The Cincinnati Kid Page #3

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Mine left me too.

I wonder why.

Who you trying to kid, sister?

Soldier's Gray and Gaffer's Gray!

Soldier's Gray and Gaffer's Gray!

Soldier's Gray and Gaffer's Gray!

- Twenty-five and 20!

- Which one?

- Soldier's Gray.

- All right.

All right. Get them up.

Get ready.

Come on!

Let's go out to the car.

Why don't you relax.

- You say 25 and 20?

- That's right.

- To lose.

- He's got him. He's got him.

Looks like you're gonna owe us

some money, fat boy.

Don't spend it, baby. Don't spend it!

Alice Lee, honey, would you like to

freshen up Mr. William's drink a little bit?

- A little more bourbon, Mr. William?

- Thank you, Mrs. Slade.

Now, you just say when.

When. That's it.

Thank you kindly, Mrs. Slade.

Honey, why don't you go out to the kitchen

and bring us some of those...

...fancy little hors d'oeuvres.

Why, that's exactly

what I was about to do, sugar.

I declare, Billy, sometimes I think

you got psychic powers.

She's a real lady, Mrs. Slade.

That little gal means more to me

than the whole wide world, Shooter.

How's your Melba these days?

Melba? Well, she's fine. Just fine.

Yeah, she's a nice girl, Melba.

Girl of quality and taste.

Expensive tastes, I would imagine.

- Well, I guess you might say that, yes.

- Well, that's as it should be.

That's one of the great

feminine characteristics.

Taste for fine things.

Of course, we can't always afford

to indulge their tastes.

That's the tragedy of it.

That's when they start to drift away.

You know this game that you're dealing

for Lancey and the Kid, you know?

There's an awful lot of interest

developing in that game.

Betting interest, that is.

What would you figure the odds

to be, Shooter?

Well, I'd say the New York money

will probably lay about...

...oh, 8-5 on Lancey.

Personally, I think the Kid's chances

are better.

So do I. So do I. That's why

I'm getting me down a bet.

- Big bet.

- Well, I don't think I'd wanna bet on it.

The Kid could take him, if he's right,

but I'd never bet on it.

Lancey Howard is an old man, Shooter.

He's ready for a fall.

Trouble is that the Kid might be nervous,

big game like this.

He may be off his form.

He may need a little help.

You know?

No, I don't. I don't quite know

what you mean.

- You're dealing the game, aren't you?

- Yes.

I thought as long as I'm going to the trouble

of putting a bet down for myself...

...I may as well get one down for you too.

Say in the neighborhood of $25,000?

I could never do anything like that.

Of course you couldn't. That's why

they chose you to give them a fair deal.

It's out of the question, Mr. Slade.

You see...

If I...

- I tell you, it's just out of the question.

- Merci, Emile.

Well, the Kid's not gonna need

much help, Shooter.

Maybe two or three hands

at the right time.

Oh, Melba would be mighty proud of you

if you won yourself $25,000.

No, I'm sorry, Mr. Slade.

Well, I'm sorry too, Shooter,

because you leave me no alternative...

...but to remind you of the fact that

I'm carrying these markers on you.

- Twelve thousand dollars, to be exact.

- Those are legitimate markers.

- You gave me two years to pay them.

- Now, wait a minute.

Just because I'm generous or foolish

enough to accept your marker one day...

...doesn't mean I'm gonna recognize it

the next. No, sir, no.

That recognition is null and void

if I happen to suddenly realize...

...that you are not of sound mind.

You know when I realized that?

When I saw you hesitate

about accepting that $25,000.

That's right, boy.

You just think that over.

Twenty-five thousand, plus 12,000 here.

- That makes...

- Thirty-seven.

Thirty-seven, if memory serves.

Why are you doing this?

It can't be for money.

It's for my kind of money. Gut money.

I wanna see

that smug old bastard gutted.

- Gutted.

- Like he gutted you?

- Yes, that's right. That's right. Hold it.

- I'm gonna be...

Lookie here, now, Cora-Anne and Billy-Bob

come to say good night to their daddy.

Well, now, my cottontail bunny rabbits.

Come here.

- Holler if you need anything, now.

- All right.

Do you wanna hear

a little bedtime story?

About Shooter's wife, Melba?

- All right, now...

- I know all those stories.

Well, are you aware of the circumstances

on which she left Shreveport, Louisiana?

Yes, I'm aware.

Well, some people don't know the story.

I think they'd enjoy hearing it.

It's a story that deserves to be told.

Now, listen carefully, children.

Once upon a time...

...down in Shreveport, Louisiana...

...there was this bad little girl

named Melba Nyle.

Relax. Shooter will be along.

Why don't you make us a drink.

You know where it is.

All that dust at the pit. I always feel

so dirty after one of those things.

Brings out the best in you, Melba.

What does that funny little country gal

bring out in you?

See anything you like?

About the dance, I mean.

Now, don't tell me Shooter's

your oldest and best friend.

- That's right.

- He's mine too, honey.

Next you're gonna say

he's like a father to you.

You see what that leaves us.

Yeah.

Yeah? Oh, hi, sugar.

Well, then you won't be home

for a while.

Yeah?

Shooter. Yeah. Is the game set?

Eight o'clock Monday,

apartment 2A at the old Lafayette.

Old Lafayette.

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, she seemed to have

a pretty good time.

Yeah, she's a fun girl.

Yeah.

You bastard!

I hope you lose.

Thanks, baby.

Day after tomorrow at

the old Hotel Lafayette, 8:00.

Yeah, you better let him know.

They gonna be full up, from what I hear.

Same to you. You know who that was,

Kid? Jollie from Boston...

- You seen Shooter?

- No, not today.

Called all the way from Boston.

And Lady Fingers.

Guess you know she's coming. And Yeller.

There's gonna be a lot of money in town.

Hey, how's it going?

Hoban tell you about Yeller?

Yeah, I was just telling him.

I'll see you later.

Hey, Kid.

Hey, what's wrong?

- Jack Doyle's laying 12-5 on Lancey.

- Jack Doyle. Now, listen, that's old money.

Conservative money.

That's always on the man.

- There's plenty of money on you too.

- It's the waiting.

I'm ready now, and I gotta wait.

Don't let the odds rattle you.

That's the worst that can happen.

- Stay loose. Relax.

- It's not the odds. I told you.

- It's the wait.

- Listen, just relax.

I'll see you later, Shooter.

Hey, Kid!

Hi, honey.

- Hi, Kid.

- Hi.

This is a surprise.

- Did you come on the bus?

- Well, yeah.

I just came by to see

how you were doing.

Mama, this is Eric.

How do you do, Mrs. Rudd?

Howdy.

Why don't you sit down,

and I'll fix you something.

No, I had something to eat in town.

Come on.

There's some hot biscuits in the warmer.

Come on.

I used to come here and play

when I was little.

I'd dream, mostly.

Yeah? About what?

Oh, just things that little girls

dream about.

There was a story I heard...

...about a wishing stone somewhere

on the bank of the Mississippi.

And I used to play like this creek

was the Mississippi...

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