Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1872-12-28
Old Man Brown Plays Keno.


attracted more interest than old man
Brown always did, so patriarchal and in
nOcent was his mein. On one occasion,
just as the good old man was lifting a
fried oyster to his mouth, somebody
slapped him on the back SO hard that
he drove the fork half way down his
throat, and voice cried out
Why, daddy, when did you come
to town."
Old Brown turned round and beheld
a very nice young man, with diamond
pin and waxed moustache, who grasped
him by the hand and seemed as if he
would never get done shaking it.
Don't you know me, Smithy?" said
the lively youth.
"My name is not Smithy, friend" +"
said old Brown; "my name is Brown.
I cannot at present recall you."
Browny, I mean," said the young
man; why don't you know your own
nephew?"
"What! are you Sarah's SOM"
Certainly! that's what's the mat
ter"
is it possible that this is Bob? .?
Why, Bob, how are you? How is your
mother?"
The old man was delighted to find his
nephew, and insisted on some more
oysters. They walked up the street
together, and old Brown was very ea-
ger to know when his sister had come
to town. The young man informed
him that Sarah had been home all sum-
mer, and was keeping keno shop, and
doing very we'll. Old Brown said he
would go and buy some kenos the next
day, but Bob said he was going to
invest that night, and that Brown had
better come along, and SO he did.
They stopped at the door of house
which seemed perfectly dark, and Bob
raped, when the door was opened at
once, and they passed up hight of
stairs. Here old Browns astonished
eyes fell upon large room, handsomely
carpeted and furnished with a great
number of round tables. On raised
platform at one side sat man at
cashiers desk with money in front of
him, and another was twirling around
a sort of wooden bottle, out of which,
from time to time dropped little white
marbles with numbers on them, which
he called out. Nearly all the tables
were occupied by gentlemen, who had
before them cards with figures upon
them, and piles of buttons such as old
brown wore OH his breeches. They
raised their heads to look at old Brown,
and then riveted their eyes on the cards.
All was silent except the rattle of the
balls i'll the bottle, and the calm voice
of the man, saying, "Forty-eight,"
" Twenty-seven," "Number seven,"
Eighty-three," till suddenly somebody
thumped the table, and everybody look
at him with indignation and disgust.
He struck the table because he had
struck keno" said Bob. "But come,
old gentleman, "let's sit down and buy
some cards." They took an unoccupied
table and Bob explained that each card
cost twenty-five cents, and that you
might buy as many as you pleased. A
man whom Bob called "Piggy" came
up, and Bob told old Brown to buy
two cards, which cost him fifty cents.
Bob bought two himself.
Now there were on each card four
horizontal rows, each having on it five
figures. The only figures used in keno
range from l to 80, but of course they
cannot all be on one card. It happened
that on one of the cards old Brown had
bought there were these numbers on
the upper rows, IA, 80, 6S, 60; with
the rest of his numbers we are not con-
cerned. Bob explained that if he could
cover five numbers in any row with
buttons he could get the pot
But don't want pot," said old
Brown; fifty cents won't buy good
pot"
"1've known it to buy fifty dollar
pot" said Bob. "a pot is pool"
What is pool?" asked old
Brown.
At this moment Piggy" announced
that the pool was ST IS, and that the
game would begin. -.
The dealer began to turn the bottle
round, and the balls began to drop out.
" Fifty-six," he called, "Twenty-one,"
" Number three" "Sixty-nine"-and
here old Brown with his snectoclaa ops