The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-02-05
REAL LIFE.
How Little People in Large Cities Know
About Their Neighbors.

How k1ttlo feOphO IN loh8o Ossies noVW
About Their Neishbors.
Worry little is reall known of the lives
of many people in New York. Ac-
quaintances are formed and ripened
into intimacy 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 family once on Lexington aven-
ne who were popular and well liked in
the neighborhood. The wife was a
pretty and hospitable little woman. and
the two daughters. who were just OF
age, were bright. engaging and we'll
bred girls. Everything about the house
was well ordered, and it was as happy
little family as one would wish to see.
The husband, who was a tall and rather
gaunt man, was somewhat irregular in
his hours, but this was generally &C
counted for by the fact that he was sup
posed to be i'm the Associated Press.
knew the people for years and never
suspected anything wrong until one
night when ] happened to be in club
in Twenty-ninth street, where there was
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 50 900.
were raking in the money by the hatful.
Everybody was losing except the bank
ers. Most of the faces were solemn
and ill-natured, though there were
few that were flushed and five
or six that were as calm and imper-
turbable as though cut out of stone.
The walters stood over the table and
neglected to fill orders, and SO great
was the run of luck toward the bank
that the smooth-faced young clerk, who
sat within big iron cage and sold
chips to the players, had climbed upon
his desk within his cage so as to look
over the heads of the players at the
table. At one end of the table the
cards were dealt to a nervous little chap
who had lost very heavily, and whose
hand shook so that he turned over one
of the cards. The banker saw it. The
flushed player called for another card.
1t was turned up suddenly, though it
was not nine, and in an instant there
was false play and an instantaneous
howl from the players. Inever heard
IN, thing like it before in my life. The
room was still as death until the false
play. and then the roar broke out as
suddenly as though one had thrust a
red-hot iron into 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 at its
height when the clerk jumped down
from his desk and pulled bell violent
ly; at the same moment he quickly
slammed the window of his little cage,
bolted it, sank back and calmly
lighted cigarette. The d or 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 tail and gannt
head of the family in Lexington avenue,
whom had known for five 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 we're utterly devoid of
animation; his cheek-bones were high
and his head bald. As he came in he
was appealed to by dozen voices at
once. He threw glance around, saw
PLAYERS, and then asked if his decision
would he accepted by all the parties if
he gave it. There was more or less
general acquicscence, and then he
walked to the middle of the table, placed
his skinny fingers together and calmly
laid down the rule of the game. He
spoke with labored politeness. and
looked around from face to face with a
friendly smile as he enunciated word
after word distinctly. He seemed to be
long while getting it out, but ii was
evident that he was anxious to give the
PLAYERS time too cool off a bit. After
his harangue he solemnly added:
There can't be q question of doubt,
gentlemen, about this decision. l
have known the point to have come up
fifty times in Paris and SO universally is
the ruling understood that it no longer
raises even word. 1t is accepted at
once as final" Then he said something
about the impossibilty of everybody
being a winner, grinned again, asked
the players as special favor to drink
the health of famous bulldog he was
bringing over from London, and within
ten minutes the gate of the iron cage
was thrown open by the smiling clerk,
half a case of champagne had been
drank, and the game was proceeding
camly. As he went back into his little
room to continue game of poker with
a few cronies, the proprietor of the club
which, by the way, is nothing more than
a gambling house, grinned pleasantly to
me and said: Zone pleasant thing about
meeting here is that neither one of us
will care to refer to it outside" then he
nodded, grinned lightly again and
lounged out of sight: That is the sort
of an Associated Press agent he was.
l doubt very much if his daughters
knew his business, but l suppose his wife
did. She was one of the most hOmelike
and delightful of women. l suppose it
is the gamblers plan to retire before
long and make even more pronounced
assumption of responsibility than he did
now. 1t is astounding how thoroughly
things can be concealed in New York.
Men lead double lives for years without
any one being the wiser for it. And so
little do people care for accurate knowl-
edge concerning their ne;ghbors that
they lazily accept any sort of an excuse
that is offered for a suspicious circum-
stance.-Brook!yn Eagle.
Selection of Trees.
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