The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1883-05-03
OPENING A JACK POT.
Mr.. sPsspeadyke AtsessPts 70 Teach His wife
60 Play Poker.

Snow, my DEAR said Mr.. Spoopendyke, shut
fling the cards and dividing the checkers into
two even piles, suppose We play a little game
of poker. Do you know how TO play poker p
Il guess So. replied Mrs Spoopendyke, hitch
ing up her chair, and busting the top of the Ia
BILE with towel. ''Isn't that the game where
yon have the right and left joker, and pass when
you take it up?'
..If you have any kind of luck you do re-
torted Mr.. SpOopendyke. II learned this game
over at Mr.. Specklewottles, the other night
The way you play it is to have one pair. or two
pairs, or four aces. Four aces beat anything.
When You get four aces, you want to bet your
last cent. Now, I'll deal five cards apiece"
Il hope I'll get four aces" giggled Mrs Spoop-
endyke. "If do / win, don't II
.'ies, if you get EN- grinned Mr.. Spoopen-
dyke. Now, what do Won dor
LET me see what I'll do" murmured Mrs.
SPoOpendyke, nibbling at the corner of one
card, and regarding the rest with n puzzled WIS.,
age. Suppose have the three of Fights and
the two of queens, can play, can't l ~
''You might play in menagerier' snorted Mr..
SpoOpendyke. running over his hand and frown-
ing gloomily as he failed to detect pair, or
anything likely to make one. "If you've got
any such hand that, your proper sphere
would be playing before crowned heads, What
do you do Are yOu coming in. Where's your
ante, anyway. Don't you know it's your edgef'
''Of course proclaimed Mrs. Spoopendyke,
boldly. II know that. Now, lead my edge"
and she laid down an eight spot Though
presume your edge will take it, :" aud she rested
her chin on the table, and stared at the card
earnestly.
what We doing' p demanded Mr. Spoopen-
dyke. ''You don't play that one! Where's your
antef
'sDo yon mean herr fiuttered Mrs Spoopen-
dyke, hastily catching up her eight spot and
laying down the queen. IL thought ! wouldn't
play her till had drawn your four aces Then
| would win, wouldn't | ?"
Cake that card ~ rptorfsl Mr. Snaonan.
dyke, sternly. Take up that card, and put one
of your checkers in the middle of the table.
There, so. That's the way to play. Now, how
many cards do you want p
''Let me think" flnttered Mrs. Spoopendyke
Lets see. believe I'll take ten"
Better take gross!' snorted Mr.. SpOopen-
dyke, cycling her wrathfully. perhaps you'd
like half barrel! Don't you know you can't
draw but five: If you've got any bad cards,
throw 'em away, and I'll give You more of 'em.
If yOur cards are all good, you can stand pat.
Do you want 10 stand pat,"
Il guess So" sighed Mrs. Spoopendyke, help
lessly. IF stand pat, do ! play the eight or
the queen!"
dyke, helping himself to five cards, and drawing
a couple of kings. '.Now it's NV bet | bet
two: what do you bet =
.'Then l bet two,r answered Mrs. Spoopen-
dyke, Frightening up, as she began to see her
way clear. Il bet a queen and eight and she
laid them down with confidence.
That calls my hand, said Mr.. Spoopendyke,
gleefully, "Only yOn don't bet your cards; you
bet your checkers. Put in two checkers and
show Your cards"
Mrs. SPoOpendyke showed her checkers into
the middle of the table, and laid down three
Fights and pair of qneens.
'Whered you get 'em p roared Mr.. Spoopen-
dyke, recognizing his defeat. ''Whatd We want
to keep talking about the three of Fights and
the two of queens for. Why didn't We tell me
Won had a fnIl hand -
''Yon gave 'em to me- returned Mrs. Spoop-
endyke, dolefully. Il only had those five.
What does it dot
1T makes it jack potr' growled Mr.. Spoop-
endyke, seeing chance for himself in his wife's
utter ignorance of the game. .'Now, we've each
got to put in one checker, just because you
played in that way"
I'm sorry. dear" cooed Mrs. Spoopendyke,
rather pleased with the idea of getting out of
the scrape at any expense. '.And yet might
have known it wonld have made it jack pot
if had stopped to think~
when yOu stop to think, you only want a
stick of chewing gum and rat-trap to be fe-
male seminary Do you know what a lack pot
is. Got some kind of notion that it has three
legs and is used to cook mush in, haven't ye'
Well, it isn't. and it isn't to sit there and grin
at, either! 1t takes pair of jacks, some
thing good as them, to open it. Now, take
these cards, and tell me whether you open it or
notr
Mrs. Spoopendyke examined her cards crit
ically.
Il stand pat," she remarked, after long
pause. Say, dear, are four aces as good as a
jack pot.'
.Certainly." replied Mr.. Spoopendyke, who
had captured an ace, a pair of kings and a
couple of tens. Now, open that pot for four
chips"
.'Then open it for FOUR said Mrs. Spoopen-
dyke, following her husbands example.
Il raise You ten,' grinned Mr.. Spoopendyke.
Now you are playing something like. Want
20 raise me -
"of course" giggled Mrs. Spoopendyke. who
hadn't the remOtest notion what raising meant,
~ raise you- and she showed M the checkers
with trembling hand.
What have you got ~ demanded Mr.. Spoop-
endyke.
His wife laid down four aces and a jack
Mr.. sPoopendyke glanced at the hand, and
then at his own cards His was only the
Joker, which he had forgotten to remove from
the pack.
(which opens it e inquired Mrs. Spoopcn-
dyke. watching the gathering storm with trepi-
dation.
Nothing opens it, yelled Mr. Spoopendyke,
iashing MS cards to the floor with your
way OF playing, it would take dod gasted
steam "ysteT-knifc to open it, How'd We think
it was opened-with a night key! Got an idea
that it has hinges, haven't We, and opens widest
when il has nothing to say, like yonr measly
mouth ="
"Nust bet my last cent now - faltered Mrs
SpOopendyke, profoundly impressed with the
idea that the game was still going on. 1--WE
got 81, but want one for wiggin. Shall / bet
the other three :!
.'Bet EN-" hOwled Mr.. Spoopendyke, who,
liHe a great many men, regarded the idea of his
wife beating him at anything as something in
tolerably blasphemOus. why don't We bet
Bring forth the speculative 81 and hazard il on
the four triumphant aces. Wh-h-h-hr and the
conclusion of Mr.. Spoopendyke's speech flew ont
of him too fast for perfect eBunciation.
Il don't care, murmured Mrs. Sp0opendyke.
as she wound the clock, and stood scratching
her nose with the key "he told me that four
aces were good the jack pot, and when
opened, it he said was wrong. Another time,
I'll put them in my pocket, and he can play
away at that jack pot until he's bald, before I'll
help him get it open
And with this riOtous determination Mrs
Spoopendyke crawled into bed, aud dreamed
that she got caught in jack pot with a spring
lock TO it, and couldn't get out because she had
left the four aces in the pocket of her new plum
colored silk.-Brooklyn Eagle.