Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-08-18
KENO AMONG THE LADIES.

Remarkable Scene in a Fashionable
M0tel-HOw some Women of I.eis-
IRE Occupy ThemseIves-The Tiger
showing his CIaws-A Good Place
10 Lose Few Dollars.
From Mrs. Burnham's N. Y. Letter to the St.
Louis Republican,
A lady in much distress of mind asked
me how she could raise a certain sum of
money. She had already tried to pawn
some diamonds, and found that brokers
we're only advancing, even on $500 of
security, insignificant sums ranging in
the teens Wouldn't be good enough
to talk some pecuniary liability of my
own over before her husband2 Then
she could get large sum from him af-
terward, ostensibly to loan me. This
was h very nice scheme for me, and
asked what sort of difficulty she was in
that she couldn't make full confession to
the gentleman who had contracted ac-
coIding to the prayer book to pay her
bills. Well, she had got in debt to Mrs.
and must pay her. Then, know
ing Mrs. - was neither milliner nor
dressmaker, but lady of like situation
with herseit-both boarding in a fash
ionable hotel asked if it was borrowed
money.
No. Lost Lost at lottery"
Mrs - has fine parlor in an up-
town hotel, it seems, and the other
ladies, to the number of fifteen or
twenty, get together in her room and
play the game called lottery" the pot
sometimes being as big as $40. This
grew interesting, so with Mrs IS per-
mission / went up to play lottery"
Eight ladies sat around marble
center table, while ninth had a gentle
mans soft hat in her lap, in which were
ninety numbers on little wooden buttons.
Each lady had put in fifty cents to the
pot, and had three cards before her with
numbers in squares. AS Mrs. - called
&c, Al, 10, 3S, each little woman hungrily
eyed her card, either moving up her
glass chip triumphantly or dejectedly
grooming as she failed to find tie num-
Der called on her row Of figures. Lot
teryY The precious dears we're play
ing the simple game Of keno, and getting
as excited and eager over their So pot as
if it were a thousand.
Mrs. - kindly desired to teach me
the game, but thought I'd bring it up
to perfection before | went in, so
showed EN- how when one lady got her
row complete, she should say Keno
(which was correct), instead of Full"
as they hitherto had done. Then | told
them they should verify by the deal
ers stringing the buttons in los, 20s and
so on in lines on the table. Before that
she had always dumped them from one
hat TO another. Then | fixed it that the
winner take the pot and all the rest
shonld come up again, and so on till the
buttons were all out, instead of begin
ming a new game at the end of one call,
as they always had done. Thus, you
see, / tried to do these wretched gam
blers all the good | could.
And as wanted to help my little
friend who was in debt heavily at the
bank, | called off for an hour. 1t
was certainly surprising how many big
pots she won, especially as | instituted
the buyiDg of cards at fifty cents apiece,
and some greedy ladies got five to watch
at a time, and couldn't see half their
numbers. As they all had their hands
full with their own business, could take
a row on my friends card and call EN-
straight off, to poor Ems astonishment,
who would excitedly shrek Keno~ to
my extreme terror, lest the captain Of
the precinct heard her, and instantly
demanded a percentage Of the game, or
pulled us on the spot.
Thanks to my magnificent way of
drawing out o! the old hat, Ems nearly
out of debt, and Mrs IS room is in
| full blast till twelve and one at night
(no limit, and it looks to me like a
prosperous enterprise. Having looked
up the gambling law, find it refers en-
tirely to men. Women are not amen
able. Twenty-Five cents is now deducted
from each pot for the dealer (which
proves remunerative), and don't know
of any better place to lose few dollars
than playing Lotto at the strict church
going Mrs. IS.