The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1894-06-08
SAVED BY A FOLDING BED.

SAVED BY A FOLDING BED.
Utilizing It's Powers as a Motor at a Crisis
In Game of Poker.
''Some people without experience
have been talking about the danger
that turks in folding bed, said Lieut..
Oscar King, at the Lotos club. one
evening. "Well, l know something
about them, and l always salute fold
ing bed. One of them saved me my
commission"
Three men around the table had full
glasses in front of them and they
couldn't get away. They moved un-
easily.
Eyes, gentlemen" said Lieut.. King,
"a folding bed saved my commission,
and | don't like to hear them abused
1t was while 1 was stationed on the
Platte, some years ago, and some of
the comforts of home were missing. My
quarters were small and my cot bed
was uncomfortable. 1 am a rather fat
man, as you see, and after few nights
of troubled sleep on the cot / sent east
for the strongest folding bed that was
made. A circus in country town
wasn't marker on the sensation that
machine caused when it arrived. Fold
ing beds were a novelty in the west
This one weighed nearly ton when
the balance weights were adjusted
and it closed up against the wall
with shock that ratified the
thin partitions 1t was comfortable
and useful in many ways. l found it
more valuable than valet By a simple
scheme taught that folding bed to pull
off my boots and draw corks."
The three men at the table had
emptied their glasses and were again
moving uneasily.
"With me this time, gentlemen"
said the lieutenant. "Waiter, four B.
and S. IS in long glasses Now, as was
telling you," continued Lieut. King,
''this bronco of mine could buck harder
and kick higher than"
s'Folding beds was the text, said one
man.
'And how you saved your commits
sion," said another. The third man
was silent.
"Dear me-" said Lieut.. King, chow
did happen to wander off to broncos?
Well, perhaps my folding bed did sug-
gest my bronco. One saved my COM
mission and the other saved my life.
Both were valuable to me then. Well,
/ have never told the secret of that
folding bed, and you may hear it for
the first time. You must know that
life at frontier post is very dull at
post than any have ever been in.
Shortly after my bed arrived the snow
dropped on us heavy, and our
only amusement was poker. We
got up nice, quiet little game
one Saturday night, five of us, and
started in mildly on a dollar limit.
Perhaps you know how those games
grow. All of us had money, for we
hadn't been able to spend any. l have
written book on poker, you know
and do play pretty stiff game. My
room was the scene of the action, and
1 sat with my back to the folding bed.
At midnight we decided to forget the
limit and play table stakes.
''Luck was dead against me- lost
everything had and then the other
players agreed to take my o US that
l might have an opportunity to do
something. But still luck was against
me. At three o'clock had one thou
sand dollars in paper out, and l knew
that if didn't get some of it back L
should have to throw up my commits
sion and get out. I was losing my
nerve, and a young lieutenant next to
me was forcing his luck. My paper
was thicker around the board than
H.. Io1, Tho
lieutenant who was in luck started a
one hundred dollar jack pot and sug-
gested, just to make it lively, that we
should have a sweetener of ten
dollars Say. that pot was a
corker. We were all stark crazy
at that stage of the game, ready
to gamble for our lives None of us
could afford to play for such stakes,
but that didn't matter. The deal kept
going around, and no one could open
the pot. which increased fifty dollars a
clip. This may seem an exaggeration,
but as I remember the event 1t is not;
that pot was sweetened for an hour
SIT became big pile of o US We
had drinks on every deal Those were
gay days. 1 was getting desperate.
My money was gone. My credit was
nearly exhausted. knew that never
could make good unless 1 opened that
jackpot. An inspiration came to me.
My trusty folding bed! That it stood
behind me, warranted to open nything
from beer to champagne l reached
back, gra bbed it firmly and stealthily
pulled it down. 1t was low trick,
but, as l said, my honor was at stake.
Each man was intent on the game.
He watched cards and not his neigh
bor.
The three men at the table were
breathing hard and listening. They
had forgotten their drinks
LAS l said. pulled that bed down
without attracting attention, and at
tached to it the string that was ON
every U. When it came my turn
loosened my hold on the bed. 1t flew
back. The pot was wide open, and I
was saved. That bed. But the
three men had deserted their drinks
and went upstairs to write complaint
to Chandos Fulton.-N Y. Sun.
A Studious Boy.
Little Dick-I heard your mother tell
L 4 L