Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1893-04-07
Why He Swere on.

lV, 10 a Free freSS reporter P'o!
no games Of chance any more, not
even the simplest kind, for money
Won't you pitch pennies per-
sisted his companion.
That least OF all, he said, visioly
affected
WHY not - asked the other.
do you see this dollar !! he said
taking cart wheel from his pocket
We'll. thereby hangs Il tale. Listen:
Ten years ago | Was, aud had been
for five years, travelling for oiE
diamond importing house in New
York. aud as usual carried with ms
u large number of gems, often having
as much as fifty thousand dollars
worth. One day four OF Us all in the
SAME line met in Denver aud thRt
evening We were drinking and match
ing dollars in my room. Ii was
hobby of mine, as II was one OF the
other men, FraAk T., who was a. IN
veterGte = hatcher "a ever the late
John T. Raymond was Well, We
drank and matched, and Kept NJ II
until We began To toss up five dollars
\ toss. aud the other two soon backed
out and watched Us. | guess W.
were both pretty drunk, for before
knew il We had made a pot of hun
drcd dollars. aud were tossing best
two i'm three for il | lost aud lost
again, aud then, having no more
money, put up a diamond against
his pile. | lost that, TOO, aud then
put up two against his money aud
What had been my diamond, aud thar
time | won.
think we were both half crazy
now. for Frank pulled out one OF the
pocket books from the inside OF his
vest aud laid it open on the table.
and asked me angrily il | dared to
match it, or course | dared, aud |
dared more. | put down beside It all
mine. valued at wholesale rates at
$50. 900, aud he emptiSd his other vest
pocket to an equal sum. Our two
friends tried to stop Us, but we were
wild. and would listen to nothing
Frank threw first, aud | called
tails 1t came heads Ii made
me shiver. Then | threw heads
and he called tails aud we were
/ even. don't know how ! felt ss he
picked up the dollar, and | looked at
those glittering gems, for / don't
know anything clearly, though | had
a vague idea that some one would oe
| ruined forever on the next throw.
| Frank tossed the dollar TO the ceiling,
/ and | called heads. 1t struck the
/ floor and rolled over toward the
register. All four Of us made Il rush
for it, aud Frank fell hesdlong. The
dollar had dropped through the graf
! ing. aud was lying on the closed shut
ters Of the register. just below.
Get u match, | almost shrieked.
| stepped back, aud my foot struck
Frank. He did not move. | bent
down and shook him. He was s;ill
| tried to cry out, but could not. The
other two men caught hold Of him
then and turned him over. His face
was blue aud the blood WAS gushing
from his mouth. He had died in an
instant. The three were sober men
| i'm a second, and at once alarmed the
landlord aud sent for physician, but
he might as well not have come. He
! told Us death had been instantaneous.
put my diamonds back into my
pockets, and took care Of Franks
aud the balance Of the stakes /
divided, taking what had put up
and setting his aside, and the next
morning we started home with poor
Franks body
How about the dollar in the reg
:ster T. asked the listener. Who
won 2
"Oh. " aid the old drummer, with
start, IL almost forgot that part OF
it, / never thought OF that dollar
till lust before We left, aud going
back | fshed it out and put il in my
pocket, and this is it. i was heads
No wonder you don't gamble any
more" exclaimed the listener, with
sigh OF relief. Let's go and take a
drink as forgotten
And | don't drink any more,
either, said the old drummer, very
quietly.