Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-09-11
Orleans
"Did you win?''
ooh, yesl | Won it. =
"Whaf was your hand, Gen

y -. ~ = - -s-f-@
ooh, yes! | won it. =
"Whaf was your hand, Gen.
eral2"
at was three kings
'sBut," says he, "the hardest
game ] ever played was at Mem
phis. just after the war closed
my wife and I went to Memphis,
and we stopped.at, the Worshani
House. The next morning we
got. our things together, and ]
emptied all my papers out of my
trunk on the floor, and Mary Ct
am not certain his wife's name
was Mary, but that will do for
the tale) went over and over
them, hunting for something. to
raise money out of. / emptied
my pockets and Mary emptied
iheEh, and between us we had
i4svshLdollars ana thirty cents.
After huntin' over everything,
we found that every man who
owed me was either dead or
broke. / hadn't one single pa
per ON which / could raise a cent
outen. After we got through
the pile I looked at Mary and
Mary looked at me. ssNow,i
wbat's.to be done, Mary?" says
|. 4 don't know says she, 'but
the Lord will provide. You'
see, Mary was one e, of the best
women in the world, and she had
"a heap of. faith in her religion.
| looked at her right straight a
long time, and at last says Il:
"Mary, You are a mighty good
woman, and I'm going to tell
you something. There's to be a
big dinner at -- this evening,
and I'm invited. They always
play poker at that house, and you
have always been agin me play
ing, and l reckon you are right
about it. But things have be-
come desperate with us, and
somehow l feel if2you wouldn't
be agin me, ! could make raise
tonight t..S.s af.,.,, =, .ig,,.,s
8 Says she, Bedford, Ican't do
it. It's wrong for you to do it,
andPd heap rather you wouldn't
But, Mary says I, q never
was in such a fix before. Here
We are with no money but $3.50,
and that wouldn't pay our tavern
bill. / can't lose no, more than
that, for I'll swear I won't bet on
credit. IF / lose that, I'm come
home, and if / win, wen have
something to start on. Well, Z
argued and argued with her, but
= ~.
she wouldn't say yes. But at.
last she says: .....Asfaf
Bedford, / know your mind
is set, on it, and / know you are
going to bet whether I'm willin'
or not; so I Won't say nothing
more about it, as..at sassi sg,ss-G---sr.1'gl
'But, somehow, I felt when I
started that she was for me, and
/ jist knowed how 'twould be.
"Well, | went some time be-
fore dinner, and. sure enough,
they. were at it. They had three
tables-one had a quarter ante.
one a bali, and one a dollar and
a half. / wanted my seven dol
lars, to last as long as /. could
make it, and so / set down to the.
quarter table. We beton until
dinner, and by-that time ] had
won enough to dos better; and,
after we'had eats,cI sat down to
the doliar-and-a-ha1f table. i
won sometimes, and then again
I'dilose ON until nigh about mid
night, and then 1 had better luck,
| know'd Mary was setting up
and praying; l felt like II, and It
made me cool. / set my hat by
my side on the floor, and every
time I'd win I'd drop The money
in the hat. We played on, and
/ didn't know nothin' about how
much I'd won. l didn't keep any
count, but / know'd l. was win
ming. | Thought maybe I'd won
n hundred dollars, or two hum
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