"About two miles. The wind drifted us to the east. Bat didn't get far
'til his horse went down, so he bled him like we did, and holed up 'til
the storm quit. Then, after things cleared up, we got here about the
same time. The water ain't much--but it sure did taste good." For a
long time the two lay close together looking up at the million winking
stars. Tex tossed the butt of a cigarette into the grey dust. "She's
a great girl, Win. Game plumb to her boot heels."
"She is, that. I've loved her for a long time--since way back in my
college days--but she wouldn't have me."
"You hadn't earnt her. Life's like that--it's ups an' downs. But, in
the long run, a man gets about what's comin' to him. It's like
poker--in the long run the best player is bound to win. There's times
when luck is against him, maybe for months at a stretch. He'll lose
every time he plays, but if he stays with it, an' keeps on playin' the
best he knows how, an' don't go tryin' to force his luck by drawin'
four cards, an' fillin' three-card flushes, why, some day luck will
change an' he wins back all he's lost an' a lot more with it, because
there's always someone in the game that's throwin' their money away
drawin' to a Judson."
"What is a Judson?"
"Bill Judson was a major, an' next to playin' poker, he liked other
things.
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