Short Story.

Bruce Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 3100, 19 September 1899, Page 6

Short Story.

!.-■ I !^^. ; Yiiujj.)'4yy «¥j;ii "{jtuipoilKß. ; '^^° a Q' l - 3^^^ -*■ ! or forty^^ tbhts ago .bb i mi of the grra^wfe gapa-j I |i*ia 6ltifa'ffe"'fß Wutbliti G»'«Wrriia' i ij He iis'ricli 1 ip rpmij.igQcnoo,. I >i»d ; , ge^trp^ircß. u(saak|aj| ojj " "tbe.Kood old tiWa^-! „;,., r . „. , „« } ! S i ii^ r^h- e : w^^ wb !^,k^th^ i oo'«SJte i tw^n^C-iJi..uii» ! iißft' I tlt<|fc'*jno tfltljoß'howi«Binca.wwejDll;Bydjdvatll waa; 'dead "easy niuney, too, »U tl>e tim». j andj t yjerjr on«jw ob jw ill »«fjg f tttibet^and !bfcs liigb,) ep^lhaj^\w^c^.B{{!bUowJ^id^;u.he^-!tpsk.UKHl'A}itj of oV onca, . .\i'huße soutbem planters^ [n&d i Tno»i.y ft |Tfc» Fud : ,Vii& WirY ;»kin»*d' rigbtißUd -jltt'K. 't>dcasioi<ftlly they' Ut?aui,l.t oij^^^tl thero,.^iii^(t jilooting .iiiatcb A JHit, r the Wyi»' .'diS'i't" J also, much 'ouanco on beiujj ! plu^edf ' HWi&n 'forty feafebiei* oia^d i boat;' tbe JohßiDick«-y.o iTbalfatoß iifcißs7 t ' s*h*t»itbe i office^ At IfjijjqlieEfOl^aiiedjailjiu,' gau\blt>rß ; out. |!oTk town. J ,Tbe whole K.ajug.me.t Mie>.'at|a.t the jwnirf^ad BtarWt* ; comey^'»rd. 'but "tut. cap- |; Win- waulaa not het ibOiii -I oii'-tirf-' f»" 1 n«iy : T>ro^ [mised pps tq^ljayf^card nbourd ifr^hey.-proii mised, fnd be took -tb»in on^»ud the bua^eapse. on up tie river. : VToii Bever 'saw 'a tireder look;ing»;loti;of- 'eaniVd^ra *ru lyoor HPe l ttifin Cheml J iTfcfj; hadn;t ; anf;hiu{; jo rj do t ;and (^m^ofrthern, ■lo.okediikt; tluy'djupt as-spoujimip ovt^brard^ !Bi''ndfe' : ' J -*Th^-'fcept^l-.eir I piomjße'i>6t to" jiUy'a I eardi;j bu^ lo^' thtyJdid *kid 1 • <)e»d;Bure, '(g»m?!B:'j h i.^:. ••/■ '.'-:■': :•■! i "Tb.y oleeoed out preMy, near . everybody. ; 'iliat bHfl Bluff. VY« ..landed et » ri WCM»I |«le to {.akiri k ood,' ami tl!*. J p£asiaViKrrit all" git Ofit on tbe'bnr.k. ai^d-tlie'gHnitjU^B all' gi>t to- -Noting' abi-ut, lUhHJujj Juijoiis.siyd; ut cjj»ui(ie ILo pas-, fcengets dropppd it. So ttity'd run oif, l! c «iii'tr- \ plank' and up ib'a trr^'to'jii'mpV whfu tl)»s first* I gffmbKVr weulil cay: "-HWlo I > What's rbe'rf-P ' and stop. Behind ilbe tree pue «f tbo gang bad begun thttowiig tbr«e card moiite, wbile tbe otkrrs got 'up 'the jUftipiitg ' 'Bbuerhe". The ganiblers won just ho nwko tbn gHmi- gcort. and the, way those fsllvws skifwed the fj»Pßtii»gerß was hprribl*-. Thu citptain got on to tie kcliemo and wben the boat Mailed o'iff up Ibo stieam !: tha whole ganjj~4o of Vm~w«e ji<st innrooiied ther» in the woods oa » oolcJ nigbt. But tbey took the next boat up or down and worked their way "up this way or iVowu to Now Orlpsxis. "That wasn't gumo'inK ; it was r<-bbiHg But that's what went as. gambling in iln>*« titm-s. The ffcllows had t« bo pretty sink. I'll toll you. WbbH a b*at sUrted out wf New Orleans, J»ay, a pouple of gamblers would be on braifd. They were oft*B well educated fellows ant always fine dressers. All they did was just g< t rcquainUd with the sueu witb mrnry an 1 fiax- up how much they had. This was easily doce, been use card playing was the o*ly tliiDji to pass away tbe time. These oappcte «t»uWi aot win any monfcy. They were jußt to do the geutJemen. but when they got otf rbe boat, their p»U j came »o at some point up tie nrcr witb a full knowledge of how much Gioßty theti; fasou bvard, what men had it a*d bow tbn>f mt-n were best approached. It wasn't harl to gefc acqu»iuted, and it wasn't bard to got up a gitne of *uobre after a drink. Oi c tno name I was ob the thing was smooth ; the dealt r fixed tbe deck aad dealt out a good pottr r harni to th»» mark, lut a better o»e t» bis own paitner, wko promptly declnred : •' • I've a good band I'd likn to bet on.' •'So hare I,' replit«d Sir, Maik, and tht n they got into betting, and the stranger got t.kinn«-d right awd l*ft. The earns wer« stacked and marktd on tbo backs so tLat be didn't have any chance at all to win. All tha plajisg «*as done with old star back*. IVe bi«*-u fellows pick every card ia a pock and call it without missing once. I've Bten tbim Bhufflu tboni ono f or one all through from U>p to bott»m,Bo that they were in the same position aftf-r a dozen shuffles that they wwre in at fiist They'd just nutter them up like n flight ot quail and get the rccs, kifigs, gui cus, jaclcs aud tens ail togoth«r as etsy as pie. A suckhr had »o more cliauce iigaiQit these fellows (ban a nnoorha.ll ban in a r*d hot «»ve«. Every deck was marked. "Billy Peoples used to work on the lower river, and he w»b a dandy. Ho roped in r judge «me day, a»fl the judge, who wnnn't rery flush, caugbt on to his game. He went to the barteruipr and got a bundle of wildcat money, wrapper) ifc sKand with a. couple r>t twenties aud put booms fives in tl.e midtlle. Tl ey started oa euchre, and tbe judg« gut the usual good poker hand and Mr. PkjuKh playtd iv. " The judge knew Peoples' game was to lot him win to make his 8n»l skinning all the surer. He lost a couplo of times, just to fl*sh bis roll amd skis off fives to Billy. They played till supper, and the judge quit 185 dollait* fciin\er. After supud Billy wauted to open up the fj»mp, but tbu juilgo wouldu't have it, awn Cilly kicked. He wnnfc axbore and told a frini'i '-b-.iit th«a felloir who bdd do»« bim, and Hist an l.c was telling it tbe judge c»oae to the r*il and Billy poiuted him out to his frieud. " ' Why, jou sucker,' said tie friead, ' that's Sc~-itid-so, frooa St. Louis. He koows ever) gainh'er on the river.' •' Billy offered the judge a 300 dollar suit of clothes not t» toll the story, bat tbe judge wouldn't hear of it, and all New Orleans heard ib« stoiy when he got off the boat. ••If I ain't tiring you with all my reoelleetioß*. I wast tm tell Ton a boat tbe saddest thing I tver knew in Mississippi river gamblieg days. If 1 lived a thousand years I could never forget tbat. Ia 1858 the best sport on tbe whole sivc-r wan John Powell. He wa* a ceusia of Tom Ocbiltrenof Texas.snd fee knew every man of mean* who hanulvd cards wad ckups from the gulf to Chicago He ha.fl the mast powerful tm-tnory I ever knew, «nd he wa« a wonderful man. Heary Clay used to play poker with Powell when a young man, and the Kentucky statesman wan getting old. We yosnger fellows used to envy Powell, and we aped all his acts and talk, ter we saw that he