Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1850-10-31

i-iiiutc tidl tle HAT WOuiu take wings, tle
trio could hardly keep in, but it was too
good to spoil, SO they only winkcd to one
another, as much as to say
a sure thing of it Got him on the
dead!! What an excellent thing TO tell ~
The crowd smoked something extraorti-
narily rich, gathered round the party, and
revealed by their anxious faces that every
one aboard had now become deeply inter-
e>ted ia the result Of the professional skim
ming.
Nov, then says Strong, looking at the
victim sharply in the eyes, and holding
up his right arm, while he repeated in
slow and measured tones, as solemn as
the high sheriff at public execution
now, then, my friend, prepare for the
miracle:
SHOW look out for tricks that's strange
Hocus pocus-presto, change"'
IN be kerr walloped to death with cab
bages, old ieller, if that ere keerdis chang
ed anyhown
'I'lI 60 thousand dollars that it did
says Strong; 'and the card that your knife
is now sticking through is the jack of
clubs!
sWal, coined eought west here for tew
buy a considerable of farm, and eff | can
make thousand dollars in one pile,
s'pose mought as well dew it; but mind,
meow, l don't call it bettin', for that would
be wicked, and only take this ere thaus-
and dollars for benevolent purpose; but
as fa-ather used to say, in for pence, in
for pound'-so here goes
Suiting the action to the words, Dodge
deliberately drew from an inside vest
pocket an old greasy wallet, and taking
therefrom ten one hundred dollar bills, on
Philadelphia bank held them in his hand,
and exclaimed
"Woll, meow, yeou feller! eff you're de-
termined to throw away yeour moneywhen
yeou don: stand no chance winnin, why
Jest pull cont yeour doughr'
Dodge had meanwhile been gazing in-
tently in the hat, and a person no. acqnain'-
ed with the peculiar twinkle of his large
eyes would have sworn that he had seen
nothing else for the last five minutes.
"Cap'n, want you to hold these ere
thousand dollars, and as man of honor,
in the presence of these 'ere passengers,
see that fair play is done tew stranger"
II would rather have nothing to do with
the affair" replied the Captain-"but, if
You wish for me to hold the stakes, will
do so, and call upon my passengers TO see
that everything is honorable"
"Well, Captain exclaimed Strong, in a
voice loud enough to be heard by all pre-
sent, ''there's thousand dollars in current
bills and goldto cover the Yankees pile. "
"See that its genewine, Captain, and no
geouging."
"All right" replied the Captain. ssand
now, gentlemen, please inform me, loud
enough for all to hear the precise character
of the bet."
WhileDodge's attention was thus drawn
of by the perspective fight, Strong cut the
Jack of Spades directly through the centre
with his jack kniie--hid the legs, and pIa-
ced the head part evenly over the head of
the Jack of Clubs, crossing his thumb over
the cut edge, so, to all appearances, the
legs of the Jack Of Clubs belonging to the
head of the Jack OF Spades.
"You see that is the Jack Of Spades,
said he, turning to Dodge.
SIS that air spot genewine?" says Dodge
wetting his finger and touching the spade
at th" head Of the Jack.
You find il so, don't you?' pressin.
il close with his thumb to prevent its NOV
ing.
"Well, that air chap there, what's 60
red whiskers and big watch cain, and IN,
. own self, what don't want to hev it callet
, bettin,' pnts up in yeour hand, one thou
sand dollars each, and if that air l,eerd i
: that air hat, with that air knife iabbe
through it, is the Jack Of Spades, the hui
tew thousand dollars is mine, but if tina
air keerd, in that air hat, with that al
| knife Jabbed through it, is the Jack {
Clubs, then the tew thousand dollars
: his'n-aint that right, yeou feller ?"
r "That is perfectly right, gentlemen,
replied Strong, drawing bis hand acres
his mouth TO hide laugh, and edgin
: around sideways, for he could hardly kee
in. ayes, Captain, the Yankees state
5 ment is correct"
The idea of verdant nutmeg Yanke
, putting up thousand dollars on the cu
throat game Of Changing Jack" was $
extremely ludicrous, that the crowd coul
only by the greatest exertion, refrain iro'
$ yelling.
Strong and Brown very silly periorme
t few mysterious gyrations with the fir
gers, such as initiating the cutting of til
0 throat, a rope around the neck, and div
e into the river, three very common way
!, of committing suicide, and too often adoI
ted by your adventurers from the Nor,
L. and East, who blindly stake all aftt
? falling into the hands Of these Wester
1 river chaps.
Smiling at the earnestness and III
f bounded confidence Of the heartless Gu
t throats, whose slightest movement h;
k not escaped his eagle eye, Dodge mere
q remarked-"Le them laff that win.
h there's tew sides to all jokes; tew sid
G to this keerd, and tew sides to all fyeo'
:, mouths tew lalf eout Of, 50 here she comes
d Drawing out the knife and turning ov
= the card, to the astonishment of the enti
crowd, it was the Jack Of Spades.
k AS the Captain passed the money oy
If to Dodge, the lower jaws of the disa
o pointed sharpers fell about feet, and {
most simultaneously exclaimed
. ST,u,aj -