The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1880-09-01
TME LAeq DNAL.
The Confession c5 3 Reformed
Gambler "A Sigh that Made
Him Swear Of Fol aFers

4 r. x ~ y r. z ~ I1...'.
=. never dealt agaihT
The words fell frog The lips Of d
gentleman well know q IA lleadyille,
yet few recognized i'tfe elegant,
easy:going man who 5ow commands
the deeprespecto his alow.citizens,
l.the,once cool headed, Iperturbable
gambler who, in his day, figured
prominentIy along III Pacific coast
and was almost uniyey y yreeogniz.
edas the shrewdest "a 1ealer ii the
West
u dealtthat game !Eenty years.
but I'yeqait now. u q notbing,
nor,lest anything wa ar lisht
once saw I should psobADiy be-
gambler still Hereby hangs a tale.
Let me tell it:
Some three years agoI ran a high
toned gamelat a certain place you
probably know, for il strikes me /
saw you there. 1t wasIasquare game
as ! will leave any one to say-a
thriving game, for l dealt for half
the bloods in town, and often / had
as many as FIVE lay.outs at time,
with too much business on hand to
even get time to rest. One, evening
a young man strolled in, with a sort
ofcarious stare oniehis face, and ]
concluded right there that he was
green. He was fair-haired and had
a pair of blue eyes and clear-cut fea-
turss-an innocentlooking young
fellow, if ever ! saw one. II only re-
quired a glance TO convince you that
he was stranger in the gambling
room. He soon was at home, though,
for | saw in his blue eyes the love Of
play, and after that evening he was
q constant visitor. He played his
pile right up and never growled il
This luck was hard, and on every sec.
ond card he'd stack tie limits up in
blue. Take 1t altogether, his luck
was sometimes the hardest,
think, | ever saw. I've known him
to lose at a single deal seven double
shots.
business for me, Of course, but
somehow it almost seemed too bad
couldn't say word, though, and
sIyet | liked the boy. He had lots d
tAi j taiRk from The day lie
began he must have droppeds q COO
100000 on the game, aud lie never
growled. =
"We both quit gambling the same
Enight-he, poor lad, for sufficient
REASONS, and /, because l loathed the
game. 1t was in this wise:
"His coin gave out in a deal or
two, and he put up a diamond ring,
Just to see his ill luck out, you know.
The chips soon vent. He had pin,
a flaming stone in massive metal
He passed that in without o word
and drew $500 cold. So help me
heaven! / wished him luck as heart
lily as any player there; but no, his
last stack went my way on a losing
ace. He drew $500 more, | think,
on his watch and chain, and tried
his line Of bets again, but his luck
was gone. I'll never forget the pale,
haggard look that crossed his face,
but he was game. He never uttered
a word, and kept his chair like a
pillar of stone. For a moment he
seemed dazed at his reverses, but
suddenly his eye caught the thin,
worn circlet Of dull gold on his little
finger. He looked at ita little while,
and dark wave Of hot crimson blood
passed over his face, for this circlet
seemed to cling even faster than the
flashing gem he had passed in be.
fore. He at last stripped it off his
finger and handed it to me. Itcame
reluctantly, this worn, old ring
.I'What can | have on this?' he asked
4 don't know what it's value is, but
but Ill redeem it first of ALL II
might have costs5 new, but it was
worthless then.
estill / passed out fifty stack in
return, just to let him try again.
He planked it down in the pot anc
then lost, upon the table he laid his
face ON his folded arms. Well, for {
wonder, his luck changed and he wor
three times. He took no notice o