The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1892-06-04
TWO ACES TOO MANY.
A True Tale Of Old Times on the Mis-
sissippi River.

- AAA4~bO
sissippi River.
"Theres many change up and dowr
the Mississippi since was youngster,
said an old man whom l met just as hi
was drinking . large schooner on tn.
Bowery, the other evening. before TIT
war, sir, those boats were floating palaces
and the people who travelled on them were
able to pay for anything on earth thai
could be supplied to them; and they ex.
pected the best of everything, and they
got it, too.
1.-THE time to see life then thanks, I'll
take the same), was about the last OF the
year, when the planters were travelling
home from New Orleans after selling
their cotton crops. They would have,
every man of them, fortune in his
pocket, and not one had the least concep-
ton of the value of money. As matter
of course, there were gamblers on the
boats. where the carcass is, there will
the eagles be, gathered together, the good
book tells US, and it is true enough.
There was always game of cards-poker
usually-going on in the saloon, and the
gamblers seldom got the worst of it. l
have seen many thousand dollars change
hands in single game; for there was no
such thing as limit recognized, except
ing on the old law that man had show
for his money. You couldn't make him
bet more than he had. Men were very
handy with knives and pistols, too, in
those days, and more than once l have
seen shots fired across the table.
81 never saw but one man killed,
though, and in that case l said, as every
body else in the saloon said: Served
him right Nobody thought he was en-
titled to any show at all, for there was one
thing that put man outside the reach of
human sympathy on the Mississippi when
he was caught at it, and that fellow was
caught dead to rights.
"There was mighty stiff game going
on that night, and some pretty good play
ers had dropped out one after another
when the luck ran too heavily. against
them; but as fast as one man rose from
the table another would take his place,
and the game went on steadily till long
after midnight. Two men sat in all the
time, but luck ran against one and toward
the other from the first. The lucky man
was watched closely by more than one in
the room who knew him for professional
gambler; but although he must have
known it he did not finch. He PLAYED
on as steadily as machine and took his
winnings as though they were pennies in
stead of thousands Of dollars.
"The other man was a youngster. He
couldn't have been more than % or %,
and although he tried to keep from show
ing his excitement, he could not altogeth-
er hide it. He grew paler and paler as
he kept losing, and those who watched
his game saw that he got to playing reck-
lessly and trying to force his luck.
SHE lost over $4,000 before he came to
the end of his money; but after time he
called for show, putting a $500 bill on
the table and saying, That's all l have
GIL never forget the hands that were
shown in that deal. Even the other play.
ers who lost took no pains to conceal their
sympathy with the young fellow for his
hard luck. One of them had small
straight, one had three acres and another
had flush. The youngster had four
sevens, and the lucky player showed down
four Fights. There was not the faintest
show of emotion on his face as he raked
in the largest pot of the evening-there
was more than $4,000 in it-as coolly as
he had done everything else, and picked
up the cards, for it happened TO be his
deal.
"The young man was good grit. He
did not say word in reply to three or
tour ordinations from the other players
and bystanders, but rose from his chair
and turned to leave the table. Pale as
he was before he turned paler yet when
he faced the man who stood behind his
chair. This was stern-looking gentle
man some so years old, but we'll pre-
served, and, as we afterward found out,
with the muscles of giant.
"'Why, fatherr exclaimed the younger
man, I didn't know you were on board
Isl got on at Natchez,' said the father
briefly. How much have you lost9'
"'All had,' said the son in a low tone.
"'And your sisters money2' said the
father, speaking still lower.
"'All gone, too faltered the unhappy
young man; and he wonld have passed
out Of the saloon, but the father said very
sternly: Don't go away, sir and took
the vacant chair with polite question to
the other players as to whether he was
welcome in the game. 1t was form
strictly observed, but objections were
never made in those days to any gentle
man joining in the play when there was
an empty chair at the table.
"The son looked on with astonishment.
why, father he said, Il thought you
never Dlayed' Rnt his father mold M %