wis the 1 greatest; all round gambler that ever draw br«ath. •' One day we were coming down the river and bed made a good wad of money. Powell was aboard, and he got into a private gamo with a baßdsvme, fresh-face i, blue-eyed young Englishman, wh« waa gaing dawn to Tt-xas to go mto seme ranching. Wo all took a fnncy to hiea because he was so well dressed— just oat ' of * university, bs he told as—and bad such a clean out, Bquare way about hi «. Powell and tiie young Englishman played togei he r two days 1 and two Bights, and, although Powell played I a equare game, be won right alo«g. The young man lost 11 the money-be had with him, he taraed over his ba«k' cheeks" aad drafts to POwell one »ft»r another, and then he west dbwn to bis BUte-reom/.aiidrbrpugbt up his baggag«. He ; .w»uld play,., and th»n he fambleU a^ray, his gripsacks, with all their contents, aud finally hik watch and, his cfcgapt jewellrry. It wiis'lateoiifteveuiug When the twe quit playing, became P6w*Hhad won all that ' the youog fellow had. !• •••;*.; Well, I'm aboafc busted, ond ti»e young EngLshman with asort of forced laugh: wken.be got up and walked up on deck. Powell laughed, tcb, Mid began :to:fi*ui:the gripsack, that he bail w»n to his state-room, , . . ;••■ • h g^ness^ni h'iVS to give thaVyeuV f fellciW to me quiet \y whilf he was leading op the steff • I've gut about 8.000 dollars from him now.' " Wi 11, tha next morning we were all utandi«g in Ihe b»t-ioom of the boat, laughing and ■cb-kttine over the luck ef the ttip, wbea io eacoa

WT^dm^Ltehm^lMoi 1 -™ .tick n S a ] d*i.y &&>Jm nri^i^H^ih^^l oP WbWffl&tiA kid^kfl*^-' moient' abbWl h«.W' helbafl p«d -/tea* italartrffi A&«Hckn ? g»mev ! ! w.h«!n>«jßicJt»ai» : A»flh, hevttWrUdiiafcoiindi^iaHd jdrs^i DfeiiiPißlDljsjsHt Mb^l)y through, bis b* ark his .eyes so bmeechiugly oq c Powell a* he - dij-d that I oan see tbctn jet. Y»iic« bet your lift that^^ebt' US 1 tbnCh M d J iiiftther-card' fan jtheir»Bt W^ thfc^^rf^,' ¥nd'it ww^weets bsfore I dfctediritkimVljickwkb.bi^ »Jike».^; « j ': mU j foAs^forPpJrelli whyjtttwaa; sUnost ; crazy; H^woßjdjs^p. jyt dftjrjsf §t.a {iin^dy og ; ,nothf ng , but sm<ke, He sc«med-tn ; be in^dnze,; knoVWi ioo«ildnbt sri»65 ri»6 him '60 any 'eajoyineHtr Htf]^>t H«&e'bi'Blc C r io! New< r drleWi4o send' £ll; I h«t jfodngr EiiclisUmad'a stuff Kick" >to Ibeold' ] 109 - ia jh.ugland,v«ad he was never j kimwnj to. dpe»k of ; tjhe .affair uttgrwftrd.rc.Theisuicida hpor,, doord him bat, tor wht *• he tjT.ied .gambljng r a Tui't i«.tt-r. he had lost bii grip. He made foolish JlaV's, "and -lost (ill ' lnsHiig "property, iniVfevir' i«»hJ?'' "■ HW lftre^ iih«ii C 4boirt; j lß7C)^kr;d i hVtlivd'j iU poverty it> Virgißiisi'Cijy.^N^vl' i-Tbe l»st time I raw him bo wate a wreck- ia: .eyoryj wsy.c He b< zrqwed five dojlarf.qf roe and sajd, be; .bad ' bWu sleeping im vragßqns. alo,Dg ; the, atrjaeiß. _pf St.,. Louis foVa week.' ' It ,was 1 four y^ais befoio. I ; dared' play'p^keFor'faro ok'tliat; boafc, J anir'tberi jj did 1 i& -it' V • lors. ' -' Thai' only BboWs'Low gpobWrSare'liooddoed ana can't got over Hr kaow gambler* are said to bs *cry auper-i sjitious." t: f-^g±r^r l g!t-r^r' p -"rr^m