"
He did not seem to know just what it was, but the offensive flavor of
it lingered.
"Wonder where he is?" he kept repeating. "Deserves to be thrashed.
Confound his impertinence. May do it yet."
He was drinking. Broderick glanced apprehensively about. The gambler's
sleek form was not in evidence. McGowan came in with Casey and Mulligan.
Casey, too, had been drinking. He was in an evil humor, his usually
jovial face sullen and vengeful.
"Damn the newspapers," he exploded. "They've printed the Sing Sing yarn
on me again. It was brought out at the arraignment."
"Confound it, Broderick, haven't you any influence at all? Can't you
keep such stuff out of type?"
"Sometimes--if I know about it in advance. I'm sorry, Jim."
"They tell me King of William's going to print it in the _Bulletin_.
Better see him."
"No use," put in McGowan, "that fellow's so straight (he sneered the
word) that he leans over backward. Somebody'll fix him though ... you'll
see." The trio wandered off to Broderick's relief, making their exit
just as Cora entered the door. The gambler approached Richardson. They
had a drink together, some rather loud, conversation. Broderick feared
it would develop into a quarrel, but evidently they patched a truce
between them, for soon they went out arm in arm.
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