The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1890-11-21

her and as polite us IL French dane
ing muster. i don't want your
dollars. I've dollars enough OF my
own. You say I've cheated you. II
have l deserve KILN. If you've
lied on me you deserve the same.
To settle the matter Ill play YOU
the best game in three for tile first
shot. Ii win shall have the pleas.
urc OF blowing out your brains, and
If lose you may do the same to me.
1.-The men round about shouted.
That's your sort, Tommy.
That'll settle it one way or t'otler,
and we'll see fair play, id il we
don'tn
"Our Arkinsaw friend li,ln t seem to
fancy the notion much, but after all
his buster he couldn't refuse Just for
shame.
"lll play you at scvcn-up,' lie
grunted out.
ave took our places opposite one
another and set to work. Thecrowd
closed around us, and Aston, my
Alabama friend, stood ut my bnck.
While the three games lasted l don't
believe he once took his eyes off the
man from Arknnsaw. ! don't believe
lle even so much as winked.
"Well to cut long story short, l
won the first game, the bully won
the second, and then We set to on the
third, final, and fatal game. There
wnrn't u word spoken 'mongst the
crowd. and, 'cordin' to the old say
in, twas 80 still you could have
heard IL. pin drop. You see mans
life was ut stake, and though human
lie wasn't thought much of in
them diggin's, the whole .proceetin'
was so queer that the boys was sor-
ter struck of a heap. and watched us
'thout hardly DRAWN long breath.
1.-THE first hand l held high and
and low, t'other TELLER turned the jucI
and made game. So fur We were
even. l begged in the next hand,
and the TELLER, havin' pretty good
show, and thinkin', l suppose, from
me beggin' TINT l hadn't u trump,
gave me one rather than run the
cards. He played nee for high, and
tray for low, butsI happened to hold
the deuce and cut under him. had
gift and low, he scored high and
game; the jack warn't out and were
even yet.
IL dealt the lust hand and I'm
proud to remember now that my fin
gers didn't tremble any more'n the
bluff kinney's ranch was built on. l
won't shy but u thought of home
and mother went through me sharp
as the bully's knife could have done,
but I'd have been shot, not once but
twenty times, before I'd have shown
u glimpse of the white feather then.
''ie took up his hand, I can't for
my life tell you why but ! never
touched mine. just set still and
stared at the other man. Helooked
sortcr glum, hesitute,l q minute,
then begged.
Il felt desperate and determined
to end it one way or the other. 1t
seemed to me 'twouldn't make no
sorter difference what our cards was,
l felt like something, l can't say
whit, had taken the matter clean
out ofour hands and was going to
settle it for us.
"l'll give you onc,' said quietly.
"What! without looking ut your
cards?
"'Yes. without seeing my cards?"
Gle tried his best to keep his face
straight and look solemn, hut his
mouth would grin and his little pig
eyes twinkled.
"Withn boastful flourish he led out
the king OF trumps. Then, ut last, l
took up my hand. Ace. deuce, jack
and queen stared me in the face.
Never in my life, before nor since, did
Ihold such hand at cards!
II took his king with my ace and
led back the queen, on which he play
ed the trey.
al recon that's low, anyhow, said
he, hut he didn't look quite SO pleas
nntly as before.
"'i recon not said I, and coolly
showed him the deuce,
"His jaw dropped and his eyes
looked like they would pop out oflis
head. In IL minute more l led out
the inck and his ten-spot tumbled to
it. Then the man shouted High, low,
jack, and the game, by-p'
Before the shout half died away O.
pistol shot. went off with sharp
crack right over head, and the Ar
kansaw bullyjumped three feet in the
air and fell dead with his drawn re-.
volver in his hand.
You'd a sharp squeak for your
life that time, Tommy said Aston,
returning his smokeing gun to his
belt. IF I'd been IL second Inter
you'd have been lying where he is.
The mean cuss! he's gone where he
may cheat the devil:it lie can, but lie
won't play nomore tricks in Texas.
We play on the square here. Reckon
he knows it by now" New Orleans
Times Democrat.