"I say, stranger," he said, coming over near to Shock and looking him carefully in the eye, "I'll give you twenty-five dollars if you do that agin. You took me unbeknownst. Now, git to work."
Shock's heart had got back to its right place and was beating its steady beat. The old scrimmage smile was on his face.
"But I do not want to do it again, and I did take you unawares."
"Look-a-here," said Ike, touching Shock with his forefinger on the breast, "do you think you kin do it agin?"
"Don't know that I could," said Shock quietly. "But I do know that I do not intend to try. And, in fact, I do not know how it was done."
"Ikey does," drawled a voice.
There was a delighted roar from the crowd that had gathered round. Ike looked round the circle of grinning men for a second or two.
"Say," he said slowly, "if any blank, blank son of a she-ape thinks he knows how to do that trick when I'm a-watchin', here's his opportunity right naouw—fer fun, or fer money, or," lowering his voice and thrusting forward his face a little, "fer blood."
The laugh died out from the crowd. There was a silence for a moment or two, and then the same voice drawled, "Nobody's hungry, I guess, Ikey," and Ike turned from them with a grunt of contempt.
"Now," he said, coming back to Shock, "I'd like to hear you talk."