The scene faded before me, and even the witch had gone misty-eyed. That’s how you do it. It was going to be tough for the cowboy to top that one, I knew it.

The cowboy was sweating, oh man was he. He took a big long glug from his jug and spat once on the floor, doing a little shimmy from his boots to his hat. He coughed and flipped his next card.

It was the Far Yonder Mountains, and you could tell it was not the card he wanted, not one bit. The cowboy banged the table and cussed. The witch sat stock-still, floating a bit over her cushion. The lawyer leaned back in his seat and chewed his stogie like he didn’t have a care in the world.

A Parnsit duel can surprise you, it really can. You never know what a player’s got up his sleeve. You never know what bewilderment can spring from some little well-dressed nobody’s voice.

I couldn’t wait to hear the cowboy try and Orate himself out of this one.

Man, I was just so happy to be sitting here, watching a real live Parsnit duel. It had been ages and ages. I shifted on the rafters and they made a little noise but no one noticed. I turned to say something to Tally, like good gracious wasn’t this just the most exciting Parsnit duel ever?

When I realized she wasn’t next to me anymore.

I patted Pop’s knapsack and found it open, and empty. She had thieved me, right there, while I was watching the Parsnit duel. She had Pop’s cards.

I just caught a glimpse of her scurrying across the beams, to the hole in the wall, her brown ragged cloak vanishing into the darkness.

If I didn’t hurry I was going to lose those cards for good.

I scooted myself across the rafters and crawled through the hole and headed back into the tavern. My balance was a little shifty, and twice I almost reeled. But I had to find Tally. I had to get my daddy’s cards back.

I hustled through the kitchen, past the lady who was chucking fish heads at the screaming cook, through the Skinny Yellow Dog as heads turned to watch me go, but I couldn’t worry about that, I couldn’t. I caught a glimpse of Tally’s brown cloak wisping down an alley, so I followed it.

I sprinted so hard I got a stitch in my side. I scrambled through the streets, bumping into strangers, knocking a cigar from a mustached man’s lips. It fell, scattering little gold nuggets across the pavement, while the man stood shaking his fist at me. “Sorry!” I yelled, but I kept moving, I had to.

I saw Tally pause a moment and glance back at me, her eyes catching mine, that little thief, and she took off running again. Why had she stopped to look back, like she was trying to make sure I was keeping up? I had no choice but to follow her down an empty alley. I hopped a stray cat lazing belly down in the dirt. Tally hit the end of the alley and flung open a door I could hardly even tell was there. It led to a staircase, and she launched herself up, and I followed her, you bet I did, I wasn’t letting her get away with my Pop’s Parsnit cards, not on your life. They were Pop’s livelihood, his prize possession, and he entrusted them to me. He wasn’t gonna let any Cecily Bob or Mr. Hugo have them, and I wasn’t going to let any two-bit pickpocket have them neither, not even if she was a nice pickpocket, one who saved my life once already.