Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1890-07-26

Mighty Uncertain Game Even for One
who is Master of the Cards.

A Mighty Uncertain Game Even for One
who is Master of the Cards.
Il never play cards in earnest, said
Hermann the other night. Those who
know me, wouldn't play with me any
how, and, of course, | wouldn't take any
advantage of those who don't. But | re-
member one night, not thousand years
ago, that, in order to amuse a few
friends, | sat down to a quiet little game
of poker. You Sc it was this way. l
met the friends and was introduced to
an innocent-looking youth of the dude
persuasion, whose face was as vacant in
expression as pound of putty. This
youth had been Dragging of his powers as
a poker player. and had made the others
so tired that they Whispered to me to
take the conccit out of him just for the
fun there was in it. | was ready and
we sat down.
an Philadelphia
BLESS you. no. They don't play poker
in Philadelphia. This was iii. Well,
when we began the came | allowed the
youngster to VIM III order to get him
interested, and, the better to en- Joy the
circus, the others dropped out, and my
victim and myself had the table to our
selves. OF course, | was to give him
back whatever | won from him-that
was understood. We didn't play with
chips, as we had none, but made the
game a quarter ante and a dollar limit,
so that we could use money without
making any awk ward change. Every
time my callow friend won pot he put
the silver and bills i'll his pocket and
would chip in the stuff as he needed it.
After he had won a respectable pile be-
gan to get my work in, and by handling
and dealing the cards in my own pecul-
lar way | soon had his pile in fair way
to innocuous desuetude Occasionally |
would let him win, just to keep the fun
up, and | don't know but what | en-
joyed my opponents innocence as much
as did my friends. But all things must
have an end. Finally l cleaned him out,
much to his surprise, and ordered bot
tie. My friends couldn't keep it in any
longer.
4 say, old man. said one, do you
know who you've been playin' with?
So Yes" replied my victim, calmly :;
Herman, the magician, and he's good
PLAYER This was somewhat of sur
prise all round But l laughed and
handed him back the money | had won.
He wouldn't take it. No, sir. Said l
had won it had he won mine he would
have kept it, and under no consideration
would he take it back. That was not his
way of playing poker. 1t was no use
for me to protest to tell him that | had
deliberately robbed him. He was sorry
that he had got in with a man who did
not play square game, but that it was
his lookout. He ought to have seen that
he was being tleeced, but as he had been
feeced and with his eyes open, too, he
was not the man to squeal. L tell you L
felt mean. | didn't think it half SO funny
then as did before. But all | could do
or say made no impression on my victim,
and with dignified bow he left us.
Gall can do said to one of my
friends, will be to give this money to
some charitable institution.
Then l gave the waiter one of the
bills had won to pay for the wine. He
came back with it, and the information
that it was a counterfeit Yes, sir. That
guileless youth had won my good money
and rung in over hundred dollars worth
of paper on me that wasn't worth cent
a pound. I'm pretty good on handling
cards, but poker is a mighty uncertain
game-mighty uncertain.
Beware of unprofessional advice, and
be chary of independent home dosing.