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Brand, Max, 1892-1944

"The Seventh Man"

He bowed his head
a little, as though to catch the trend of the jolly story better, nodding.
"What's wrong?" he muttered back.
"Barry's watchin' you out of the shadow."
Then: "You fool, don't look!"
But there was method in Vic's raising his head. He threw it back and broke
into laughter, but while he laughed he searched the shadow by the wall
where Dan sat, and he felt glimmering eyes fixed steadily upon him. He
dropped his head again, as if to hear more.
"What's it mean, Daniels?"
"You ought to know. I don't. But he don't mean you no good. He's lookin' at
you too steady. If I was you--"
Through the whisper of Buck, through the loud, steady talk of Lee Haines,
cut the voice of Barry.
"Vic!"
The latter looked up and found that Barry was standing just within the glow
of the hearth-light and something about him made Gregg's heart shrink.
"Vic, how much did they pay you?"
He tried to answer; he would have given ten years of life to have his voice
under control for an instant; but his tongue froze. He knew that every one
had turned toward him and he tried to smile, look unconcerned, but in spite
of himself his eyes were wide, fixed, and he felt that they could stare
into the bottom of his soul and see the guilt.


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