The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-03-02

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small, and the run of cards seemed wholly il
!: favor of the merchant; but presently they be
more freely, and gold eagles and hundred dol
lar notes were showered down on the boarG
with extravagant ardor-and then the curren
of fortune changed-ebbed away from the
young merchant and flowed to the professional
gambler. As usually happens in such cases
his want of success only piqued and maddenec
the loser, who sought to recover himself by such
ventures as could not but deepen and confirm
his ruin. And thus they continued during
that long summer night. The intensity OF
their excitement became equivalent to insanity
| Every nerve strung-every energy of the
brain was taxed to the utmost-teeth was set
1 hard as those of antagonists in their tug OF
mortal strife, the sweat rolled from their brows
like great drops of rain.
players and looked on with that interest which
such extraordinary concentration of intellect
| and passion never fails to inspire, even In bo-
SONS that shuddered at its excess.
The merchant and gambler attracted every
| eye, and kept many awake and gazing till
morning. Among the latter was one present
ing a countenance so piteous that it mil ght have
melted hearts of marble to tears. A pale and
exquisitely formed face peeped incessantly
| from the halfopened door of the ladies cabin
weeping all the while, as if oppressed by some
dreadful sensation of irremediable sorrow 1t
| was the merchants wife, weeping her farewell
to departed hope.
There was one spectator also, whose appear
ance and action excited as much curiosity as
the players did themselves. He was tall,
spare man Of thirty years, with handsome fea-
lures, golden hair, keen blue eyes of preternat-
ural brightness, and his firm, thin lips wore a
perpetual smile of the most inscrutable mean
ing. With the exception of his red calico
shirt this person was dressed wholly in buck
skin ornamented with long flowing tassels, and
wild figures wrought out of variegated beads,
after the fashion of some western Indians
He stood close beside the card table, and held
in his left hand sheet of paper, in his right
hand large pencil with which ever and anon
he dashed off few words, as if engaged in
tracing the progress of the game.
Still the merchant and TIE gambler perse-
vered in their physical and mental toll. The
dial of the stars, with. its thousand fingers of
golden fire, pointed to the world shadows of
midnight; but still they did not pause. Itwas
''shufle and cut, and pass, ante up, and I call
you and rake down the pile" Towards the
morning tremendous storm arose. The red
lightning flashed awfully- the hail poured.like
a frozen cataract-the great river roared till it
rivaled the loudest thunder of heaven; and
the very pilot of the wheel was alarmed. But
the mad players heard it not. What was the
tumult of the raging elements to them whose
destiny hung over the turning of a card p
And the smiling blue-eyed stranger in buck
skin still stood by them with his pencil and
paper, calmly noticing the development of the
game.
Finally the storm passed, and the beautiful
day-break came like thing of glory in the |
gray east. The infatuated merchant distracted |
with heavy losses, dared the climax of folly
He staked five thousand dollars, comprising his
last cent in the world, on 'two pair of kings"
The whiskered gambler "called' him; they
showed hands; the black-leg had "two pair of
aces" and raked the beard. The merchant
dropped to the floor as if he had been shot
through the brain, and that beautiful young
wife few to his side ind fell stricken upon his
bosom They were borne away insensible to
the ladies cabin.
As he deposited the winnings in his pocket |
the gambler emitted a hoarse laugh that sound
ed frightful as the chuckle of a fend; but he
lost color, as q low, calm voice re-
marked in his ear:
s.Villain, you play a strong hand at many
different games, but here stands one, who can
beat you at all of themn'
He turned and met the glance of those keen
eyes so perpetually bright, and shuddered.-
But he Immediately gained his presence of
mind, for he was no coward, and then he frown-
ed till his shaggy brows met like the coils of
serpent, and demanded sternly:
.hus rudely?"
81 am james Bowie, of Texas" the other
answered with a ringing laugh; sand you are
John Laftte, bastard of the old pirate!'
The gambler reeled in his chair as if he had
been struck with a thunderbolt, but recovered
again from the shock in moment, and asked
N a firm tone
"What game do wish with me?''
"Poker first, and pistols afterwards, if you
play foul" replied Bowie.
'sVery WE'LL" rejoined the other, and they
.ook their seats at the table.
For time the success seemed equally bal
anced, the gains being alternate At last, the
gambler ventured one of his skilful manouvres
N dealing.
Bowie smiled strangely as his quick eye de-
.ected the trick. He said nothing, however,
but looked at his hand and put down five
thousand dollars, stalking the money in ten large
bills The gambler went five thousand higher,
which resulted in s'call." Bowie held ''four
iacks;' but with his habitual chuckle his an
tagonist showed "four queens, exclaiming, as
he did So
"By heaven! the pile is minep'
"Not yet !" shouted Bowie, as with both
hands he raked the heap of notes to the tune
Of twenty thousand dollars, into his own pocket.
Choking and purple with rage, and shame
the gambler roared-
"To the hurricane deck, and let pistols be
trump this turn?"
'Good as gold!' replied Bowie, and the two
hastily ascended the stairs and assumed their
separate postions-the gambler over the stern,
and Bowie over the PROV. fes
At that instant the sun was just rising in a
cloudless sky. Nature looked sublime-a
bride worthy of her Almighty Husband, God.
divine picture with the boundless blue heaven
for its back ground. The broad bosomed river
rolled away like an immense sheet of burnish-
ed silver, speekled here and there with the
flash of golden bubbles shining fish -gamboled
in the waves, and all the bright birds-those
sweet singers, whose life is dream, and that
dream only music-chanted their wild anthem
to the new day, while the great duelists, the
most deadly known in the southwest stood |
,,;+b risto1s eve tn evs. and tbair I'm