The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-03-19
REAL LIFE.
How Little People Know About Their
Neighbors.

Very little is really known of the lives
of many people in New York. Acquaint-
ances are formed and ripcn into intima-
cy among people who know nothing of
one another's antecedents. and there
are many people who pass for being
thoroughly respectable, whose lives
would not bear much scrutiny. ! knew
Il family once on Lexington avenue who
were popular and well liked i'm the
neighborhood. The wife was Il pretty
and hospitablc little woman, and the
two daughters. who were Just OF age,
were bright engaging and well-hred
girls. Everything about the house was
well ordered. and il was rs happy n
little family as one would wish to see.
The husband, who was tall and rather
gaunt man, was somewhat irregular in
his hours, but this was generally ac-
counted for by the fact that he was sup
posed to be in the Associated Press.
knew the people for years and never
suspected anything wrong until one
night when happened to be in a club
in Twenty-ninth street, where there was
Il very brisk game of baccarat going on.
There were about forty men, all more or
less known about town, seated around
the green table, and two young club
men who had bought the bank for
$4,000, Were raking in the money by
the hatful. Everybody was losing eX-
cept the bankers Most of the faces
were solemn and ill-natured, though
| there were a few that were flushed and
| five or six that were rs calm and I'M
| perturbable rs though cut out of stone.
do t.l~ a,,1
| neglected to fill orders, and so great
was the run of luck toward the bank
| that the smooth-faced young clerk, who
sat within his big iron cage and sold
chips to the players, had climbed upon
| his desk within his cage so rs TO look
over the heads of the players at the
| table. At one end of the table the cards
were dealt to nervous little chap who
had lost very heavily, and whose hand
shook SO that he turned over one of tho
cards. The banker saw il. The flushed
| player called for another card. 1t was
turned up suddenly, though it was not a
| nine, and i'm an instant there was a
false play and IN instantaneous howl
| from the players. ! never heard any
thing like it before in my life. The
room was still rs death until the false
play, and then the roar broke out as
suddenly as though one had thrust a
red-iron into Il tigers face. All the men
were heavy losers and nasty spirit
| pervaded the apartment. The players
sprang to their feet. everybody shouted
at once and the walters deity closed the
/ doors. The uproar was ut its height
when the clerk jumped down from his
desk and pulled II bell violently, at the
same moment he quickly slammed the
window of his little cage. bolted it.
sank back and calmly lighted Il cigar
cite The door Of the adjoining room
opened quickly, and was slammed to
with bang that could be heard above
the din. The players turned their heads,
| and there in the door was standing the
tall and gaunt head OF the family in
| Lexington avenue, whom ] had known
for live years. He was precisely as
had always seen him. His frOck coat
hung in loose folds upon his attenuated
| figure, he held cigar firmly in the side
/ OF his mouth and his cold blue eyes were
| utterly devoid of animation; his cheek
bones were high and his head bald. As
he came in he was appealed to by a
dozen voices ut once. He threw a
glance around, saw the pile of bills on the
table, noted the players. and then asked
if his decision would be accepted by all
the parties if he gave it. There was a
more or less general acquicsccnce. and
then he walked to the middle of the
table, placed his skinny fingers to.
gether, and, i'm the tone of Il Methodist
preacher. calmly laid down the rule OF
the game. He spoke with labored 20.
likeness. and looked around from face to
face with Il friendly smile us he enunci,
ated word after word distinctly. He
seemed to be long while getting il
out, but it was evident that he was anX
ious TO give the players time to cool off q
bit. After his haranSue he solemnly
added: There can't be question Of
doubt, gentlemen. about this decision
have known the point to have come
up fifty times in Paris and so universal
ly is the ruling understood that it nc
longer raises even word. 1t is. &C
cepted at once as final " Then he said
something about the impossibility O
everybody being winner, grinnet
again, asked the players as specia
favor to drink the health of famou.
bull dog he was bringing over from
London, and within ten minutes the
gate of the iron cage was thrown oper
by the smiling clerk, half case O
champagne had been drunk, and tn,
J game was proceeding calmly. AS h,
went back into his little room to con
tinue game of poker with few