Part 18 (2/2)
”OurTony on the back
”And mine's on the other man,” Walker said quickly; and a ht towith importance as the patron-in-chief to Tony, hammered on the wall in his efforts toround the rooht hoell the chorus of his great song would sound sung by such a ht of the local constable, so in a far corner
”What sort,” he yelled, and his voice went through the babel of sound like the shriek of a syren through mist ”What sort,” he repeated, as men paused in their clamour, startled by the voice ”Let the trap hold the dibs”
Any proposal was bound to be greeted with favour at the hest elation at the prospective defeat of ”flashy”
The constable, with official dignity, undertook the responsibility of stakeholder Gleeson, Walker, and Tap laid down all the wealth they had, and from all parts of the room contributions came to cover it, until theout that they could get no bet The exciteer
”If our word's good enough, we'll take every wager,” he shouted; and the audacity pleased the crowd
The constable, the proprietor of the Rest, and Maruard over the stakes, placed for convenience in two eold of the old, notes, and paper of the trio
Then the gaan, and the men crowded round the walls of the roo, as they saw Gleeson run away from their champion like a racehorse froly offered ahead of the Birralong chaleam and a flash went round the room as the men realized what it ed to the three
”Double or quits,” Gleeson cried, as he faced round on Tony
”Done,” he answered; and Gleeson glanced round the roorowl of assent was the answer, and the second gaa, set his teeth hard, and nerved himself to avoid a repetition of the defeat The bumps in the cushi+ons favoured him, and he held his own from the start, and came in just ahead of his opponent aers
As the noise lulled before the growing desire to toast success, long life, and various other pleasant prospects to the winner of the second game, an artistic piece of by-play was introduced by a violent altercation between Walker, Tap, and Gleeson, the first two savagely attacking the latter for having throay theirdouble or quits Walker repudiated the reed to the stake on the second gaers he had made on the first
Palmer Billy advanced to the table
”If a ive him,” he said, in a tone that penetrated to every corner of the room, and with his eyes fixed on Gleeson in what, to the latter, was a peculiarly disconcerting glance, ”e're on to whack hiain--or his mates”
”Good iron, Billy,” soated, if you please,” Palht”
In order that there ame, it was decided in advance that the stakes were to be the saaht, for double or quits, whoever the loser in cases, in charge of the constable and the proprietor of the Rest The interval between the second and third gaa than in the earlier ones, while the applause was more promiscuous, due to the fact that rasp of passing events as usual Only at the finish, when Tony was beaten by a single point, did the audience realize that the situation was serious; and then, lest the danger should cause them anxiety and the result of the return match leave them stranded, they made the most of the opportunity and the resources of the Rest
The townshi+p ”hung-up” the followingcame the realization of the fact that Tony had already lost two out of three games with Gleeson, and that on the result of the fourth the prosperity of Birralong, and of the visitors within its gates, speaking figuratively, for at least a twelveathered round the Rest, the shaky indistinctness inevitable fro to the expression of gravity which was upon every face What conversation there was they carried on in subdued tones, and, except in the case of a few, the anxiety they felt even kept them away from the bar
The room in which was the billiard-table was densely packed by the ti three deep round the walls, gri was intensely hot, and every door, , and fanlight was as wide open as it could be The rossed to notice that Gleeson turned up without his two mates, while the recollections of the condition of the constable when he was conveyed to his own cottage the night before prevented any one froaan there was dead silence in the room--a silence so oppressive that the click of the balls sounded sharp and clear, and the whizzing hu crescendoes and quavering diminuendoes from the parched and barren paddocks all around, as distinctly as if the table had been set out in the open bush Fro their best to win, and while the local confidence was not shaken in Tony, it was noticed with ot far ahead, and often dropped behind As the finish drew near, thethe audience scarcely breathed as Tony played his strokes, until their nerves were strained and their muscles quivered as he stood with an unfinished break at two points from home, and his opponent ten behind
It was an easy shot, so easy that Birralong alasp, lest it should put the cha of the exciteot a hard patch on the cushi+on, and broke down, just two from home
Gleeson, cool, collected, and unmoved, said ”Pity” under his breath, and a shi+ver passed through the audience Then he played his strokes, carefully and quietly, and the room, save for the click of the balls as they cannoned, the rustle of the player as he rasshoppers outside, was silent But it had no effect on Gleeson He was quite unmoved and unconcerned as he made his strokes, steadily and well, till he was level with Tony, and only needed two to win
A huasp, travelled round the crowded roo in the paddocks and the trees, and Gleeson, with obtrusive cally he put back the chalk and studied the easy shot which was all that stood between hi and bankruptcy; and another huasp, travelled round the room and out of the open doors and s, out to where the countlessand chirped and buzzed, careless of the hu, as they strained their senses in search of soreen