"Thanks."
He pushed the half-strangled Jimmie Carlisle away from him. "You'll
get yours in some other way!" he said grimly.
Old Jimmie, staggering, caught the back of a chair for support. He
tenderly felt his throat and blinked at Larry and Joe and Maggie. He
did not try to say anything. In the meantime Barney had recovered
consciousness, had struggled up, and was standing near Old Jimmie.
Their recognition that they were sharers of defeat had served to
restore something of the sense of alliance between the two.
"Well, anyhow, Larry Brainard," snarled Barney, "you haven't had
anything to do with putting this across!"
It was Joe Ellison who replied. "Larry Brainard has had everything to
do with putting this across. He's been beating you all the time from
the very beginning, though you may not have known it. And though he's
seemed to be out of things for the last few hours, he's been the
actual power behind everything that's happened up to this minute. So
don't fool yourself--Larry Brainard has beaten you out at every
point!"
A sense of triumph glowed within Larry at this. There had been a time
when he had wanted the animal satisfaction which would have come from
his giving violent physical punishment to these two--particularly to
Barney. But he had no desire now for such empty vengeance.
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