Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1864-11-23

b jOurn that subject.
On the fifth Of May left New 0rlean
q to return North. went on board tina
!, palace of boat, Black Hawk, and almOs
the first person I saw was H0dden'smOth
er. There she was, with the same state
} ly presence, the same shaven forehead
and false front; the same rich lace and
, moire antique to which there was nov
, added flashing jewels; and there was the
pretty little woman, with her baby. now
about a year old, and both dressed in the
same shOwy manner, and presently saw
the hard-faced gambler, ROdden. The
young mother and her baby looked pale
and i'll /; the old mother and her hopeful
looked flushed and eager for prey. 1
paid so much attention to those people,
and thought so much of what they had
probably been doing all winter in New
Orleans, that I rather neglected the 9TH
er passengers but the day after we start
ed 1 observed particularly green look
ing individual, with light fazen hair, an
awkward slouched hat, blue home-spun
pantaloons, and butternut-colored coat
which seemed to me both home-spun and
homemade; he had old yarn gloves on,
which he never removed, except to put
on some old leather or kid ones. watch
ed the gambler, for it had somehow trans
pired that this gawky home-spun indi-
vidual had been to New Orleans with a
considerable cargo of bacon and cheese.
I thought Of poor Greene and his three
thousand dollars. One day I saw Rod
den and the stranger-' Ike, SO he called
himself-tOgether.
"NO matter about my name, mister,
said he, call me Ike; III answer to that,
till the COWS come home. You cant
come it over me by calling me mister. =
How dol know but what you are one of
them fellows that plays poker, and allus
wins?"
II never played but three games of
poker in my life" said ROdden, but I'll
play euchre with you for the drinks"
"Noyou don't Look o here, mister, "
pulling down the lower eyelasb, do you
see ANYTHING green there %
see thatyouhave cut your eyeteeth, .
said Rodden. wouldn't undertake to
cheat you, if cheating was my trade,
which 1 am happy to say, it is not"
You don't say Good loOkin', but
ye can't come in. Ishan't play for the
drinks, nor for nothing else. 1 promised
Susy, when I came away, wouldn't tech
a kaird the hull time I was off; an no
more won't. You see, FIVE thousand
dollars worth ofbacOn and cheese wouldn't
be no shakes at all for one of them fel-
lers that plays poker"
"That's SO, said Roddgn. "You are
wise"
Yes, an that amt the hull ont, for
my moneys in the oapn's safe, and, what's
more, it'll stay there till haitian hour be-
fore land"
AT T' said Roddsn, suggest
lively.
DAT, - yes, at but where at is, you
I'll have to find out, for 1 told Susy wd
keep dark as wood-chuck's s hole and not
talk to nobody more'n was rally neces-
sary. AS to you, would not mind tel
ling you, for took to you at wonst. You
are smart, but you can't keep hotel, or
you wouldn't come at me about kairds.
You might have known I wouldn't play
by the looks of me"
ROdden was persevering; the man in
hOmespun was firm. The young wife
seemed more i'll, terrified and miserable
every hour; the old mother more hard,
proud and imperious. She would take
the baby, keep it from its mother, and I
believe pinch it, simply to torture the
poor woman. Rodden never interfered
to protect her. What life that poor
thing was leading, and what fate for her
child One evening I heard Rodden
talking to the gawky man about play.
Look G. here now, said the latter 'ef
you ever say kairds to me agin, I'll pitch
iuto ye. I'm man O my word, special
ly when my words given to Susy. But
l have pocket full of dice, and they
amt loaded dice nuthar. Eff you want
to play enough to bet something hand
some agin my tcrbacker box, I'll play
with you"
He drew out very ancient silver box,
of about five dollars weight, and laid it
on the table. Rodden sat down to bust
ness with a CLEAN in his dark eye that
meant mischief. He won it-then lostit.
1t was lost and won several times but
rested at last in the pocket of the cOun-
tryman.
"Smart fellow, but you can't keep
hotel, nor win my terbacker box" said
he.
The next day they played again, and
he lost his box, and watch and thirty dol
lars; but the next time he won again,
and so surprisingly, that the gambler lost
pretty nearly all he had to lose, and then
the countryman refused to play any long
er. J.