Like most artists whose technique depends upon sensitive touch and pliant strength, Smoke Ballou was proud of his hands. His broad palms and slender, tapering fingers, gave ample proof of their owner's artistry. With these qualities, they might have belonged to a surgeon, a pianist, or a sculptor. But in reality, they were the skilful hands of one of Nebraska's most dextrous gamblers. Tall, blonde and handsome, he made a daily ritual of caring for his hands, and it was an operation the gambler's young son never tired of watching.