The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1886-11-19
THEIR LAST GAME
Faro Jack Deals and His Friend. ths OF
Man, Plays and Wins.

/ ndans rays ana WINS.
short and n lean man stood in front
OF one of the windows of the Union depot
| and looked out into the street His face
was pale, his cheeks sunken, and his
eyes had sn unnatural brightness.
smile played over his pale face and
brought into greater prominence his
black. bright eyes as an elderly man
walked up to him.
did you take that medicine. Jackf"
Queried the new conner.
No" replied the invalid Jack, with
some dif1culty. E" It makes me sick.
don't see no show for my life on that lay.
anyway"
The elderly man chided him for his
lack of hope, and soon Jack was encased
In heavy overcoat, and, assisted by his
elderly companion, was moving out In
the depot in the direction of train on
the Chicago, Milwaukee and st. Paul
road
A third party stepped up, q st. Paul
gambler he was, and shook the invalid
by the hand, and was introduced by the
latter to his elderly companion.
Queer bus ness, that" remark ed the
st. Paul member of the sporting gentry
as he stood in the depot and watched the
train bearing the invalid and his friend
move out.
THE sick man Is Jack Talbot, Cne Of
the sleekiest faro dealers that ever ham
known generally as Faro Jack, and his
chief lay has been in Louisville. His
pal is a reformed faro fat, and is Jacks
best friend.
Its purity good thing for Jack 20
have such a role to play to now that he's
getting near the end of his life's game.
Jacks n sick man, and guess he's about
ready TO pass in his checks and end the
last deal. But he's grit to the very Last,
and will die like q man whom 1t comes
his turn.
The old man lived In Louisville, and
got to gambling. ] guess he always
played poker, but faro hit him so hard
after he first played 1t that he could not
lot II alone. He played it every night,
and was big loser. He kept losing
right along, as he struck g bad stroak Of
luck and couldn't WI q single bet.
All the dealers got onto him. and
the regular players got to oopporing the
old mans bet, SO sure were they OF his
losing. He quit betting big. and after .
while went broke, after dropping few
dollars.
He was getting hard up and was
seedy. His clothes looked tough, ana
he was generally run down.
Jack handled the faro box at the
place where he had dropped most OF his
money. In those days Jack was ono OF
the best-looking men in kentucky, and
dressed like a king. He was a great
hand for the women-Jack, / mean-And
was dead masher.
lone day jack was coming down from
the rooms where he had Just been deal
ing. 1t was bis turn on. He was
dressed to Kill.
AS he came down the stairs and out
on the street a young woman In black
with a veil attempted to pass him and
force hcr way up stairs.
Jack was Interested in q second, and,
b. 4 It, -
gamblinS rooms. She told him her
story; how her father was addicted to
faro, and how he had lost every hing
and had pawne her dead mothers we'd
ding ring. and was then up I'm the gam
bling rooms. She showed her face while
sho was talking, and was as purity as
picture and when she asked Jack to
send her father. he agreed to IL quicker
than you can say Jack Robinson.
Right back up those stairs Jack
wont. and, cn,c ching sight OF the old man.
who WIS watching the game. spoke to
him and told him some one down stairs
wanted TO eee him. The old man and
Jack went down on the street
'' l cont know how II happened but
Jack and the girl became ri .nds or at
least shc tried TO get Jack 10 quit play
lag, and also made a play a. him 70 got
the old man to stop.
She died. / guess her Geath was
DTpus III Ntl DY nbI Ihln6T OlSRThC9 and
thoir c nnged mode of living for the old
Ian was used to live In bang-up stS 10.
Wh,n she died she made Jack promise
20 gu.t playing and to get her old man
10 Q:it.
They buried her. and the best layout
OF overs Oh the coffin came from Jack.
Tie old man VAS kinder broke up and
was Jack. OF course nobody over
knew Just how 1t happened but jack and
tho old man had a talk; thoy both fcIt
down In the mouth. and Jack gave the
old follow n pointer about quitting. The
old man "aid his luck must change, and
that as soon as ha made winning he'd
quit.
Jack dealt his last night. for he'd
given 1t out that he was going TO get out
OF the business. The old man wus play
ing at Juck's tAblo.
The old man began to win. and kept
on winning. He had all the chip, in
front OF him, and cashed them ia and
kept on play ing. He hardly lost bet,
and played the limit as soon as he saw
II was his n ght 10 win.
"Thcy quit play on him, and no
cnshed in his checks and had good
many thousand dollars In his POCKETS
wien he left
The proprietor, after the bank was
closed said something to Jack about
playing q brace game against tha
bank. JACK shot him on the spot. He
dldn Kill him, but cverybOd thought
he would die, and ia. X woit to prison
and was there for long time.
Tho old man camo to him a. soon
as no learned of the trouble and stuck to
him through thick and thin. He never
played again znd bIsced right up. As
soon a. Jack could be got out of prison,
the old man took care OF him and nnal-
ly cleared him on the charge of attempt
10 Kill, for he was q lawyer, and . good
one. too.
don't know whether the old man
thought that Jack had cheated for him
In that last play or not l guess they
oont Talk much about It. It's = queer
thing. anyway. St Paul GlobeL