If you won't do that, the pile is mine as it stands." Beaucaire again wet his lips, staring at the uncovered cards in his hands.

He could not lose; with what he held no combination was possible which could beat him.

Yet, in spite of this knowledge, the cold, sneering confidence of Kirby, brought with it a strange fear.
The man was a professional gambler.

What gave him such recklessness?
Why should he be so eager to risk such a sum on an inferior hand?
McAfee, sitting next him, leaned over, managed to gain swift glimpse at what he held, and eagerly whispered to him a word of encouragement.
The Judge straightened up in his chair, grasped a filled glass some one had placed at his elbow, and gulped down the contents.

The whispered words, coupled with the fiery liquor, gave him fresh courage.
"By God, Kirby! I'll do it!" he blurted out.