The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-03-24
a aasaE OF DRAw.
An Interesting RncIdeat Of
Lille On GIae NHissis2aPp Da-
ring the War.


Life On 1lae HAissis2 aPpi Da-
ring Ghe War.
They were sitting around the Ia
BILE in q Fifteenth Ward faro bank
that is temporarily closed through
some misunderstanding with the
public, and having tired of short
cards they fell TO telling stories.
"You may have heard this one"
said q sQuare-jawed, firm-faced,
gray " hiskered man, Esfor it was
printed briefly at the time; but 1
was there"
ain the latter part of 81 made q
trip down the river. There came
on board at Cairo a young paymas-
ter who was on his way to pay q
brigade of troops somewhere in the
neighborhoOd of Vicksburg. IL was
very quiet on the boat, aud on the
first night below Cairo the paymas-
ter spent 3 good deal Of his time sf-
ter supper walkipg mp and down
the saloon. There WAS also walking
up and down the saloon Q trim,
i square shouldered man who seemed
j to be suffering from the same tedi-
BUSINESS; and when they had met 3
few times the stranger smiled lit.
tie ct the paynaster, said: Dull
dull said the p&ymaster.
| "'Suppose We have little game
of draw 2 said the stranger.
Good idea, said the paymaster,
and they sat down and went ct it.
"Both Of them were playing mere
ly to pass tee time, ct least the pay
master was, and the other man
j seemed TO be. They had it one way
and the other for an hour or two,
playing about So for q top bet, and
neither OF them winning or losing
much, but still getting more, and
more interested. Finally each SEEM
ed to get . big hand, and thew be-
gan betting in the most natural sort
of way. The fire had been smOlder-
ing, you see, and broke out appar-
entity without their knowing 1t.
"Neither of them seemed dispos-
ed to lay down, and they kept. on
raising and raising till they were
making bets of $500, $500 and $500,
and they got the pot up to $1,000.
Then the stranger rested his eye on
the paymaster for 3 moment, and
made an estimate of the amount of
his pluck and the probable size of
his pile, and the result of his ObseF-
vations seemed to be belief that he
could bluff him or freeze him out,
for he threw his hand down on the
table, and leaned over aud pulled q
bowie knife out of his boot, and
drove the point of it down through
the cards into the table. Then he
took big wallet out of his breast
pocket, and counted out twenty-one
. | T. a az n
last bet of $500, and then hauled q
revolver off his hip, pushed the
twenty other bills into the pot, and
} said:
"'I raise you $4,000
SThe paymaster looked at the
gambler about two seconds. Then
be beckoned to his cOlored boy, 9
bright young fellow who had taken
, the thing in from the start, and who
would have given his master the
wink if he had ever happened to
look in his direction, which he had
not. But he frightened up when
heard the word, and walked right
J straight off for the paymaster's state
, room. He disappeared moment
and then showed up again, backing
through the door, dragging a trunk
. after him; and he came down the
saloon rolling that trunk alongon itt
end, just as handy as though he had
, smashed baggage on through line
l all his life. The paymaster took q
4 key out of his veat pocket, threw
] up the lid of the trunk, and took of
!, sheet of sole leather that seemed
to serve as q sort of binder for the
bundles of bills underneath. HI
e took the two big packages out OF
: the end and laid them upon one sid'
of the table. Then he began takinE
out the other bundles and stackinI
them upon the table in front of him
s He kept taking ont and stacking ri
e till he had built . big triangular
t shaped pile like two pairs of stair
: meeting at the top and filed in sol
L id underneath.
+ '"Then he threw his hand dowI
g ON the table and pulled . bowie
o knife ont of his boot and spiked
t down through the cards, and Will
: the handle was still shivering, b
e handed the two bundles into tn
middle of the table: and said:
/" see your $4,000 here he brace,
himself back against the pile, AM
began showing it up. the table, con
,. tinuiag to talk all the time-'and
j. raise you $l75,O00i' and then Oh
did it so quick couldn't zee whe
10 it was done) he had pistol OF eac
70 hip and was resting elbow abOu
half way up each side of the green
I. back stairs, both shooters GOVERN
a the gambler, and holding them yer
straight and steady, too.
|: Nov, the gambler was an olde
man, and of much more experience
/. than the psynaaster, and undsr an
le sort of ordinary circumstances,
could have handled him ten to ont
and he knew it, and had not thong
of laying down, even then, and b
seemed to revolYe the thing in hi
le mind for about 9 quarter of d mir
4. ute, and when he had settled WHIT
to do he looked up, ready to &C
1. but one glance at the saymaste
made him change his miad; for b
le could see, shining through the y0un
mans face, eli the accumulated, uT
(. used grit of years, and g man wit
"a half an eye could have seen that /
meant business.
a. 'The gambler realized that fac
a. He pulled his knife ont of the tabl
stuck his pistol into his pocket, an
e. walked of down the saloon, whis
ID ling Rosa Lee just as soft and plei
re SAINT as thong he was going for C
gar after dinner. Then the payma
E. ter booted his knife and slung b
es shooters and packed his trunk, pu
l. ting in along with the rest The thi
teen thousand odd of the gambler
n. money and he didn't take any mo-
rs draw that trip.
g. "And ] am told that he was |
much impressed by the revelstiC
as to himself of his own backbone an
h nerve that he made up his mir
10 there was something better for hiI
to do than waste his time gamolin
L. and hasea't handled a card since
e. A woman in Burke county, n.
d gave birth to twins the last of Il
old year-one was born ten minut
at before IL o'clock and the other Il
minutes after u. So oae was Dol
TO on Friday and the other ON Satu
y da- 0no ~ 137k ard tho 0fhs.u