The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-09-01

That is, altogether, near four thousand dol
| lars. shall net pay that 7"
"Shall you not ?" said the stranger, in
dignantly. Would you not have taken it
if / had lost it ?''
ITO be sure he would Of course T.
Would he take it 2 All, all they can get,
they take-and little more p exclaimed a
number of voices. He must pay-there is
no help for il p
Gentlemen" protested the gambler, in
the vain hope of obtaining a vote in his ia
faver-"the gentlemen has staked-''
"And every time lost" interrupted one of
his hearers. II have been present several
times and heard it from others. also; and
ne has never made the least objection to
paying"
But that was only twenty EIGHT dollars"
"And ifit were as many thousands"
"Only let me speak," demonstrated the
gambler, who had turned deadly pale, and
trembled all ~over It was but eight and
twenty dollars that ne shook out upon the
table and the papers he held back. Three
times already have l won the same from
him." .... .-.. .. .-.
'Prove that had a cent more than the
eight and twenty dollars in the bag" said
the stranger, contemptuously. such ex-
cuses as that wont serve your turn" ~
"Why did you not keep the bag, compan-
ero I" laughed Spaniard, who stood by, we
keep all that is set on the card.'' .@..a
''If he had lost again nothing more would
have come out of that confounded linen
bag, than trumpery dollars" said the other,
savagely. r .... a.. .. ..-.. ..
That's possible, but cannot prove it." re-
turned the lookers-on. You must pay.
III be hanged if do!' said the gambler,
furiously striking his clenched fist on the
table. ut is new sort of rascally trick
that they want to come over me with; but
they have got hold of the wrong mani
''You have won hundred dollars from
Inc in the last half hour excl lined tall
Rentuckian, pressing forward over the shoul-
ders of the others, "and had to pay up to
the last cent; ifyou refuse to pay him, you
must fork that out again" -H
"And mine, too And mine And miner
cried many voices together. Il too, have
lost. Il lost ten dollars II lost fifty
4 lost five and twenty L pound of goldl
So, out with it, if you won't payr' -e
A brother gambler now came up from a
neighboring table, and spoke in a whisper
to his unlucky comrade, whilst the tunult
was increasing around them. The other
contended earnestly in the same tone for
some minutes, but yielded at length to his
persuasions, and they both took the money
to count over again carefully examining
1 the hank notes A. well as the hin uhinh WAS
drawn on one of the first banking houses in
the city. ..s
There was nothing to be said against either
the one or the other; and whilst the stran-
ger, who had quite recovered his equinimity
sat quietly looking on as if the hubbub was
no concern of his, the gamblers counted out
the money he had won, almost stripping the
table of the heaps so ostentatiously piled up.
Part of the payment consisted of several
packets of gold dust, which the stranger be-
fore accepting, cut open, examined carefully,
and then weighed at the couater just oppo.
site, where he also took a glass of brandy.
He found all correct and disposed ofthe gold
in his various pockets, he shook what remain.
ed into the mys sterious linen bag, put the pa.
pers and bank notes into his breast pocket,
and courteously thanked his Jealous supper.
ters, who returned his greeting with thun
dering cheer, he left the saloon.
His quandam friends laughed and talked
over the occurrence for while OF all pres
ent, there was scarcely one, probably, WHIT
did not feel pretty sure that he had playec
false, that he had his bank notes and bill in
the bag on each preceding evening, bu
this they did not call dishonest--ir was
clever trick. The gamblers themselves seized
upon every advantage, fair or unfair, tha
. came in their way and every one who hat
{ his wits about him would look out for him
SELF