Page:The Plutocrat (1927).pdf/153

 He leaned a little nearer her. "Would you care to prophesy? What do you think I will become?"

He asked this in a low and impressive tone; but her glance still crossed his shoulder, and she spoke a little absently. "What you will become? You are charming, so you must take care to change only to become more so. You must take care" Then, as she watched the card table where another crisis impended, she paused. Suddenly she clapped her hands triumphantly. "Oh, see! See!" she cried. "What a magician! He win' everything!"

The eight middle-aged men broke out in commotion. "Push, losers!" the victor croaked loudly; and there were things said that should not have been. The players began to rise from their chairs, fumbling in their pockets, tossing bank notes and gold and silver upon the table and accompanying this outpouring of cash with loud abuse. At the same time Tinker, flushed and openly hilarious, gathered the money together in handfuls which he stuffed loosely into his pockets, and in reply to all insults he maintained a continuous husky shouting: "Hair o' the dog! Hair o' the dog! Wait for the hair o' the dog!"