Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1880-11-10

money, Branch had been paid some
thing over three hundred dollars as
result of long'pending lawsal
against q manager who denied tn
validity Of q contract. My own wind
fall, IN tho shape Of two hundred an'
fifty dollars, had come from tho sale o
n serial story to weekly paper Fo
three or four nights previous the doe
tor had resolutcly refused to take
hand In tho games, for the reason, n
! then supposed, that he had NJ
money. So on that memorable nigh
IN March, Branch and ! sat dowI
alone to tempt tickle fortune. For th'
period OF an hour or more tho game
ran along evenly, and tho stakes were
kept at low figure. But just before
midnight Branch began to run up biz
bets on deal, when, as II chanced,
held q hand which ] thought justified
me IN covering whatever sum he chose
to hazard Apparently surprised al
my unusual recklessness, my compan'
ion became very much excited. lie
continued to raise tho stakes five, ten
and twenty dollars at say, until the
pot contained a total Of five hundred
dollars, ! having gone my entire capi'
tai on the strength Of my hand.
81 call you" Isaid at last.
Branch laid down four queens, and
stretched out his hand toward the
money.
"One moment" said /, and | threw
my own hand down, face up. 1t con
tanned four kings and nine spot.
In an instant Branch had sprung to
his feet, his taco livid and his eyes
cleaning with a strange expression |
had never seen there before.
"You're swndler" he cried.
you're trying to cheat me. You
never got that honestly"
1t was my turn now 10 become ex-
cited. Irose to my feet, and stood
confronting the actor. Ny voice was
calmer than his, but it was with a
mighty effort restrained myself.
"If you say that I cheated you, you
say what is "a lie. and what you know
10 Ue Is lie!
What followed after this l need not
here burden my narrative by attempt
ing to recount in'detail. Enough that
hot words passed in loud tone until
both of us were half crazed with ap-
ger. Then the actor suddenly drew
a pistol, and, aiming it deliberately at
my head, pulled the trigger. Shall l
say it was good or bad luck that
caused the weapon to miss fire !
Good, Thought it then surely; nor
did l count it cowardice (being my
self unmarried) to rush from the room
and down the stairs out of the house.
I expected Branch would follow me,
and half-formed idea was in my
mind of seeking the protection OF a
policeman. The idea must have
prompted ME to hasten along the de-
serted street some two or three blocks
in the direction Of the nearest station
house. Then came to sudden halt
and began to think nationally. l was
bareheaded, and the night was blus-
tering, with cold rain. I did not
feel the cold, but the fresh air
did something toward dissipating my
anger. What was it I proposed ia
do7 To 60 to police station and
hand ever my friend to the officers
And for what! He had attempted to
shoot me, it is true, but that was in q
paroxysm Of rage, and when IT | had
been. armed like him, might have
done the same thing myself Perhaps
he was sincere in hia charge, and real
ly thought that had endeavored to
cheat him. He had not followed me,
and that would tend to show that tn
desire to take my life had not out
lasted the first attempt. Then, too
he was my friend and associste' Il
would be cowardly to appeal to tht
authorities in such case. Instead
would 60 back to the room and re
store to him every dollar Of the money
1 had fairly won. My own anger ha'
abated. might reasonably assume
that bis had also.
This process of reasoning throug'
which my mind went as l stood unde
the street-lamp, may have occ"p'e'
five minutes. My resolution ono
formed, l hastened back to tie house
meeting nobody, as ! had met nobod
on coming out. l remember thinking
this a fortunate occurrence, as my az
pearanre must have attracted a'teh
ton, from the fact that / was bare
headed. The time came when Ie