"
He gave her his hand.
"That settles it," he said quietly. "I'll never gamble again,
Blix."
Blix gripped his hand hard, then jumped up, and, with a quick
breath of satisfaction, gathered up the cards and chips and flung
them into the fireplace.
"Oh, I'm so glad that's over with," she exclaimed, her little eyes
dancing. "I've pretended to like it, but I've hated it all the
time. You don't know HOW I've hated it! What men can see in it to
make them sit up all night long is beyond me. And you truly mean,
Condy, that you never will gamble again? Yes, I know you mean it
this time. Oh, I'm so happy I could sing!"
"Good Heavens, don't do that!" he cried quickly. "You're a nice,
amiable girl, Blix, even if you're not pretty, and you--"
"Oh, bother you!" she retorted; "but you promise?"
"On my honor."
"That's enough," she said quietly.
But even when "loafing" as he was this evening, Condy could not
rid himself of the thought and recollection of his novel; resting
or writing, it haunted him. Otherwise he would not have been the
story-writer that he was. From now on until he should set down
the last sentence, the "thing" was never to let him alone, never
to allow him a moment's peace. He could think of nothing else,
could talk of nothing else; every faculty of his brain, every
sense of observation or imagination incessantly concentrated
themselves upon this one point.
As they sat in the bay window watching the moon rise, his mind was
still busy with it, and he suddenly broke out:
"I ought to work some kind of a TREASURE into the yarn.
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