behind the bar, then downed the rye. He made a face and poured himself another. âFor Christsake, Penny, leave the man alone. Go away for a while and come back when itâs time for your show.â
The woman frowned, then turned back to Gamble.
âDonât I know you?â
âNo.â
âYou sure look familiar.â
âEverybody says so.â
âWhy are you so cold?â she asked, drawing one of the cards from the middle of the fanned deck with her forefinger. But instead of flipping it over, she kept her forefinger on it.
âNow you.â
Gamble hesitated.
âI donât play except for money.â
âHow about a sawbuck?â
âShow me coin or paper.â
âI donât have it now, but I will, after the show.â
âWhat kind of show is it?â
âOh,â she said, slyly, âYouâll just have to see it to believe it. Ten bucks. What do you say?â
âTen dollars, on credit? I donât think so.â
âIâm good for it. In fact, Old Buell will advance me the money, right?â
Buell waved.
âAll right,â Gamble said.
He pulled a card from the left side of the deck and turned it over, not looking at it until the motion was complete. It was the one-eyed Jack of Spades.
The woman turned over her card.
The four of clubs.
âDamn,â she said. âI am the unluckiest woman in the world. Double or nothing?â
âNo,â Gamble said. âBuell?â
Buell poured another shot of rye. Then he took an eagle from his pocket and gave it a toss. Gamble caught the gold coin and closed his fist tight around it.
âThanks for playing,â he said.
The woman turned and walked out.
Buell walked over to the table with the bottle of rye and two shot glasses in his hand. He placed the cleaner one in front of Gamble, filled it, then refilled his own glass.
Gamble took a silver dollar from his pocket and slid it toward Buell.
âYour cut,â he said. âTell me about that woman.â
âPenny Dreadful?â Buell asked. âSheâs the highest-priced whore on the Porch, a dope fiend, and a woman who is in the prolonged act of suicide. Donât know her real name, but I hear tell she came here from Denver, where she was married to a big shot banker and bore him a baby boy. But the child was colicky and cried all the time, which upset the husband, and Penny was frantic to find a way to restore wedded bliss. So to quiet the baby, she began giving it a patent medicine to put it to sleep. Problem was, the medicine was ten parts sugar and water and one part alcohol and morphine. After a week, she finally gave the baby just enough so that it never woke up at all.â
Gamble sipped the rye.
âThe husband accused her of poisoning the child and the prosecutor tried her for murder, but the jury leaned for accidental,â Buell said. âBut they might as well have locked her up, because her husband divorced her and drove her to the streets. Nobody in Denver would have anything to do with her. So, she is making money the old-fashioned way.â
âWhatâs this show tonight?â
Buell grinned.
âPenny doesnât just want to kill herself, she wants to debase herself in the worst ways first. Thatâs a powerful hate she has for herself, but itâs powerful lucky for me. Along about midnight, when the boys are gambled out, weâll throw a tarpaulin over the craps table and turn the lamps up real bright. Then Penny will climb up there and take all comers. Those that canât pay to do will pay to watch.â
âChrist,â Gamble said.
âIâm sure thereâll be a special show tonight, seeing as how it is New Yearâs Eve.â
âAnd you allow her do this.â
âAllow her?â Buell asked. âI encourage her. You understand that I am a pimp and a whiskey peddler and run an illegal gambling establishment out of a
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