The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1876-04-18
Misfflla,'g
A Big Game of Draw.

-
stt A Big Game of Draw.
They were sitting around table in a
Ward faro bank that is tempo
rarily closed through some misunder-
standing with the police, and having
tired of short cards they fell to telling
stories.
''You may have heard this one" said
a firm. faced, quare;jawed, gray-Nhls.
kered man, "for it was printed briefly at
the time but was there"
"In the latter part of 81 l made
trip down the river, there came on board /
at Cairo young paymaster who was on
his way. to pay brigade of troops some !
where in the neighborhood Of Vicks
burg. 1t was very quiet on the boat,
and on the first night below Cairo the
paymaster spent a good deal Of his time
after supper walking up and down the
saloon; there was also walking up and
down the saloon trim, square-shoul-
dered man who seemed to be suffering
from tho same tediousness, and when
they had met few times the stranger
smiled q little at the paymaster, and
said:
"DuIl."
every dull said the paymaster:
aSuppose we have little game OF
draw ?" said the stranger.
aGood ilea," said the paymaster, and
fh ~, eaf doun ond went at it.
,@Both Of them were playing merely
| to pass away time, at least the paymas,
ter was, and the other man seemed to
lbe, They had il one way and the other
for half an hour or So, PLAYING about
| Eve dollars for q top bet, and neither Of
them winning or losing much. but still
getting more and more interested; final
| " each seemed to get big hand, and
they began betting heavy in the most
natural sort Of way. The fire had been
smoldering, you see, and it broke out
apparently without their knowing it.
"Neither of them seemed disposed to
Law day, and they kept on raising and
raising till they were making bets Of two,
three aud five hundred dollars, and they
got the pot up to about seven thousand
dollars. Then the stranger rested his
eye on the paymaster for moment, and
made an estimate Of the amount OF his
pluck and the probable size OF his pile,
land the result of his observations seem
ed to be belief that he could bluff him
or freeze him out, for he threw his hand
ldown on the table, and leaned over and
lpulled bowie knife out of his boot, and
Idrove the point of it down through the
1cards on the table; then he took a big
wallet out of his breast-pocket, and
counted out twenty.one five hundred
1dollar notes. He saw the paymaster's
Hast bet OF FIVE hundred, and then haul.
ed heavy revolver off his hip. pushed
the twenty other bills into the pot, and
said: ssssss ( 3 :.
II raise you ten thousand dollars"
4 1.-THE paymaster looked at the gambler
Il about two seconds then he beckoned to
Ibis colored boy, 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 happen.
ed TO look in his direction, which be
hadn't. But he frightened up when be
heard the word, and walked right of for
the paymaster's state room; he disap.
peared moment, and then showed ur
again, backing through the door. drag
; ging trunk after him; and be came
down the saloon rolling that trunk along
on its end, just as handy as though hs
had smashed baggage on q through linz
all his life. The paymaster took key
-lout of his vest pocket, threw up the lid
of the trunk. and took of sheet o
$ leather that seemed to serve as sort o
4 binder for the bundle of bills underneath
o He took two big packages out of the ent
and laid them upon one side Of the table
Then he began taking out the other bun
9 dies and stacking them upon the table il
nIfront of him; he kept taking out ant
stacking up until he had built big tri
|. angular shaped pile, like two pairs 0
4 stairs meeting at the top and filed il
e solid underneath.
nj s.Then he threw his hand down on tb
d table and pulled bowieiknife out OF hi
oi boot and spiked it down through .h
e cards, and while the handle was sti
81 shivering he handed the two bundles int
o the middle Of the table, and said:
II 81. see your ten thousand dollars" -
!. here he braced himself back againstth
Il pile. and began shovingritqup the table
a continuing to talk all the time-"and
le raise you a hundred and seventy-dv
le thousand y and then (he did it so quic
st. that / couldn't see when it was done) b
"a had revolver off Of each hip and wa
a. resting an elbow about half way up o
ID each side of the greenhack stairs, bot
r. shooters covering the gambler,and holt
"a ing them straight and steady, too.
in "Now, the gambler was an older MAJ
ia and of much more experience than tt
IT paymaster,. and under any sort OF ord
Z nary circumstances he could have easi
handled him ten to one, and ne knew
and had no thought Of lying down eve
then, ard he seemed to. revolye the thir
~ in his mind for about quarter Of
~ minute, and when he had settled what
= do he looked up, ready to act; but OF
.s glance at the paymaster made hi
~ =, change his mind for he could see, shi
10 ing through the young mans face,
- - the accumulated, unused grit of yeal
= - and a man with half an eye could ha
- seen that he meant business.
.h' "The gambler realized the fact;
= =, pulled bis knife out Of the table, stu
~ his pistol into his pocket, and walked ,
-, down the saloon, whistling Rose L.
." just as soft and pleasant as though
was going for . cigar after dinner.
Then the paymaster booted his knife a
. slung Lis shooters and packed his trur
The putting in along with the rest the th
the teen thousand odd of the gamble
ich money; and be didn't take any mt
i of draw that trip. ~ ar
IL "And am told that he was so mu
ere impressed by the revelation to hims
per of his own backbone and nerve that
vas made up his mind there was somethi
, at better for him to do than wasting
'ra: time in gambling, and he hasn't hand
are a card since"
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