Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-08-25
The Duel ON The bike.

TWAS fair day on the river Ohio.
The grand saloons Of the aaeamer Kishi-
coquillas were crowded ~iths passengers,
The ladies in the after-portions lounged
upon luxurious divans, slipping cooling
beverages, or sleeping over recant litera-
ture, and in and out among them played
dark-eyed child who now and then
cried petuIanily for bis papa. The lat
ter sat in the dim, close, forward cabin.
at one Of many card tables. He vas
pale aud agitate5T for be was loosirr
heavily Little by little, Firtane had
beckoned him on, and now that she was
receding heRambled raeklsszly; Aut ssthe
cool, clever eentlemap, With the curling
hair, sitting opposite. swept of the eagles
withouta smile. The loGssr was Wild;
at each misfortune be doa bled bis stakes,
the winner always closing With him,
though Earelessly and il was not herd TO
read in the formers darkening IA e that
he counted bis losses seriously 1t was
a game of poker, and there. were many
participants but these two divided ell at.
tention. Five cards were dealt to each,
and the players wagered upon the reia-
tive values or their suits OF sequences
If the troubled man heId four tens, the
other was certain to hold four knavee::
twice he held al the kings: the other
called four aces
lido not owna dime in the worldf"
Dried the pale gentleman, at last; will
you place two hundred dollars against
The person with the flowing hair
bowed politely 4r4Rr-. vaaa rs
goths watch upon my handl" cried
the pale man, Aanguinely desperate.
] raise you two hundred dollars,n
answered the cool person.. vely.
"You have q handsome emerald upon
y =, |. s {, you stake it for sAAt
The pale man threw Il down with a
seurse. ~ 20 A. gna 4 90 $40 rFa
. / show four queensT he said.
"The ring and watch are mine" re-
piled che other ealmly. 81 show four
kingsI' "a SIC s1.rw
r The pale man sprane from his chair
with " hcwlI &" j call God To- witness that
/ have been swindledlPR be hissed. 81
am disgraced, ruinedi The money
which1 have lost WAS not mine. That
map has made me a1hief, and he wears
upon his finger my poor wife's wedding
ring Ia Smother instant be had scat.
tered his wnlbfAins upon the bystand-
ers so o. aU yIkN nETh
Tbs snryiEor wiped his coat compla-
Gently and liz fresh cigar.
The steamer was ;pausIng AZ some sta
ton, and auAidssh s hAste asd COD fusior,
he atspt pleeeantlyl ashore The lines
had been cast adrift; the wheels spun
round sEAihi the boat nanVtd On, when a
shrill, piefSing scteame arose from the
throng. Id was the derk eyed child. and
it had -fouad us pspA- 7v1s 80
"pome-hskf, mr. LITTLE nars'r,' said
an old negro steward, ffting the boy
aloft and wiping his eyes D0es We
see . gen lenan yohdeF eRde q1sy--a
mos respectsble gen leman.Egwya In de
back Dat man has got yer pas golden
The boy marked 6ercely through his
tears tbs shapely limbs and the long
bright rim glets, and on Itke strangers
white hand the Klittersof the dead mans
gem A gush of grief drowned out the
scene, and The steamer dried away.
Twenty years followed, sAd each year
witnessed upon the " easern waters its
host Of dupes and blacklsEs. But among
the latte, class ihers was one siugu larl9s !
lost
-; There were no Representatives, in the |
games which be played. He was 4 nee.
roEa ancer With cards; With some there
were chanees--he made all chance al
certai1sys He plundered the poor ana |
the. rich yet cast their purses hal.
again with scorn in his dark ewes. sr5
he was invariably searching for : vsn-
tlemsnly tourist With flowing hair. nro-
whose track be seemed 70 ba .fnrsssr
yet w bonn be never found. At times he |
would leap from the gaming table. "a :
steamer passed, ex Claiming that he saw |
the object Of bic search. and Offering tha |
captais bis fortune TO surn and overtake |
him. He remarked him upon rats, and /
landings, and ia RESIDING villages, aud |
arnonR the thousand faces Of busy cities.
lee with those glFupses. the 6gsre
passed away, and the years dragged By, |
sac the tFayelipgF puhlie tbonghE the
oang man crsEy-thongh not upon the |
Ghsy met one day-tha pursuer and I
tneS pursusd-after all those twentv
years 10 ~as o fair afternoon upon an
AiaaissiPRA aae sPsa tAa sssasasI 1ishi.