“Both o’ them,” says Mrs. Garrett. “ Mr. Messenger’ll make them red ones for you.”
“Make ’em!” I says. “Well, Messenger, I didn’t know you was a card factory.”
Messenger laughed; but the two ladies didn’t get it. Mrs. Garrett dealt and it was her turn to bid.
“One without,” she says.
“I’d feel better if I had one within,” says I.
“Are you goin’ to bid or not?” she ast me.
“I thought it was the dealer’s turn first,” I says.
“I’ve made my bid,” she says. “I bid one without.”
“One without lookin’, or what?” I says.
“One no trump, if I got to explain it,” she says.
“Oh, that’s different,” I says; but I found out that most all o’ them said “One without” when they meant one no trump.
I looked at my hand; but about all as I had was four hearts, with the king and jack high.
“Pardner,” I says, “I don’t see nothin’ I can bid, unless it’d be one heart. Does that hit you?”
“No talkin’ acrost the boards,” says Mrs. Garrett. “And besides, one heart ain’t over my bid.”
So I passed and Mr. Messenger bid two spades. Then my pardner passed and Mrs. Garrett thought it over a w’ile and then bid two without. So I