As a matter of fact he had discovered that two of his queens were clubs, but he had quickly resolved to say nothing and trust to the chance of the others not noticing it.
“Well,” said Gallagher, “I’ll take wan messilf, just to kape yez company,” and he dealt himself one.
“It’s your bet,” he said to Long Mike, who then picked up the card he had drawn.
When he saw it his eyes seemed to bulge out suddenly, and his mouth opened wide with astonishment.
“Pfwat the divil!” he exclaimed, and then he burst out laughing so loudly that no one paid any attention to the toot-toot-toot of the Rosa Lee’s whistle, which, had they heard it, would have told them that the boat was approaching the landing.
The others looked in wonder while he laughed—all but the one-eyed man, who seemed to have an inkling of the truth, and he grinned, though rather sorrowfully, as if he thought of the money he had felt sure of winning.
“Well, b’yes, yez can’t bate that hand, anyhow,” said Long Mike as soon as he could speak, and he threw down five aces.
They all stared—Stumpy the hardest of all. Then he joined in the laugh.
“Sure there do be aces to burn in thot pack,” he said. “I have two of thim me own silf, wid three kings.” And he showed them down.
“Sure I have you bate, anyhow,” said Gallagher, who was as surprised as any one else, but who seemed to cherish the idea of winning something, somehow. “I have four jacks,” and he showed them, but they were all red.