, 1884-06-12
TAKING A TAP.
Hig Betting in the Flush Days OF
California

Philadelphia TimeAI
Monte was the great California game In
80" said G. II have seen many a big stake
made or lost at it"
What was tho biggest single bet you ever
saw nader
Sixteen thousand dollars. There was a
little gambler in Frisco who used to deal it;
Sandy Jackson was his name. He came, il
am not mistaken, from somewhere in New
England. George Walton, the banker, wan
dered into his place "a little full one night,
and, after looking around rather unsteadily
for a moment, laid his hand on Sandy'I
shoulder, and said:
"'Sandy, how much in the bank to-nightF
"The other players turned to look at
the newcomers handsome, intelligent, but
rather dissipated looking face. Sandy took
stock of his pile. 1t had been a lucky night
for him. "A thousand ounces he replied
$4,000.
"'Will you take a tap, Sandyr asked the
banker.
SANDY seemed to study for a moment. He
was evidently a little staggered at the reck-
less proposition. The lights shons full on his
peaked, old-mannish features (he was barely
turned of 30. countless f~reckles, sandy hair,
and little %twinkling, ferret's eyes. He fixed
his gaze on the window so intently that his
eyes seemed TO pierce the panes and the dark
IN ~ III - DUN hJAlAu u II
his hands opened and shut nervously. Sud-
denly the lines about his mouth tightened;
be leaned back in his chair, and, turning his
face 10 look up at Walton, uttered the one
word, Yes
"The banker seemed a little surprised. He
evidently did not think that his offer would
be accepted. Still he was too proud and
too game q man to weaken now. So he
walked over to n side table, and, drawing
n blank check from his pocketboob, filed it
in for the amount named, scrubbed his name
at the bottom, and tossed IL over to Sandy
with the remark: is that all rightf
"Sandy glanced at it. All right, l guess, ,
he muttered; does it goP
"The banker nodded. The gamblers Mt the
other tables stopped playing, and clustered
around this one to see the result. In monte
the first card shown is for the dealer, the
second for the player. Sandy turned up two
tho first was n queen, the second a nine.
Sandy placed them next each other a few
inches apart. The room was still as death.
SANDY gave n quick glance around the
gallery md then began to pull away tho
cards from the bottom one by one. He was
as white as n ghost, but otherwise betrayed
no emotion, nor would any ono AVE sup
posed that all he had in the world was at
stake.
"The excitement grew intense as card after
card was removed and not a nine nor a face
cnri showed itself. Ten, deuce, eight, four,
ace, Ska dozen or moro cards had been
shown whom Sandy paused; the card be
meath the one he was pulling had a thin layer
of color along its edge-it must DO n face
card; but was it n queen, or only Il jack or u
kingf
Sandy paused, and, taking his handker-
chief out Of his pocket, passed it lightly over
his face, and then replaced it Again he
pressed his finger against the bottom card,
and, as it slowly yielded, n hoarse voice
behind Sandy's chair called out: "A queen,
by
"Sandy's face was tho color of ashes, but
all he said was:
AZ leave for the states in the mornin'.'
%Then he picked up the check, and, folding
1t up carefully, placed it in IN enormous red
morocco pocket-book. Games closed for to-
night, he remarked, in answer to a question.
Come, boys, let's go to the Belle of the West.
aud I'll set up the wine for the crowd
"As the boys filed down the creaking stair
way one very old, white-haired gambler whis-
pered to another, loud enough for me to hear;
"'The slickest / ever see. Must n lone Il
when he wiped his face on that thar hnndker
cheri,in