor was drumming
with his fingers on the table but he was in to stay.
Then Nancy tried for a ten and lost the dice. Taylor seized them
avidly. He shot in silence, and in the hush of excitement the clatter
of one pass after another on the table was the only sound.
Now Nancy had the dice again, but her luck had broken. An hour passed.
Back and forth it went. Taylor had been at it again--and again and
again. They were even at last--Nancy lost her ultimate five dollars.
“Will you take my check,” she said quickly, “for fifty, and we’ll
shoot it all?” Her voice was a little unsteady and her hand shook as
she reached to the money.
Clark exchanged an uncertain but alarmed glance with Joe Ewing. Taylor
shot again. He had Nancy’s check.
“How ’bout another?” she said wildly. “Jes’ any bank’ll do--money
everywhere as a matter of fact.”
Jim understood--the “good old corn” he had given her--the “good old
corn” she had taken since. He wished he dared interfere--a girl of
that age and position would hardly have two bank accounts. When the
clock struck two he contained himself no longer.
“May I--can’t you let me roll ’em for you?” he suggested, his low,
lazy voice a little strained.
Suddenly sleepy and listless, Nancy flung the dice down before him.
“All right--old boy! As Lady Diana Manners says, ‘Shoot ’em,
Jelly-bean’--My luck’s gone.”
“Mr. Taylor,” said Jim, carelessly, “we’ll shoot for one of those
there checks against the cash.”
Half an hour later Nancy swayed forward and clapped him on the back.
“Stole my luck, you did.” She was nodding her head sagely.
Jim swept up the last check and putting it with the others tore them
into confetti and scattered them on the floor. Someone started singing
and Nancy kicking her chair backward rose to her feet.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” she announced, “Ladies--that’s you Marylyn. I
want to tell the world that Mr. Jim Powell, who is a well-known
Jelly-bean of this city, is an exception to the great rule--‘lucky in
dice--unlucky in love.’ He’s lucky in dice, and as matter of fact I--I
_love_ him. Ladies and gentlemen, Nancy Lamar, famous dark-haired
beauty often featured in the _Herald_ as one th’ most popular
members of younger set as other girls are often featured in this
particular case. Wish to announce--wish to announce, anyway,
Gentlemen--” She tipped suddenly. Clark caught her and restored her
balance.
“My error,” she laughed, “she--stoops to--stoops to--anyways--We’ll
drink to Jelly-bean ... Mr. Jim Powell, King of the Jelly-beans.”
And a few minutes later as Jim waited hat in hand for Clark in the
darkness of that same corner of the porch where she had come searching
for gasolene, she appeared suddenly beside him.
“Jelly-bean,” she said, “are you here, Jelly-bean? I think--” and her
slight unsteadiness seemed part of an enchanted dream--“I think you
deserve one of my sweetest kisses for that, Jelly-bean.”
For an instant her arms were around his neck--her lips were pressed to
his.
“I’m a wild part of the world, Jelly-bean, but you did me a good
turn.”
Then she was gone, down the porch, over the cricket-loud lawn. Jim saw
Merritt come out the front door and say something to her angrily--saw
her laugh and, turning away, walk with averted eyes to his car.
Marylyn and Joe followed, singing a drowsy song about a Jazz baby.
Clark came out and joined Jim on the steps. “All pretty lit, I guess,”
he yawned. “Merritt’s in a mean mood. He’s certainly off Nancy.”
Over east along the golf course a faint rug of gray spread itself
across the feet of the night. The party in the car began to chant a
chorus as the engine warmed up.
“Good-night everybody,” called Clark.
“Good-night, Clark.”
“Good-night.”
There was a pause, and then a soft, happy voice added,
“Good-night, Jelly-bean.”
The car drove off to a burst of singing. A rooster on a farm across
the way took up a solitary mournful crow, and behind them, a last
negro waiter turned out the porch light. Jim and Clark strolled over
toward the Ford, their shoes crunching raucously on the gravel drive.
“Oh boy!” sighed Clark softly, “how you can set those dice!”
It was still too dark for him to see the flush on Jim’s thin
cheeks--or to know that it was a flush of unfamiliar shame.