Boy's Cinema (1930-31)

8 He vvus not the iiiuii to cany out hi.'. thioat of informing the police, who would have shown scant sympathy for him anyway, and -would probably have found that Room 346 was no longer tenanted by Sleepy Sam. His chief con- cern was to locate, without delay, the girl Marie, and from tho hotel manage mcnt he was able to learn her address. He called there before noon, and rung the door-bell of her flat. She answered the summons in person, and looked at him coldly as lie addressed her. " You must have the wrong apart ment," she said. "Why, you know uie," ho stammered. " You rcmeinber, I gave you that hun- dred bucks to keep for me?" "I never Saw you before," she lied with emphasis; and at that moment Nick saw a man standing in the hallway behind her—a man whose grinning face he recognised as Sleepy Sam's. "Say, what's this?" the little barber ground out. "It's the big city, Hiram," Marie sneered. "Scram!" She slammed the door in h.is face. For a moment he did not move, but stood there like a man paralysed. Then suddenly he gave vent to his fury in a shower of harmless blows. "Open this door!" he screamed. "I thought so! You were hand-in-glove witli those burglars! Stole the money that belonged to my friends! Sent up packs of tnarked cards from that hotel service-counter! I've figured out the whole dirty game, and now I know I've figured right. Open the door, vou dirtv little cheat!" A mocking laugh reached his car.s—a girl's laugh and a man's laugh inter- mingling beyond the door. He drew back, quivering with fury. "All right," he shouted; "all right. If that's the way you play the gamp in this town, I'll plav it the same way. Only I'll play it in spades, and that means you'll pay double. You little thief. I'll have you on your knees beggin' for a cup o' coffee before I'm through. And as for that guy you're workin' foe, I'll run him right into the mud !" Backing ! TiiME had pa.ssed. and Nick had re- turned to his profession as a barber. He had not returned to Irontown, however, but had secured a post as assistant in one of New York's super hairdressing saloons, where ho speedily became known for that charac- teristic luck which had made him famous among former cronies and customers. His experience with Slefcpy Sam and his gang had left him a sadder and a wiser man, but a man with a purpose, too. He knew that it had not been his luck which had impoverished him. but the swindling tactics of the card-sharp- ing ring, and he intended one day to square accounts. Among the many patrons who made a point of having Nick attend to them on their visits to the hairdressing saloon was a certain Mr. .•\menoppopulos. Like Nick, ho was of Greek origin, seemed to be fairly well-to-do, and had a decided leaning towards a little flutter on tho cards or the horsivs. One day, while Nick was shaving Amonoppopulos, he. chanced to look through the doorway of the saloon and scc a familiar figure signalling to hitu from the sidewalk. It was the figure of his frif'nd and former employee, .Tack, who had left Irontown for New York shortly after receiving the news that Nick had been "cleaned out." "O.h, excuse me just a minute, Mr. Amenoppopulos," Nick apologised, and, ' September ZCth, 1681. BOY'S CINEMA leaving the elderly and portly Greek, he hurried outside. "Well, have you got a job yet, boy?" he demanded. Jack shook his fair head, and his clean-cut face took on a rueful ex prcssion. "Nope," he answered. "I just missed one this morning. That makes the cigiith in s\iccession. Aw, I know you didn't want me to come here on the off-chance like I did. But I couldn't stand Irontown after you left, Nick." Nick laid a hand on his shoulder. "You'll find a job yet," he said. "Have you had any lunch?" "Not to-day," Jack coufessed. "Then here's two dollars," said Nick. "Put it on Flying Feet in the third race at Churchill Downs. And here's two V)its for your niHch. Now go and put on the feed-bag." "Thanks, Nick," Jack murmured, and his benefactor returned to Mr. Amenoppopulos. "Sorry I had to leave you. sir," he said, " but I had to speak to an old friend." "That's all right. Nick," Amenop- populos told him. " By the way, w hat do you like in that fifth race at Louisville ?" Nick smiled. "I've got a little bet on No Regrets," he informed the older man. "Huh, how have vou been doing lately, Nick ?" "()h, swell," was the answer. "You see, the boys in the saloon here have been .staking mo in a little card-party I attend, and I've won quite a lot of dough for them—and a little bit fo-.