Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-03-05
HUs LAST DEAL.
a Pacific Coast Gamblers Story of
HIS FEnaI Game.

:
His Final Game.
81 never dealt again. I've dealt
the game for twenty years, but I've
quit now. / made nothing nor lost
anything, and, but for sight once
saw, / should probably be a gambler
still. Hereby hangs a tale. Let
me tell it
tSome three years ago / ran a
heightened game at a certain place
you probably know, for il strikes
me I saw you there. 1t was a
square game, as L 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 bust
ness on hand to even get time to
rest. One evening a young chap
strolled in, with a sort of curious
stare on his face, and / concluded
right there that he was green. He
was fair-headed, and had a pair of
blue ewes and clean-cut features-an
innocent-lOoking young fellow, if
ever / saw one. He only required
II glance to convince you that he
was a stranger in the gambling
room. He soon was at home,
though, for l saw in his blue eyes
the love of play, and after that ev-
ening, he was a constant visitor.
He played his pile right up, and
never growled if his luck was hard;
and, on every second card, he'd
stack the limits up in blue. Take
it altogether his luck was hard
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.
l couldn't say word, though, and
vet l liked the boy. He had lots of
the filthy. l think, from the day
he began, he must have dropped a
cool 800, 900 on the game, and new
or growled.
Eve both quit gambling the same
night-he, poor lad, for sufficient
reasons, and 1 because loathed the
game. 1t was in this wise:
"His coin gave ont in deal or
two, and he put up a diamond
ring, lust to see his ill-luck out, you
know. The chips soon went. He
had a pin, a flaming stone in mas
sive metal. He passed that in with
out a word, and drew $50 in gold.
So help me God! | wished him
luck as heartily as any player there:
but no, his last stake went my way
on losing ace. He drew $500 more,
/ think, on his watch and chain.
and tried his line bets again, but his
luck was gone. My GOdl I'll new
er forget the pale, haggard look that
crossed his face, but he was game.
He never uttered a word, and kept
his chair like 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 il little while, and dark wave
of hot crimson blood passed over
his face, for the circlet seemed t1
cling even faster than the flashing
gem he had passed in before. He
at last stripped it off his finger and
handed it to me. 1t came reluct-
antly, this worn old ring. What
can i have ON this?' he asked. 'I'H
redeem il first of ALL 1t might
have c0st s. 90 new, but it was
worthless then.
"Still passed out a fifty stack in
return, just to let him try again. He
planked it down in the pot, and
low upon the table he laid his face
on his folded arms. Well, for a
wonder, his luck changed, and he
won three times. He took no no.
tice of me, as told him when the
limit barred, and so we played two
fifty on each card. Would you be-
lieve it? In the deal the pot won
out and never lost! And still he
lay with his face hid in his arms.
The deal was out, and / shook him
up, but not a muscle moved, and,
raising his face, started back
in horror at the CLASSY expression
of his eyes, for the boy was dead"