488
PARTISAN REVIEW
there with another nigger and a couple of white fellows. They were play·
ing stud poker. I watched .them a long time and finally I couldn't stand it
any longer and I got in the game. I started out pretty good.
If
I had quit
about midnight, when the other fellows dropped out, I would have been
over a hundred dollars to the good but on the next couple of hands I fell
back a little and then we got to see·sawing around. I'd win
a
hand and then
Roman'd win one. That didn't suit me much so I got up and bought another
big twenty·five cent drink of popskull liquor. I reckon I got about half a
pint of liquor for that quarter. It brought me back to life.
I went back to the room where Roman was waiting and we ran a few
more hands, but there wasn't much to them.
I
saw that Roman was looking
sort of shifty and restless like he wanted to quit.
If
I had acted with any
sense I would have let him quit and been satisfied with what
I
had won,
but I was feeling lucky after that
d~ink
and besides
I
wanted to mop up
the dirty floor with the black son of a bitch.
I had seen enough of his roll that night to guess that he had around
three hundred dollars left. I struck on an idea to get hold of that money.
I said: 'Roman, let's run
a
few hands of blackjack for a change."
He was sitting straight as a ramrod in the chair. I saw that copper·
head snake look come into his eyes. Like he was waiting for you to come
one step closer.
"All right,'' he said.
We cut for the deal. He got it and we bet five dollars. Right off the
bat I hit blackjack and was ten dollars up.
Roman said: "Let's make it ten dollars from now on."
I just nodded my head.
I was out for blood and all of a sudden I knew Roman was out for
the same thing. I pulled out my pocketbook. I reckon I had a little over
two hundred dollars in it. Roman pulled out his roll-1 never saw him
have a pocketbook-and put it in his lap.
For about ten minutes there we ran the cards so fast that I couldn't
keep track of the game. I looked over at the pile of money in Roman's
lap. It was thinning down. We ran another hand and I hit blackjack with
the Ace of Spades and the King of Clubs. It was a good sign for me to hit
blackjack with the black cards.
I
raked in the twenty dollars and held up
my hand for Roman to wait till I'd counted my money. I had three hun·
dred and seventeen dollars.
I looked at Roman. "I'll throw it all on the next hand if you don't
think it's too rich for your blood," I told him.
He didn't answer, just pulled another roll of money from the little
pocket on the side of his overall leg.
I was the dealer. I shufBed them good and Roman cut. I
d~alt
him
the King of Hearts and myself the King of Spades. The next trip I dealt
myself the six of Diamonds. Roman was holding his card close and pon
dering it. Finally he laid it down, face up on the table. "I'll ride on
wl~at
I got,'' he said. Besides his King he had the nine of Spades. That beat my
sixteen
points. ·
