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For the Love of a Man
"I’vegotasledstandingoutsidenow,withtwentyfiftypoundsacksofflouronit,"Matthewsonwentonwithbrutaldirectness;"sodon’tletthathinderyou."
Thorntondidnotreply. Hedidnotknowwhattosay. Heglancedfromfacetofaceintheabsentwayofamanwhohaslostthepowerofthoughtandisseekingsomewheretofindthethingthatwillstartitgoingagain. ThefaceofJimO’Brien,aMastodonKingandold-timecomrade,caughthiseyes. Itwasasacuetohim,seemingtorousehimtodowhathewouldneverhavedreamedofdoing.
"Canyoulendmeathousand?"heasked,almostinawhisper.
"Sure,"answeredO’Brien,thumpingdownaplethoricsackbythesideofMatthewson’s. "Thoughit’slittlefaithI’mhaving,John,thatthebeastcandothetrick."
TheEldoradoemptieditsoccupantsintothestreettoseethetest. Thetablesweredeserted,andthedealersandgamekeeperscameforthtoseetheoutcomeofthewagerandtolayodds. Severalhundredmen,furredandmittened,bankedaroundthesledwithineasydistance. Matthewson’ssled,loadedwithathousandpoundsofflour,hadbeenstandingforacoupleofhours,andintheintensecold(itwassixtybelowzero)therunnershadfrozenfasttothehard-packedsnow. MenofferedoddsoftwotoonethatBuckcouldnotbudgethesled. Aquibblearoseconcerningthephrase"breakout." O’BriencontendeditwasThornton’sprivilegetoknocktherunnersloose,leavingBuckto"breakitout"fromadeadstandstill.
