The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1875-10-14

could never be induced to accept it.
Nevertheless, the father wrote, the debt
was bona tide one, and its long stand
ing troubled him much; so he urged his
son to press the money upon me, and
that gentleman did so with unexception-
able delicaey.
At first resolutely declined to accept
the money, on the ground that I could
not meddle with my fathers affair; he
knew his own business best, and had,
no doubt, good reasons for the stand he
had taken in this amiable dispute. Per-
haps his excellent friend was mistaken in
supposing himself the debtor-in SO
long an account of friendly offices inter-
changed between two such ancient and
honorable crouies, the result might easily
be the other way. At all events, my
father, on handing me this letter, had
not named the matter; consequently I
was not at liberty to run counter to his
apparent intention.
But the captain treated the affair more
seriously. On my side, he urged, was
merely vague surmise. On his, there
was the clear and positive expression of
the paternal wish. His father, he said,
had suffered much, and was going down
hill fast. He even feared that the next
mail would bring him news of the old
mans death. He had been, he confess
ed, a willful, almost cruel son, with
some crimes of perEerse selfshness and
of which to convict himself,
There was no chance that he would
again behold his father alive. He there
fore desired sacredly to obey his COM
mands, in the most apparently trifing
matter, and rejorced in every opportunity
to console himself so-in fine, he press
ed me, on the scose of kindness, to per-
NIT him to pay this money.
Still undetermined, leaned with my
back against the bar, and looked through
the noisy throng of old miners and new
arrivals, into the gambling saloon be-
yond, where players of all countries,
compilations and temperaments, were
gathered, in earnest but quiet knots,
around faro, roulette, and monte tables,
with their dazzling banks. An idea. full
of a pleasurable excitement, seized me.
The cards, thought /, will decide this
amiable contest.
Captain" said, 'I have never bet
a sixpence on card in my life. Since
T arrived here, have not once looked
on at play, even rs merely curious
spectator. I do not know thus game of
monte; have never known any game of
cards. Now monte shall dispose of
these three rascally ounces for us. I
will stake them on card; if they are
lost, there will be an end of our dispute,
and you can tell your father you paid
me- If they win, we will divide the
spoils."
"Agreed and you will be sure to
win. Satan is always kind to the green
gamester."
We approached table where already
a competing throng was gathered, eager
ly feeding the monster with dollars,
ounces, greater or lesser pouches Of
dust. This t1.ble was covered with green
baize, on which four equal squares were
described, by means of strip of gold
braid. In the midst was bank of per-
haps twen ty thousand dollars in coin
and dust. Presently the used-up list
less, yawning dealer, who sat behind his
bank with revolver at his back, some
brandy and water at his elbow, and
long cigar held almost perpendicularly
between his tight lips, and managed,
too, with sort of skill, 80 that the burn
ing end came within bali an inch of the
corner of his right eye, which was clos
ed, with that extraordinary, staggering
conceit, peculiar to the soap-lock. orders
of the presently the very fancy
parsonage tossed from the pack of small
Mexican cards. which he had just shut
fled elaborately, four "popes," as he
called them, and which he more partic-
ularly described as eel ray. shayty,
sinkwee and ke-valgo," that is, king,
seven, five and horse, this last being, I
believe, peculiar to the monte cards.
Then ''gents" were invited to ''make
their game" or more facetiously to s'size
their piles" or to "pungalee down, p"
which the Spanish scholar will discover
to be sort of fancy Castiian, proper to
the latitude of San Francisco.
Gentlemen did ''pungalee down" ac-
cording to their substance or their tenn
pers, and I, with several others, for the
card seemed favorite one, staked all
my three ounces on the seven. Then
the dealer raped with his knuckless on
the table, to call down the last bets;
but no more appearing, he began to
draw, very slowly, one card at time
from the top of the pack he held in his
hand, and to dispose of them before
him alternately, on q winning and a
losing pile. AS a card corresponding to
one in square fell on the right or the
left hand pile, he called its name, and
either payed the stake or swept it into
his bank. Thus the king, the five and
the ''kervalyo" lost, but the seven won,
and my three ounces were six.
The cards being shufied, four more
were thrown out, and again the seven is
among them. Once more sgents" are
invited to ''pungalee down." and I
choosing to add spice of vulgar dab
lerie to my adventure, salect that seven