"Have something?"
"I ain't drinkin'," answered Gregg, and slowly, to make sure that no one
could miss his meaning, he poured out a glass of liquor, and drank it with
his face towards Hansen. When he put his glass down his mind was clearer
than ever; and with omniscient precision, with nerveless calm, he knew that
he was going to kill Blondy Hansen; knew exactly where the bullet would
strike. It was something put behind him; his mind had already seen Hansen
fall, and he smiled.
Dead silence had fallen over the room, and in the silence Gregg heard a
muffled, ticking sound, the beating of his heart; heard old Lew Perkins as
the latter softly, slowly, glided back out of the straight line of danger;
heard the quick breathing of Captain Lorrimer who stood pasty pale, gaping
behind the bar; heard the gritted teeth of Blondy Hansen, who would not
take water.
"Vic," said Blondy, "it looks like you mean trouble. Anyway, you just now
done something that needs explaining."
He stood straight as a soldier, rigid, but the fingers of his right hand
twitched, twitched, twitched; the hand itself stole higher.
Pages:
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59