Previously in the book: Farm boy Harley Sadler makes it good in the traveling tent show business, marrying Billie, having a beautiful teen-aged daughter Gloria and helping West Texas farmers though the Depression. He’s making his biggest gamble yet on an Alamo drama during the Centennial in Dallas.

In the backroom of the bank, Harley stared at his hand and maintained a deadpan expression.
The second cattleman chuckled and commented, “For a fella who can make so many funny faces up there on that stage you sure have the best poker face I ever saw.”
Without moving a single muscle in his face, he replied, “Years of study with the Royal Shakespeare Company.”
The cattlemen laughed for the next five minutes and forgot what cards they had in their hands and what cards they had discarded.
***
Sue opened another bottle of whiskey to share with Billie who now had sunken into a sweet melancholia. Holding her left hand high, Billie admired her diamonds.
“Those are the prettiest rings I’ve ever seen,” Sue said in her whiskey fog.
“Me too.”
“Harley’s a sweet guy to buy them for you.”
Billie laughed. “Sometimes I think he bought them so we’d have something handy to hock. I don’t know how many times they’ve been in pawn shops just so we could get out of town.”
“Yeah, they’ve come in handy.”
“They even made the last payment on some actor’s car once.” She paused to wrinkle her brow. “I don’t remember who.”
“Oh yeah. That’s the one who drove off on opening night in Waxahachie.” Sue giggled. “Charley the bookkeeper had to go on instead, with script in hand. He mumbled and stumbled through the whole show.”
“Harley could be a better judge of character.” Billie sighed.
***
The poker game was wearing on, but Harley’s face was not showing any fatigue. His eyes focused on the cards. By watching him no one could tell if he were even paying attention to the conversation.
“I got an interesting proposition last week,” the first rancher said.
“How many cards for you?” the banker asked the second rancher.
The man shook his head and put his cards down. “Fold.”
“A wildcatter offered me big bucks to let him drill on my land,” the first rancher announced casually.
“Now that’s one thing I don’t understand,” the second rancher replied. “That wildcat drilling. If I’m going to gamble, I want it to be something safe like poker.”
“I don’t know,” Harley interjected softly. “The less safe it is, the more exciting the bet.”
“Need any cards, Harley?” the banker asked.
“I’ll stand on these.” He smiled sweetly.
“Oh damn,” the first rancher mumbled.
***
Billie had almost slipped into the blessed oblivion of an alcoholic stupor where all pain and sorrow was a distant memory.
“So tell me, Billie,” Sue asked, “are you happy?”
She did not respond because she was not certain anyone had actually asked her anything.
“Billie,” Sue insisted. “Are you happy?”
“Happy? What do you mean, happy?” She was confused. “Of course, I’m happy.”
“I mean, is this what you want out of life?”
Billie did not like the question. It forced her to think, and the whole purpose of drinking was to make it easier not to think. “What do you mean, what I want out of life?” Sue was irritating her. Faye was a prig but at least she did not ask irritating questions.
“I mean, traveling from town to town, being alone in hotel rooms, hocking the ice.”
Billie sighed. “No, I don’t think anyone likes that—except for maybe Harley, so….”
“Don’t you think you deserve to have whatever you want?”
What Billie wanted right at this moment was to slap Sue, but she knew if she sat up she would throw up on the woman. “I do have what I want. I want Harley. And Gloria. What more would a woman want—a warm, wonderful husband and a beautiful daughter?”
“If that’s all a woman should want,” Sue rejoined cynically, “then why are we sitting here getting drunk?”
Billie laughed. She did not know if she thought the question was funny or heartbreaking. “If I knew the answer to that then I wouldn’t have to drink.”
***
The poker game was almost over. The first rancher cashed in his chips, took his lumps and sat back to see who the big winner of the night would be. Sam had been the first to bite the dust, but he was not the one who needed the big win to pay for the risky venture in Dallas. The banker pushed his cards away with a disgusted grunt. Harley and the second rancher stared each other down, each covetous of the big cache in the middle of the table. Finally the rancher threw his cards down.
“Too rich for me.”
With a big smile, Harley gathered in his cash. “Thank you, gentlemen. You have just helped finance a spectacular show for Texas’ Centennial, the Siege of the Alamo.”
“Well, I might come out to see it when it comes through town,” the banker said.
“Oh, but we’re not taking it on the regular tour. We’re going to Dallas during the big festivities.”
“What! Dallas?” The first rancher was shocked. “You never played there before.”
Harley shrugged. “People are people everywhere, aren’t they?”
“Well, folks will come to see Toby any day,” the second rancher chimed in.
“No, this isn’t going to have Toby. It’s going to be a serious play.”
“Serious, huh?” The banker raised an eyebrow.
“Well,” the first rancher drawled. “Good luck.”
“We’ll need it,” Sam replied.
Harley and Sam left and began driving back to the hotel. Sam looked at Harley and furrowed his brow.
“I hope we’re as lucky in Dallas as you were tonight playing cards.”
“And why not?”
“Harley,” Sam paused to take a deep breath. “I got a bad feeling about all this. I mean, there’s a lot of things going on in Dallas for this Centennial. There’s the fair. And Billy Rose got his Casa Manana in Fort Worth—“
“There’s always room for a patriotic drama about the Alamo,” Harley interrupted him.
“From what I’ve read, we won’t be the first Alamo show there. And where are we going to do it? All the best spots are taken. The Cotton Bowl would be great but that community circus from Gainesville got it booked.”
“Don’t worry about it. Remember the play When Toby Hits New York? Well, Harley’s going to hit Dallas the same way.”
They entered the hotel room to find Billie and Sue passed out drunk. Harley went over to the table to pick up an empty whiskey bottle.
“I’ll take Sue back to her room.” When Sam picked her up Sue moaned a little. “Do you want me to have a talk with her? I’m sure she talked Billie into it.”
Harley went to the bed to stare at Billie. “Huh?”
“I said I think all this was Sue’s fault. She should have known better.”
“Oh. No, she’s a good girl. She didn’t mean any harm.” He went towards Sam. “Let me get that door for you.”
After Sam left with Sue in his arms, Harley went back to the bed and gently shook his wife. “Billie? Honey? Time to take your clothes off and get to bed.”
Billie moaned. He tried to move her around but he couldn’t. Harley stood in frustration and took a couple of angry steps away. With a sad sigh he slumped in a chair and stared at her the rest of the night.