The Lady Gambles Page #5

Ruth.

Ruth.

Well, what do you know?

What?

She's gone home.

Why does she

do things like this?

Don't ask a gift horse

too many questions.

I should have phoned her.

I've got a better idea.

I'll phone the boss and tell

him I'm gonna take a week off.

We'll have ourselves a real

vacation. How about that?

Hey, lady.

Come here, Jonnie.

Look up at me.

Do you remember me?

I'm the fellow

you married.

David, I think we should...

Now, do you remember?

Uh-huh.

Oh! Lake Mead

is beautiful, but cold.

Like my wife.

A crack like that, sweetheart,

is grounds for divorce.

In Nevada.

We are on the Arizona side.

Lucky for you.

Hey, I thought you had

that hair curled yesterday.

Oh, Marie was out sick,

so I just skipped it.

Well, I wish you'd told me. I wasted

a whole afternoon with the local press.

Aw.

Well, not that

he isn't a nice fellow.

Let's get back to the shore.

We'll have lunch at the inn.

They serve bass there five

minutes after they're caught.

Oh, didn't I

tell you, darling?

That Mrs. Henniger, the

one we met the other night,

she asked me

to lunch today.

Okay. Back to the Pelican.

I'll take you both to lunch.

Oh, not today, darling.

She wants to have a real

heart-to-heart talk. About her divorce.

You know, girl talk.

This is her third,

isn't it?

I think so.

Well, don't let her

give you any ideas.

Fat chance.

Hi, darling.

Are you starved? I am.

Oh, what a day.

I'm all out of breath.

What's that you're drinking? I

think I'll have the same. Pete.

Have you been waiting long?

How was lunch

with Mrs. Henniger?

Oh, deadly, just deadly.

I couldn't get away.

She talked and talked

and talked.

She did?

All through

the poker session?

What?

You were playing poker

all afternoon, weren't you?

I won a young fortune

today, David.

We can stay here another month

on what I've won today.

What about the money

you won yesterday

when you were supposed

to be at the beauty parlor?

And the day before that, when you

wanted to go shopping by yourself?

Don't be angry

with me, David.

It's just that when you came

back, I felt so lucky that I...

"I'll never play again,"

you said. "Scout's honor. "

I'll think

I'll skip dinner, Joan.

I'm going back to the room.

I'll see you a little later.

You looking for someone?

Yes. My wife.

This is a terrible time

for husbands.

Thanks, I'll try to remember.

Do you know where she is?

Well, not exactly.

You know how they are.

She's gone table crawling

to change her luck.

What do you mean,

how they are?

Well, gamblers.

The ones who've got it bad.

Like your wife.

When last seen, she was

headed for The Blue Chip.

What's it all about, Joan?

What are you doing here?

I don't know.

Joan...

I didn't want

to come here.

Then why?

I don't know.

I don't know why.

I was...

I was all keyed up,

so I went to the casino.

I thought I'd just watch

for a few minutes.

Then, something made

me bet once and I lost.

And then again

and I lost.

And before I knew it,

I had lost a lot.

So, I went across the street

and kept on losing.

You don't know

what it's like, David.

It's like being

whipped and kicked

then being stepped on,

and all the time you...

Oh, no, it's all right,

Joan. It's over now.

I'm scared, David.

Scared.

Something's happening to me

and I don't know what it is.

It... It grabs hold of me

and I can't shake it off.

I see it happening,

but I can't stop it.

Oh, help me, David.

Take me away from here.

Okay, Joan.

It's all right, Joan.

A scared kid, groping in

the dark, pleading for help.

She needed it then

and she needs it now.

Who doesn't?

Well, what's a stiff dose

of jail going to accomplish?

It'll keep her out of trouble,

out of back alleys.

So, what do you do?

Throw away the key?

A year from now, two years,

she gets out. Then what?

Look, Boothe. I'm here to patch up drunks

and bums with their bellies cut open,

or dames with loaded dice

and their ribs kicked in.

More than that,

I can't do.

Why? Is a sick mind less

serious? Less important?

If there's anything wrong above the

neck, I can't afford to notice it.

All we do here is give them

the old one-two-three

and hope they hold together

with adhesive.

But I'm not asking you

to cure her.

I'll take her to someone who

can. That's all I'm asking.

That when she can get up and

walk, she gets up and walks to me.

How do I know

she should walk to you?

How do I know you're not the

cause of what's wrong with her?

Because it's her sister.

A blind man could see that.

That's your story.

The sister will have a different

story. I can guarantee that.

Oh, Murph.

What are you doing?

Send for her, Doc. Get her

down here and see for yourself.

In the middle of the night?

What difference

does that make?

Tell her Joan's here and she'll

fly to get her hooks into her again.

What's up?

How about it, Doc?

Murph, get a hold of a girl

named Ruth Phillips.

Elmwood 06321.

Okay.

Thanks.

If you're so sure Ruth was

the cause of the trouble,

why didn't you get the girl

away from her?

I did. We didn't

come back to Chicago.

I sent the paper my story and

my resignation at the same time

and we hit for Mexico.

I was trying to write a book

about the Colorado River.

So, we rented a place

at the edge of a village

called San Crispin

on the coast.

The next few months

were like a second honeymoon.

Except for the fact that we

never really had a first one.

We practically lived

on the beach.

Fishing, swimming. We even

worked on my book down there.

Joan typing while

I dictated to her.

But, for the most part,

it was a wonderful vacation.

And even though the money I'd

saved was kind of dwindling,

it was worth it to see Joan

really healthy and relaxed again.

Ah, the poor little sardine.

Poor nothing.

I'll bet he weighs 10 pounds.

Would you settle for five?

Mmm.

Just for that, I'll tell

everyone you caught him.

Davie...

Mmm?

How much longer

will it take?

Will what take?

Finishing the book.

I don't know.

Two or three months,

if our money holds out.

So soon?

Hey, a fine thing.

I slave all day over a hot typewriter

and look at the thanks I get.

That will mean leaving here,

won't it?

Not a chance.

If the book goes over,

we'll buy this place.

And if it doesn't, well, we'll

stay here and raise vegetables

and about 10 kids.

Will you

settle for five?

Davie...

Hmm?

Don't you think

you ought to get started?

Now?

You've got a long way to go.

San Diego.

I'd forgotten all about it.

Did you, darling? Oh, you

say the sweetest things.

Oh, now, cut it out, Joan.

I've got to go.

You sure you don't want

to go along?

I'm sure I do.

Well, wonderful!

But I won't.

You're going to the library to

work and I'd only be in the way.

Well, bless

your little heart.

I only know of one other

person with such nobility.

Who?

Your sister. Who else?

Why, you stinker!

David! David,

come back here!

I'll be back first thing

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