- myself." " I see," said Amenoppopulos through a lather of soap. "They've been making a pool for you, huh?" "Yeah, that's it," Nick rejoined, "but it's small-time money. Oh. if I had .some really important dough," he added, with a gleam in his eye, "I could get into a big game where the sugar is sweet." The elderly Greek's interest was aroused. "Oh," he said. "And how much would it take to get into that big game ?" "A lotta money. Mr. .Amenop- popidos." Nick replied. "B\it with what I know now about the racket, I could trim 'em plenty." Ten days later Mr. Amenoppopulos introduced Nick to a Greek merchant with whom he was acquainted, and then broached tho s\diject of backing the little barber. "I tell you he is the luckiest man in the world," Amenoppopidos declared. "I've been staking him in a small way myself, and he's won for mc every time. Now. if we could put him in this bi.ff game, I'm sure he could make a lot r.f money." "Well. I tell .vou. Alex," the mer- chant observed, "what's good enough for you is good enough for me to take a chance on. I am not gambling man. but you can count on me for free thousand." Thus, through the influence of .Amenoppopulos, Nick again equipped himself from various sources fo the tuiu- of fifty thousand dollars, and. ready for the fray, he made preparations for another meeting with Sleepy Sam. Tho.se preparations culminated in a visit to a hotel to which Sleepy Sam and his confederates had shifted sooti after Nick's previous encounter with them. Here Nick bought np the entire stock of card-packs available at the service-desk in the foyer, only to hand In .a dozen of them the same evening. "I'd like to return these," he said to Every Tuesday the salesman behind the counter. "I took more than I needed. I'll have cash for them, but keep a dollar to buy your- self a cigar." "Thank you, sir," the salesman answered, and Nick strolled across the foyer. On his way to the elevator he passed .lack and another man, notorious for some skill with a gun. Ho exchanged a glance with them and then passed into the lift which carried him swiftly to the tenth floor. By judicious inquiry he had found out Sleepy Sam's exact addres.s, and, locating the gambler's room, he knocke<l on the door. It was opened an inch or two, and the voice of Sleepy Sam asked to know who was there. "It's only me, Sam. Nick tho Barber." The door was pulled wide, and Nick stepped across the threshold to find him- self in the pre.sencc of that same bunch of rogues who had swindled him out of his first stake. "Why, hallo. Nick," Sleepy Sam greeted him, with a peculiar twist of the lip. "How arc you? I haven't seen you in six months." "It's taken me that long to catch up with you," Nick retorted crisply. "Now listen, you lotta mugs. It's no use chicken-seratchin' around. You know what happened to me once, and I've got something to say to you. Especially to you, Sam." " No hard feelin's, I hope," drawled Sam. " No, just lookin' for evens," was th<» answer. "You haven't any objectiwis, Sam. have you ? You can see me doiigh this time !" And he displayed the Rftv thousand dollars he was carrying on his person. "Oh. you're okay with mc. Nick," said Sleepy Sam. his eyes fastening greedily on the roll. "I'll play." "Yeah," Nick rejoined, "and well play freeze-out for fifty thousand—pay after each hand." "Phew!" breathed Schultz. "That's a lot of dough." The little barber looked at him. " Not for Nick Venizelos," he said. " That brotlier of mine owns the mint now. Hey, Sun-Tan." he added to .a coloured waiter. " go downstairs and get half a dozen new decks of cards. Here's some money, and keep the change." "You're still superstitious, huh?" mused Sleepy Sam. "No," Nick answered. "Just careful. Come on. let's get set. Just you and me. Sam. and we'll deal our own. Tlio rest of you fellows stand aside." "Don't mind if I take a piece of Sam's play, do you?" asked Barnes, and- Nick shook his head. "I don't care what you do." he ro- ioined. "If you want to cut in on his losses you can. but only him and me are sittin' down at the table. And by th.i way, Sam. let's see your dough." "I think I can match you all right." Sleepy Sam observed, and laid a thick sheaf of bills on tho baize. The darkic waiter returned with tho eard.s—purchased, of course, from tho service-desk in tho foyer. A pack was split and tho game opened. An hour later Nick was sitting with a pile of notes before him, and Sleepy Sam with a thin wad of five; ami the twister was marvelling, in no very pleasant mood, at the run of luck that had favoured his antagonist. Meanwhile the rest of the pang stood in a group and watched a pool that wa.^ assuming a formidable aspect as the two plavers laid bet after bet on a couple of hands that had just been dealt. "How much money have you got left?" Nick asked all at once.. ■IJ!