Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1885-01-30

eyes, sir, that's the very same taDie
OH which Mr.. Clay used 10 lose the
greater part OF his Congressional salary.
AS sale, Clay and Bright sat down to
play at eight o'clock. Now, DICK,
said Mr.. Clay, as the game began, sun
derstand that l cannot play later than
twelve o'clock. promised to attend
church i'm Alexandria to morrow morn
ing, anG don't want to go there look
ing as II had been up all night.
"The blind was fifty cents, 81 to come
in, and no limit to bets. In those days
there was no limit, as there generally
is now. All man could demand was
a sight for his money. The cards were
cut and Clay got the first deal. lie was
a noted card-shuffler. He could hold
his hands four feet apart and fly the
cards from one To the other without a
single card falling. His fav0rite style
was to mix the cards from the ends and
not from the sides, holding Il dalf-deck
i'm each hand, flirting the ends with his
thumbs, and mixing them into Il per-
feet pack with one movement. He usu-
ally dealt with one hand, with scarcely
perceptible movement of the arm, his
long, muscular fingers enabling him lie
throw each card to its proper place. But
Clay was not good poker-playcr. Like
most intellectual men, he played for the
excitement, not for gain, and, as rule,
he was so careless about his bets that
he came out loser. He had passion
for big bets, and he rarely failed to
straddle the blind or raise the bet after
the game got fairly started. So, if the
luck came his way, he would win heav-
lily as long as it lasted. But he was
great buffer, and bet high whether he
had the cards or not. The men he
played with. found this out, of course,
and he never came of Il prolonged game
without being fleeced.
"For nearly two hours that night Clay
had everything his own way with
Bright. If he didn't hold a king-full
four times hand-running, followed by Il
jack-full, then hope may be shot for
lying. Bright tried his best to catch
Clay in bluff, but it was no use. Clay
came to the front every time with
hand that nothing but tours could
phase. At 1890 Bright had lost 81 800,
and had borrowed $500 from John Han
cock. After that Clay's luck deserted
him, but he failed to recognize it. He
continued To bet rs high OH pair OF
deuces as he had been betting on ace
full. By midnight he had lost all his
winnings and $1,000 besides, all the
cash he had with him.
"I guess we'd better quit, said
Bright, 'as you want to go to church
Tomorrow
"'Oh! blow the church., replied
Clay; do you suppose | want to hear a
man preach right OH top of losing 81 900
at poker? Not much. You just lend
me $500 and let the game go on
$50 the game proceeded, and at day
light Clay was in debt to Bright to the
amount of 81 800, and that il the way it
stood when the game ended. | learned
aflerward, from Hancock, that Clay
liquidated that debt by giving Bright
deed to 800 acres of Kentucky land and
transferring to him six shares of stock
i'm Louisville Bank"
$50 Clay didn't go to church that
morning?" the old-timer was asked.
"Well, was just going to tell you
about that. | am not rsponsible for the
story, as l was not there, and have no
personal knowledge of it. But, us told
then, Clay went to his room that sun
day morning, shortly after daylight, to
90 to bed. But he took sudden reso-
luton togo to Alexandria, anyhow,
and keep his church engagement. He
went in the carriage of Il friend. Quite
a crowd followed him when he went
out to get in his carriage. There num-
Der of people were presented to Mr..
Clay, among them the rector of the
church. The story was that while he
was talking to the reverend gentleman,
Clay put his hand in his pocket to pull
out his handkerchief, and in doing this
q pack of cards was suddenly spilled on
the ground. Clay was not the least
abashed, but deliberately gathered up
the cards, replaced them in his pocket,
and remarked to the minister and others
who were standing there that friend
had put the cards in his pocket as
practical joke.