Read Online The Bullwhip Breed by J. T. Edson - Free Book Online Page B

Expensive-looking jewellery glinted around her neck, wrists and fingers and she wore a trailing, stylish, though tight-fitting blue dress.
    “That’s Madam Darcel, gal, the owner,” Tombes explained and gave a warning for he knew Calamity. “And you forget it. She’d call the great siezer in and have you jailed happen you tried to start a brawl with her.”
    A grin creased Calamity’s face at Tornbes’ insight of her character. “She’d be a mite too heavy anyways.”
    “Likely,” the scout replied. “Just look at ole Dobe dance.”
    “He’s about as graceful as a salmon-fed grizzly just afore winter,” the girl answered. “Happen that black-haired gal ain’t lively on her feet, she’ll sure wind up with tired toes comes the end of the dance.”
    Although Killem’s partner limped slightly as she returned, to the table, her face held a smile. A saloon-girl learned to look happy under most conditions, even after having her toes stepped on by a partner who stood six foot two and carried a fair amount of weight. A round of drinks, bought this time by Chan Sing, who had a plump, dark-haired girl hanging to his arm, made Killem’s partner feel happier.
    For a time the party went on, drinks flowed, jokes bounced around the table and most of the girls appeared to be overlooking Calamity’s sex, regarding her more as a paying customer rather than a rival.
    Turning to the girl at her side, Calamity asked, “Hey, where’a a gal go, happen she wants to go?”
    “Huh?” asked the puzzled saloon-girl, then the light glowed. “Oh! I’ll show you where we go.”
    Watching Calamity and the saloon-girl walk away from the table, Killem thought over what Calamity had told him about her rescue of St. Andre. A grin came to the big freighter’s face. Dang that Calamity, never happy unless she was mixed up in some fuss or ruckus; but life would sure be dull without her around.
    The dark-haired girl seated on Chan Sing’s knee had only recently come to work at the Cheval D’Or after being employed in a rather lower-class establishment further along Latour Street. In her previous post, the management expected her to augment her salary by collecting donations from the customers—without their being aware, of the removal of their wealth—and reckoned the same rule applied at the Cheval D’Or . Deciding the Chinaman would offer her the best possibilities, she latched on to him and had been on the point of extracting his wallet when Calamity arrived. Since then, the girl had not found an opportunity to take the wallet, for Calamity had none of the distractions offered to her male friends. Naturally when augmenting her salary without the owner of the wallet’s permission, one required privacy. So the girl left Chang Sing’s wallet where it rightfully belonged. When Calamity left, the girl thought she might find a chance. Seconds ticked by with nothing to take the attention of the other occupants of the table. Then a couple of jugglers made their appearance and the men gave the performers their attention.
    Still keeping one arm around Sing’s neck, the girl slipped her other hand into his jacket and slid out the wallet. Being skilled at her trade, Sing did not feel his loss and the girl believed her action went unnoticed. So it did among the occupants of the table—however, somebody had seen the move, a person well capable of dealing with the matter.
    The dark-haired girl’s first warning that things had gone wrong came as she prepared to slip the wallet into the front of her dress. Suddenly a strong hand dug fingers deep into her hair, twisted hard, and hauled her from Sing’s knee.
    With a screech of pain, the girl twisted around, though still held by the hair, and faced her assailant. The wallet fell from the girl’s fingers as she prepared to defend herself against Calamity who, having seen the attempted theft, came to the rescue of her unsuspecting friend. Before the girl could make a hostile move, Calamity swung