moccasins since boyhood without ill effects to himself.
Marve's laugh raked me. "Don't worry about Harley, Jake. You won't hardly live long enough to get to know him well. Besides, I know how to cure up a coral snakebite. Any time you get bit, you call ole Marve."
He lost interest in me then, looking at Lily. "I missed you, sugar. Been lonely out here without you to keep me warm nights."
I saw the color rise in her cheeks.
She jerked her head toward me. "He's got a gun, Marve. You better take it before you get reckless."
Marve laughed again, loudly. I hated the sound, more fiercely than I had ever been able to hate the memory of it. "Come here, baby." He held out his left arm to her and the coral snake stirred again, lazily.
"He's got a gun, Marve."
"Oh, hell, baby. Ole Jake won't try to use it. I'd put a hole through him and he knows it. This is a boy wants to live, and that's kind of silly right there on the face of it. What's this boy got to live for?"
"You're stealing my line," I said.
"Hell, we'll get along. The three of us. Come here, sweet stuff. I been building up now until I'm loaded for bear."
Lily's face was flushed, but she shook her head.
Marve laughed. "All right, sugar. Take the gun away from him. Take it and bring it to me. By the way, walk in back of him. I wouldn't like Jake to get any ideas-no ideas that I don't give him."
She walked up close behind me, removed the gun from my pocket. She went to Marve then, and he took the gun in his left hand, examined it. "New. Hell, I can smell the hardware store on it. A new gun. You're out of your league, Jake."
I didn't say anything. I watched him slide his arm around Lily. He closed his hand on her, but she writhed away. "Get rid of that snake."
"Hell baby. You know I've cut Harley's stinger out. Harley ain't got no bite. Harley's just a pet."
"I don't like him." She had moved back against his side. Marve laughed and dropped the snake into a wicker basket on an unpainted table at his side. I could see beyond him now into the shack. The fireplace was being used as a cook-fire. Beyond it was an iron four-poster bed with a flat narrow mattress that sagged in the middle on wire springs. There were a couple other chairs and this table. Marve was roughing it.
Marve pulled Lily down on his knee. He pushed the automatic under his belt and seemed to forget it as though he wore them there habitually. He shoved the rifle on the table.
"Come on in and set, Jake. Southern hospitality."
I went into the room trying not to look at him and what he was doing to Lily. I heard her quickened breathing and it tore me up. Here was a girl that went crazy when a man touched her-the only catch being, he had to have the key and Marve Pooser was proving to me he was the man owned the key and all its duplicates.
"You missed me, sugar?"
"Yes, Marve. I reckon I'm getting used to missing you. You leave me. You think you can come back when you want to."
"Sure I can, sweetie. You know why. Because ole Marve Pooser is loaded with what you want." His voice was loud. He was talking to me. He was making sure I heard every word.
Suddenly I knew why. It still rankled in his soul that Betty had wanted me to win that pinball duel months ago. He had robbed a hundred grand, gotten away with it, run, had a doll like Lily who panted when he moved his hands over her. But that wasn't good enough. In that instant I recognized the deep-seated drive in Marve Pooser. He had to be better than every other man. He very well might have tried to kill me if Betty had walked out of the Crow Bar with me. What a man. Everything in God's world wasn't enough for him.
"Ain't that right, baby?" Marve's voice pounded at me. I wasn't looking at them. I knew he had his hand inside her clothes and I was sick because she wasn't
Marve's laugh raked me. "Don't worry about Harley, Jake. You won't hardly live long enough to get to know him well. Besides, I know how to cure up a coral snakebite. Any time you get bit, you call ole Marve."
He lost interest in me then, looking at Lily. "I missed you, sugar. Been lonely out here without you to keep me warm nights."
I saw the color rise in her cheeks.
She jerked her head toward me. "He's got a gun, Marve. You better take it before you get reckless."
Marve laughed again, loudly. I hated the sound, more fiercely than I had ever been able to hate the memory of it. "Come here, baby." He held out his left arm to her and the coral snake stirred again, lazily.
"He's got a gun, Marve."
"Oh, hell, baby. Ole Jake won't try to use it. I'd put a hole through him and he knows it. This is a boy wants to live, and that's kind of silly right there on the face of it. What's this boy got to live for?"
"You're stealing my line," I said.
"Hell, we'll get along. The three of us. Come here, sweet stuff. I been building up now until I'm loaded for bear."
Lily's face was flushed, but she shook her head.
Marve laughed. "All right, sugar. Take the gun away from him. Take it and bring it to me. By the way, walk in back of him. I wouldn't like Jake to get any ideas-no ideas that I don't give him."
She walked up close behind me, removed the gun from my pocket. She went to Marve then, and he took the gun in his left hand, examined it. "New. Hell, I can smell the hardware store on it. A new gun. You're out of your league, Jake."
I didn't say anything. I watched him slide his arm around Lily. He closed his hand on her, but she writhed away. "Get rid of that snake."
"Hell baby. You know I've cut Harley's stinger out. Harley ain't got no bite. Harley's just a pet."
"I don't like him." She had moved back against his side. Marve laughed and dropped the snake into a wicker basket on an unpainted table at his side. I could see beyond him now into the shack. The fireplace was being used as a cook-fire. Beyond it was an iron four-poster bed with a flat narrow mattress that sagged in the middle on wire springs. There were a couple other chairs and this table. Marve was roughing it.
Marve pulled Lily down on his knee. He pushed the automatic under his belt and seemed to forget it as though he wore them there habitually. He shoved the rifle on the table.
"Come on in and set, Jake. Southern hospitality."
I went into the room trying not to look at him and what he was doing to Lily. I heard her quickened breathing and it tore me up. Here was a girl that went crazy when a man touched her-the only catch being, he had to have the key and Marve Pooser was proving to me he was the man owned the key and all its duplicates.
"You missed me, sugar?"
"Yes, Marve. I reckon I'm getting used to missing you. You leave me. You think you can come back when you want to."
"Sure I can, sweetie. You know why. Because ole Marve Pooser is loaded with what you want." His voice was loud. He was talking to me. He was making sure I heard every word.
Suddenly I knew why. It still rankled in his soul that Betty had wanted me to win that pinball duel months ago. He had robbed a hundred grand, gotten away with it, run, had a doll like Lily who panted when he moved his hands over her. But that wasn't good enough. In that instant I recognized the deep-seated drive in Marve Pooser. He had to be better than every other man. He very well might have tried to kill me if Betty had walked out of the Crow Bar with me. What a man. Everything in God's world wasn't enough for him.
"Ain't that right, baby?" Marve's voice pounded at me. I wasn't looking at them. I knew he had his hand inside her clothes and I was sick because she wasn't
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