, 1877-11-24
A COLD DECK.
AND THE WAY 1T WORKED WITH AN OLD
CALIFORNIA MINER.

| AND THE NAY "ofshEp "iih An oLb
CALIFORNIA MINER.
sDan De Ouille" tells the following story
| in the Virginia Enterprise In the early days
of California, when the miners were digging
| bushels of money ont of the gulches and
hills, Reddy & Andrews tom Andrews, who
| is well known here and in the mining towns
of California; owned immensely rich dig
gings in Forest City. Sierra county. They
frequently cleaned up from so, 600 to Sc,G,
600. When cleanup was made one of the
partners would take the dust down to San
Francisco to the mint.
In making these trips they generally took
turns. 1t was their habit to stop over night
in Sacramento, and take the boat the next
When Andrews came down to Sacramento,
he frequently did battle with the tiger, y
but Reddy's strong suit was poker. Three
aces was his big hand. When he held three
aces he would bet his bottom dollar" This
was well known among the sports.
On one occasion Reddy had been playing
all night with some of the Sacramento sports,
and in the morning quit $500 ahead of the
game The sports-Charley Dawson among
the number-did not much relish his getting
away with the coin, and concluded, ''iust
for the fun of the thing, as they told Reddy,
to take a little run down the "Bay"
The boat had not proceeded far down the
river before, as the most natural thing in the
world, a poker game was started In the
game was Reddy, Foster IA hotel keeper from
one of the southern mining counties) and
Charley Dawson and two other sports.
a job had been put up to ''raise a 'cold
deck and give Reddy his favorite hand of
three aces. The game proceeded, and at the
proper time Dawson "raised the deck.
The cards were delt and Reddy got his
three aces, Dawson three kings, and the 9TH
ers Indifferent hands In the draw" Daw-
soil got the other king Reddy drew two
cards, bat having his three aces he felt strong
enous III to fight an army, and did not pick
up OF look at the two cards drawn.
Betting began, and Foster and the two
sports that were with Dawson did not come
in.
Having four kings, and being confident
that Reddy had but his three aces, Dawson
went in strong; and, having his three aces,
Eeddy felt that nothing could whip him. lie
was 80 sure that he was right that he pad no
attention to the cards gotten III the draw.
The betting was red hot. and most of the
loungers about the boat were gathered around
the two men, watching the game with breath
less interest.
Among the lockers on was Domingo Joe, ="
a nervous. restless little sport, who was Daw-
sons friend and chum. Joe was skipping
back and forth in his restless way, peeplng
over the shoulders of the two men at their
cards as often as an opportunity offered, his
eyes sparkling with excitement. lie telt
quite confident that the cards had been pro-
perly :. stocked yet he would have given
much Cor peep at those Reddy had not yet
picked up.
Several thousand dollars had already been
bet, and finally as 4 Stumper, Dawson went
S2090, better Reddy promptly ''saw the
raise" and said, 81 90 you another $1,000
better. Quite absent-m;ndedly he then pick.
ell up the two cards that had all the time
been laying unnoticed by his side.
Tie weazel eye of "Domingo Joe detee-
ted the other ace as the cards were lifted,
and all ashy palor spread over his vlsaSe-
it was as though he had been stricken by
death
He almost instantly recovered his self-po
session, however, and, thrusting both hands
into his trowse;s pockets, he sheered off from
the party and. carelessly sauntering up and
down the boat, began singing:
"And the other fell in, too, boys,
And the otLer feil in there, too"
This was enough for Dawson. The words
of Joe's pretended song came to his ears as
death knell. He turned pale, then red,
threw down his cards and said, "Take it all,
l squeel -
As Reddy raled down the whole pile he
threw Z glance around at the faces of the
crowd of silent spectators, and sang as though
the words OF domingo Joe" had just reach
ed his ears:
"And the other fell in too, boys,
And TIE other fell in there too"