From Here to Eternity_ The Restored Edit - Jones, James [476]
“How’d you like to shoot with me, Texan? Make a little sidebet. Say about a hundred bucks.”
Stark reached in his pocket. “Even money?”
Warden grinned.
“Any time you say,” Stark said. He extracted a ten and three ones from the fold of bills and tossed the rest of it on the bar. “One hundred bucks. Any old time you say.”
The roll was mostly fives and ones and it looked very big lying loose on the bar folded once.
Warden bent to look at it. “Well, well, if the Texan aint gone and collected himself a great big pile of dough. Hows it feel to be rich, Texan?”
“Theres a shootin gallery right up the street,” Stark said. “Or we can go over to Mom’s gallery on Hotel Street. Get there in five minutes.”
“You’d have a better chance there than you would out on the Range.”
“Do you want to bet? or dont you?” Stark demanded. “Put up or shut up.”
“You’re a sucker, Texan; dint I tell you I could make you do anything I want? Why, I could even make you go over there and fight that whole bunch of Artillerymen, if I wanted to. Dont you know I can outshoot you hands down? Put your money in your pocket like a good little boy. There aint three men on this Rock can outshoot me, and you know it.”
“You cant make me do nothin I dont already want to do,” Stark insisted.
Warden tapped his temple with his second finger. “Brains, Texan. Brains and a sense of humor. Why you could be an Officer in three months, with me guidin you.”
“Who the hell wants to be an Officer?” Stark exclaimed indignantly. “You dont have to insult me. I can take care of myself, Firs Sarnt. I get along.”
“Now thats just where you’re wrong, Texan. Thats what I’m tryin to teach you. Its results that count. You dont have to lose your pride if you dont want to. You could be an Officer easy as not.”
“Dont do me no favors.”
“You still want to shoot with me, Texan?”
“Anytime you say.”
“Okay,” Warden grinned slyly. “We’ll go over to Mom’s and shoot ten rounds at a card, a hundred bucks even money. Let Mom hold the stakes. Here.” He tossed the dampened fold of bills in front of Stark contemptuously. “Put this in your pocket, or you wont have it long around here.”
Stark folded it back in with his ten and three ones and stuffed the loose sheaf back into his pants pocket. While he was occupied with this, Rose walked past the corner of the bar again where they sat, to fill another order, her beautiful bottom trembling enticingly with each step.
Warden swung suddenly on his stool as she passed and reached out and pinched one of the soft checks lightly. Rose stopped in midstride and turned, swinging her open palm. Warden caught her wrist easily, in his left hand, without even moving. She swung her right at his face, arched into a claw, the long bloodred nails like talons. Warden, grinning, caught it just as easily, in his right hand, and held her, his hands crossed in front of him, just holding her and grinning seditiously.
Unable to jerk loose, Rose delivered a vicious kick at his privates on the edge of the stool. Warden turned his right knee in gracefully, with such ease that it seemed effortless, and caught her shin on his knee. Then he rose from the stool on his left leg, pushing it between her legs, and the struggling cursing girl was off balance and powerless. Warden held her easily, letting her struggle.
“Take it easy, baby,” he grinned contentedly. “I wont hurt you. You’re a woman after my own heart, but dont get me all excited. I’m liable to lay you right here on the floor.”
Rose’s lips writhed back in a snarl and she spat at him explosively. Warden weaved to the left like a boxer, and except for a fine spray, the gob of spittle missed him and hit Stark square in the center of the shirt.
The whole thing had happened so swiftly that Stark had hardly looked up from putting away his roll.
“Goddam bastard son of a whore goddam,” Rose hissed fervently. “Fucking cocksucker bastard goddam.”
Rose’s boy friend and his buddies were already on their feet.
“Hey, thats no way to treat a lady,” the boy friend said.
“Yeah,” one of the buddies said. “Leave go of the lady.”