"Asprin, Robert - Myth 09 - M.Y.T.H Inc. In Action" - читать интересную книгу автора (Asprin Robert)

"... And there's an odd number of players..." Spyder supplies, showin' she's gettin' the hang of the modifyin' factors.

"... And one of them is female... Sort of..." Junebug adds, win kin' at Spyder.

"Sorry to take so long with your drinks, my friends, " the proprietor sez, announcin' his presence as he arrives back at the table with a tray of potables. "Now, who has the... HEY!WHAT IS THIS???!!!"

It suddenly occurs to me that there maybe some local ordinance against gamblin'... Which would ex plain why the proprietor is suddenly so upset.

"This?" I sez, innocent-like. "Oh, we're just havin' a friendly little game of cards here. Don't worry, we're just usin' the coins to keep score and..."

"Don't give me that!" our host snarls, with no trace of his earlier greasy friendliness." That's Dragon Poker you're playing! No one plays that game unless..."

He breaks off sudden-like and down givin' each of us the hairy eyeball.

"All right, which one of you is a demon? Or is it all of you? Never mind! I want you all out of here... RIGHT NOW!!!"


Chapter Eight

"It takes one to know one!"
Jack D. Ripper

To say the proprietor's accusation caused a stir at our table is like sayin' it would cause raised eye-brows to have Don Bruce as the guest speaker at a policeman's banquet. Unfortuitously, everyone had different questions to ask.

"What's he mean 'demon'?" Spyder demanded.

I started to answer her, as I knew from my work with the boss that a demon is the commonly accepted term for a dimension traveler, but there was too much cross-talk for rational-type conversation.

"Are we supposed to leave?" Spellin' Bee sez, scared- like as he peered at the retreatin' figure.

"What's wrong with Dragon Poker?" Shu Flie put in.

"Nothin'" I sez to him. "You see, Spyder..."

"Then what put the burr under his saddle?" Shu pressed, startin' to get under my skin.

Fortunately, in trainin' I have discovered there is one way to shut this particular individual up when he gets on a roll.

"Shu Flie, " I sez, "Don't bother me." It was an old joke by this time, but it still got a laugh... Which is not surprisin' as I have found that the vast majority of army humor pivots on old jokes.

"Watch yourself, brother, " Hy Flie sez, pokin' Shu in the ribs. "The Swatter there is lookin' to squash a fly again... And he might not be too picky about which of us he swats."

Under the cover of this new round of laughs, Nunzio leans forward to talk to me direct.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, cuz?"

"That, of course, depends upon what it is you are thinkin', Nunzio," I sez, reasonable- like. "If, perchance, you are thinkin' that you can color our cover 'blown,' then we are, indeed, thinkin' along the same lines."

To my surprise, instead of agreein' he rolls his eyes like he does when I'm missin' something which to him is obvious.