Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1891-05-09

ner pretty race SS ureCCly dS though SHo
had already reached Oklahoma and they
were chance acquaintance across a
table in a concert hall. Her desire to
impress him favorably was gone, and
without waver of gaze or voice she
shortly answered: "My dads gambler,
and he's down ON his luck. If he's to play
for grubstakes he'll do three-card-monte
in the streets till l get an engagement.
If he strikes it rich enough he'll deal
faro in den of his own"
"And your Will exclaimed, shocked
by what she had said and her way of
saying it, but with no idea that she had
spoken otherwise than heedlessly; s'what
does he intend to do with you?"
Didn't you yourself say had face
to bewitch with?" and she held her visage
still for him to examine. "Oh, Dad II
do very well with me in Oklahoma.
Meanwhile that reprehensible father
was seated with Aleck Wiams ten rods
distant. A fiat stone was between them,
and on it's smooth surface were the cards
and cash Of game of poker. The moon
made light enough for the players, and
they were engaged so earnestly that no
other talk than the play required was
INDUCED in. When they spoke it was in
very low voices, too, and it was mani
fest that they did not care to be dis
covered. Neither man could have told,
if he had tried to, exactly how the game
had been brought about, nor could either
have recalled anything in his own case
but eagerness for it.
Jack High had airily remarked at the
beginning, as he drew his only dollar from
vest pocket. There's plenty where that
came from, and SO there was if he meant
the government mint; but Wiams did
not demand an insight Of the pocket,
and SO the first bluff in this game o:
poker was made and won by the profes-
sional gambler. Nordid he require other
capital than that single dollar. He
played to the end of the first hand with
only the coin and promissory words, and
afterward he had steadily increasing
number of bank notes provided by
Wiams' losses Luck and skill allied
themselves on his side of the stone, and
his accumulation of one dollar and two
dollar bills at length bulged the pockets
that had been empty before.
"Oh, here you be, gents?' and the in
truding figure of Old Jugg Brown stood
before the players. "Yes-here you be" !"
His inebriety had passed off, and he
was not only sober but also pompous
with the official duty of being the night
watchman Of the camp. He was too un-
trustworthy to be hired for regular
work, manual or mental; yet on his
sons account, and under the regulating
influence Of that circumspsct young
man, he was employed to guard the port
able property of the expedition while
the rest of the company slept. He was
now making his first slow, sauntering
round for the evening, and he promptly
intermitted his patrol to sit down.
''Playin' fer keeps, too" he continued,
with wistful eyes on the several bills
that lay on the stone.
"Hush!" said Wiams, and Old Jugg
obeyed. for Wiams was man of impor-
tance.
"Hush!" said Jack High, but this time
Old Jugg was about to fiout the COM
mand, for who was this frayed vagabond
that he should presume to dictate silence?
At that instant Jack High won stake,
and wadded the money into pocket al
ready full.
"G-r-a-cious g-u-d-nessy" Old Jugg ex-
claimed, indulging his mannerism CT
spelling out the first syllable with
more convincing emphasis than orthog-
raphy, yet keeping his voice down to 1,
hoarse whisper; but you're a winner,
sure--sure. You didn't have dollar
when you struck the camp
"Pray. don't interrupt u.s." Jack High
hastily interposed.
"Oh. don't let me poster you. What
wants to jine into jine in"
Cant be done without money" said
Wiams, who knew that Will Browns
discipline of the erring father permitted
no money to him when within days
walk of barroom; $50 you're barred
out"
Old Jugg heaved deep sigh and
walked away only to return five min
utes later. He squatted by the stone,
covertly disclosed gold watch in his
palm and said, with u fiabby attempt at
braggadocio, docs my watch go for ten
dollars? Say, does it go?"
With quick look Of inspection. but
without touching the watch, Jack High
remarked that as for him he never re-
jected gentleman's collateral. 1t was
Aleck Wiams who should have declined
the offer. because he recognized the
watch at glance as belonging to Boss
Donald. and instantly reasoned that Old
Jugg, made desperate by possible
chance to get some whisky money, trust
ing to luck to restore the timepiece, and
induced by his ravening appetite for al
cohol to lapse in his redeeming quality OF
honesty, had sneekingly stolen it. But
Wiams assented to third hand at the
game. and the watch figured in lieu of
money in Old Jugg's bets. But not for
long. Its thief. who viewed himself as
boomer, was soon an unperturbed
player, with the watch safe in his pocket
and dozen bank notes besides. Some
thing like $500 had been won from
Wiams by the two others when the loser
Il