Eugene Manlove Rhodes

“ And from this shabby beginning, while the bore droned endlessly on, Neighbor Jones wove romance for his private delight.
The warehouse was decked all about by a wide, high platform. A low-pitched roof reached far out beyond the building to over hang this platform, so that the whole bore a singular resemblance to Noah's Ark of happy memory. A forlorn and forgotten ark: the warped shingles, the peeling, blistered paint, the frayed and splintered planks, were eloquent of past prosperity and of change, neglect and decay. ”

“ Next, about Beck—I'll sleep on this matter and look it over from all sides. No hurry. If I'm not just pleased with Beck for cheating me I'll adjust the matter with him—but I'll not cheat him. I never try to beat a man at his own game. ”

“ No? Here we go! Watch!" He dealt five poker hands, face down. "Now then, look! You've got three tens and a pair of trays. First hand has jacks up, opens, stands a raise from you, draws one black jack." Illustrating, the Kid flipped the top card from the deck. It was the spade jack. "Then you bet your fool head off. He should worry. And that's the way they trimmed you—see?"
Neighbor Jones blinked a little and twisted his tawny-gold hair to a peak, retaining unshaded and unchanged his look of sleepy good nature. ”