The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1857-05-13
MISCELLANEOUS.
From the Traveller
1 III iA''N Adventure in a Gaming
House..
DOB LIVELY

BOB LIVELY.
II was IN th,,ypring of Is tina.
the mighty Mississ "pUI pUd bounI i"U II:p' r U,
Cresccn, City, News ,Ioors "N '0' VIZ
With a single exec, "9 ;on 1h,ac.mo,
the boat although had,ecn ncarlv two
days upon my Journey, wtcb WINS bccom. .
ing somewhat monotonous., Tho ;nd;n;J.
ual with whom |, singularI$anmonah ~ rro
ternlsed, seemed, like myselfn Lssro h",
Ilttie Inclination 20 extend hH ocona;n
tanee amora the passengers lHnah ho
seemed to be constantly on the III, ont
Tor some one, and from the close nhrnor
ID which he regarded the operation Of
two or three Of these individuals wL,' -
protuso display Of vest chains and iswoS
ify' aud proficiency with card, at tho -
a; Gle IN tho saloon betrayed their ur0f"s,
some sort Of police detective in Disguise.
He called himself George Thorn, of
Kentucky so his card read, which he
gave me in exchange for niue. In truth
he was noble specimen of the Buckeye
State. Full six feet in height. clear.
intelligent blue eye, broad forehead. and
light curly hair, muscular arms, aud the
chest Of a Hercules, he challenged the
admiration Of more than one of the pas.
sengers, as with bis serious aud never.
smiling face he paced the promenade
deck, or sat apparently buried in thought
in the saloon.
DO you never play at cards p said |
to him, as he left agroup that we're stand.
ing about a table of four players aud
noting the progress IF tho game, | had
frequently seen him invited, tut be iuya.
riably. like myself, refused to participate
in the game.
oh, yes said he, but where is the use
of playing here; those fellows (uoddug
towards the players) can tell every card
in tho pack by the backs, and they arc
trying hard to pluck some poor pigecn
from among these passengers, but as yet
with indltforen, success beware Of them,
SIR
thanked him for his friendly warn
ing, and at the same time expressed my
astonishrAent at bis affirmation. To
convince me Of the truth Of it, he called
the steward Of the boat and ordered uirn
TO bring him fresh pack of cards, which
were brought, and he handed the pack
to me, bidding me shuttle them. l did
SO, when he Immediately selected nearly
every ace and king from the pack with.
out looking at the face of them Next.
be dealt them in two parcels, one to ne
and one to himself, when, upon examina.
tion, | found that all the cards Of real
value in the game were in his hand. al.
though l could not detect the least Ut
fairness as he dealt them.
'Iod see,' said he smiling, at my look
Of astonishmont, 'the advantage an ex.
pert in those matters has over even a
skillful player
Il do, indeed, replied /, astonishod at
my fellow travellers dexterity, and be.
giunirg to think he might be reformed
gambler, or one playing possum' for some
purpose or other but, as he did not
urge or even invite me to play. nor had
played with any one else, and threw tho
cards aside with an expression Of disgust
too natural to be assumed, came to the
conclusion that my suspicious were un.
just and my travelling acquaintance was
riddle yet to be solved.
Early the next morning the boat ar.
rived at New Orleans, aud, amid the
hurry aud hustle of debarkation, lost
my friend, the Kcntuckian. not even see.
ing him to bid adieu. The same even,
irg' however, after visiting the theatre
l was enjoying the cool air and fragrant
Havana, IN the rotunda of tho 81. Charles
Hotel, and conversiug with friend from
the north, whom | had fortunately met,
when whom should | encounter but my
steamboat acquaintance.
After the usual greeting, our conver-
sation turned upon our tri P down the
liver, our fellow passengers, &c, when
my fellow traveller remarked that if l
would like to witness the interior of a
gambling house, or hell, as it is some
times more appropriately called, he would
be pleased to show it to us as one of the
sights or slions' of tho CITY Neyer hav