The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-03-22
THE FRESH POKER PLAYER.
How He Goes to the City and Borrows
Money Enough to Return Home.

How He Goes to the City and Borrows
Money Enough to Return Home.
The other day a young man with q
downcast expression on his face, and
chewing neryousiy on tooth-pick, was
walking hurriedly up and down the
Office of a city hotel Once he stepped
up and looked over the register, and
then he would walk towards the door
and fatten. his nose against fine glass
and gaze wildly out into the street.
Then he would walk around some more
and look at everyone in the room with
wild, hunted, anxious look. which
showed plainly that he wanted to see
some one, and wanted to see him bad
too. He kept up the circus so long that
finally the proprietor walked up to him
and said:
What seems to be the trouble. young
man? You've either got to stop canter-
ing around this office or get out, one or
the other. I'd Just as soon have a wild
hyena tramping about the office. Lost
a friend, going to have d fit, or what
ais YOU. >
s'See here, mister" said the sad Young
man. as he took the tooth-pick out of
his mouth and spit at the spittoon with
an excited, nervous effort, Il don't want
you to get mad. I'm in trouble, the
worst way, and I'm waiting for a friend
who | know is in town, as | see his
name on the register, and l want to see
him and get him to help me out came
down here last night, and [ got into a
little game of poker, and got done up,
and now want to see my friend and get
him to help me home. >
The hotel man told him that was all
right, but to stop his prancing around,
or he would be obliged to shut him up
in the coal shed until his "'friena' came
around.
The yodng man walked out towards
the door, and presently his friend came
in, and the twain walked out the door
and down the street, the nervous young
man explaining to his chum how it was
that he came to get s'floored,n and ask,
ing for a loan till he got home
The hotel man turned to by-stander
and said: That's just the way it goes,
and that makes the third case of that
kind that I've seen this winter. These
Young suckers from some little town,
come down here with few dollars, and
get in with the boys, and expect to play
the eve-teeth out of them, and 90 back
hefne with half the money in Milwaukee
III their pants pocket. | don't believe
there is bigger fool on earth than a
young man who has learned to- play
poker little, and who gets mashed on
the game. and has played with theother
bows in his town for kernels of corn, out
in the barn, Sundays, when the folks
were at church, till he thinks he knows
more about the game than the oldest
gambler in the country. In every little
town, almost, on earth, there Is just
such gang of young men, who get an
insight into the game of poker, and get
so they can open a jack pot for four
kernels of corn and not blush, or come
out of Il game ahead, when playing
penny ante with their chums. and ten
chances to one there is one of the num-
Der who has more gall than the rest,
who imagines himself thoroughbred,
and who makes up his mind to go to
some large place and win a few hundred
dollars, and come home and make his
chums' eyes hang out when he shows
them his pile. He goes to work carry
ing in coal or driving team, and saves
up fifty or sixty dollars, and buys a
ticket for some large city. He scorns
the idea of purchasing u return trip
ticket, as he thinks he will have a big
stake when. he gets ready to return
home, and he can stand it better to pay
railroad fare. Well. he gets to the city
and hunts up some gambling rooms,
that he has read about in the Local
paper, and he sits into game along
with a lot of old chaps, old enough tc
be his father, and he thinks he has
struck snap, and wonders what such 9
crow of old buffers know about poker,
anyway. He commences to play and
the first thing he knows the old fellows
make bets that causes the hair to stand
and his face turns red, aud his shoes
are full of the perspiration that leaks
| out of him as it would out of tin wat<l
cooler. He thinks be ought to show
| what sand he has, as he used 10. at home
| and he makes an effort to raise a bale
| headed old party ont of his boots by
making n big bet, bnt when the show
| down" comes and he finds that he has
/ been betting against one of the bigges
1 hands he ever saw in his life, he get:
| more nervous than ever, and he goes i
| blind, and it don't take more than IA few
| minutes before he is laid out fatter thar
| a tramp, the old buffers have got his
money, and as they ask him to take :
| cigar or something TO kind o smooth i
over, he feels sick, and wishes he has
never seen a pack OF cards. Then b,
does Just what YOU saw that young feel
low doing just now. Gets some fellow
whom he happens to meet from his ma
| tive place to loan him money enough Il
take him home, and he departs, poorer
and confeuldef sight wiser than h,
| was when he came ito town. Oh, yol
bet | know how it is with this class O
Young men," and the hotel man sighed
| and shook his head, and walked away
-Peek's sam.