Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1874-03-20
THE GAME KNOWN AS POKER.
HOW SnARpERS AVE SCNETIuES
PAID IN THEIR OWN COIN.

HOW snARpERs AVE soAETINEs
+ PAID IN THEIR OWN COIN.
The st. Louis Globe says: About
two years ago Missouri River steam
boat left Fort Benton with party OF
tough and well to do miners Oh board.
There were also among the passengers
three Or four "hYace men," and before
arriving at Sioux City they had very
generally cleaned out The pockets of
miners. The boat stopped at Sioux
City to "wood np,' and found, among
other persons waiting to get on board
ministerial hooking parsonage with
the longest and most solemn counte-
nance OH him You can we'll imagine
He was dressed in suit Of black,
wore a white stovepipe hat and u
"c1Oker" collar ornamented with /.
black neck handkerchief.
Well, Ire got aboard and the boat
started down stream. For two days
he was unnoticcd by the other pas
sengers, but one Of the sports at last
thought he saw Il chance to make
something out of the sad and mclan-
choly indi-idual. The latter would
once or twice step up to the bar, and
with a voice that was as mild and
gentle as maiden's, ask {" for glass
OF soda water, if you please" and then
he would pull roll Of bills from his
pocket and take a quarter from their
interior layers. Then he would say to
the barkeeper, as if under thousand
obligations, "thank you, sir, and
walk aft again as if about to commit
suicide.
This thing had gone far enough and
the gambler l have spoken of, at List
approached him:
"Would you like a little game Of
sevenup, sir!"
"Scvcn-up? What is seveu-up
Please tell me, my good friend.'
"Why, game OF cards, YOU know,
just to pass away the time; let us play
game.n
MY good friend, I do not knoy
anything concerning cards; l can not
play theln."
"Well, come along, we'll show you'
how to do it." And the miad gentle
man in black after some further pro
tests, at length consented.
They showed him how twas DONE,
and they played several games. The
gentleman in black was delighted
Gamblers want to know if he will play
poker, five cent ante, just for the fun
Of the thing. Gentleman in black
says he can't play the game, but they
explain again, and poker commences.
The gentleman in black looses every
time. There are six men in the game;
each one deals before gentleman in
black, and the ante has been raised to
q dollar. Gent in black deals awk-
wardly, and looks at his hand.
Next man to dealer bets fivc-goes
around and the bets are raiseed> to ono
hundred dollars. Gent in black sees
it and makes it a hundred better
Gamblers look surprised, but willsnot
be blutfed. The bet has reached fiye
hundred dollars-a thousand. Gent
in black makes it two thousand. All
draw out except plucky Pixies Peak
miner, who sees and calls him. "What
have yOu3" "Weal," answers the
gent in black, ~ have-let me see,
let me see-weal heave four ones."
The gamblers who have suspiciOncd
something before, now look wild, and
the light begins to dawn in theminer's
mind. He leaned across the table and
said in the most sarcastic tone he
could command:
ooh, You heave, heave yer. You
gOl burned sanctimOniOus son of gun"
The gent got up from the table and
handed one of the gamblers his card.
It read, "Bill Walker, New Orleans"-
one Of the most successful sharpcrs in
The country.