The Dark Star

Brandes, imperturbable, rolled his cigar into the corner of his mouth

and screwed his greenish eyes to narrow slits.

"You got our wire, Doc?"

"Why am I here if I didn't!"

"Sure. Have an easy passage?"

Doc Curfoot's foxy visage still wore traces of the greenish pallor; he

looked pityingly at Brandes--self-pityingly: "Say, Eddie, that was the worst I ever seen. A freight boat, too. God!

I was that sick I hoped she'd turn turtle! And nab it from me; if you

hadn't wired me S O S, I'd have waited over for the steamer train and

the regular boat!"

"Well, it's S O S all right, Doc. I got a cable from Quint this

morning saying our place in Paris is ready, and we're to be there and

open up tonight----"

"What place?" demanded Curfoot.

"Sure, I forgot. You don't know anything yet, do you?"

"Eddie," interrupted Stull, "let me do the talking this time, if

you please."

And, to Curfoot: "Listen, Doc. We was up against it. You heard. Every little thing has

went wrong since Eddie done what he done--every damn thing! Look

what's happened since Maxy Venem got sore and he and Minna started out

to get him! Morris Stein takes away the Silhouette Theatre from us and

we can't get no time for 'Lilith' on Broadway. We go on the road and

bust. All our Saratoga winnings goes, also what we got invested with

Parson Smawley when the bulls pulled Quint's----!"

"Ah, f'r the lov' o' Mike!" began Brandes. "Can that stuff!"

"All right, Eddie. I'm tellin' Doc, that's all. I ain't aiming to be

no crape-hanger; I only want you both to listen to me this time. If

you'd listened to me before, we'd have been in Saratoga today in our

own machines. But no; you done what you done--God! Did anyone ever

hear of such a thing!--taking chances with that little rube from

Brookhollow--that freckled-faced mill-hand--that yap-skirt! And Minna

and Max having you watched all the time! You big boob! No--don't

interrupt! Listen to me! Where are you now? You had good money; you

had a theaytre, you had backing! Quint was doing elegant; Doc and

Parson and you and me had it all our way and comin' faster every day.

Wait, I tell you! This ain't a autopsy. This is business. I'm tellin'

you two guys all this becuz I want you to realise that what Eddie done

was against my advice. Come on, now; wasn't it?"

"It sure was," admitted Curfoot, removing his cigar from his lean,

pointed visage of a greyhound, and squinting thoughtfully at the smoke

eddying in the draught from the open window.

"Am I right, Eddie?" demanded Stull, fixing his black, smeary eyes on

Brandes.

"Well, go on," returned the latter between thin lips that scarcely

moved.