Arizona republican., 1895-02-05
A WIFE AS A MASCOT.
The Arts Of Woman Against the
 Skill of a Gambler.
Row a Mexican CEttleman Re covered His Money in Losing Game of Monte and Cleaned Out
 the Dealer.

an American dealer as a collector of bird skins" said Thorn Lougee, a tax idermist, to the New York Sun man, e@shat I saw the charms of lovely wom- sn exerted in rivalry to a gamblers skill, and they won, as they always should. 1 was staying at the time in little city called Tuxatapan, and 1 strolled into the principal gambling place one evening to watch the players at monte. There was single large low room, with a bar at one end and tables ranged about the wall for gam bling. The place was lighted by can dies, and was half-flled with Mexican charros, with here and there an Ameri- can mining man or some native visitor from the capital city in London-made clothes.
 Playing was slack except at one ta- ble, where a Mexican cattleman from up-country, in full charro costume of sombrero with silver braid, jacket, wide pantaloons with a row of big sil- yer disks running down the outer sides and bright ivory-handled revolvers at his belt, was dropping his money at monte The dealer sat at the center of the l1idney-shaped table, with high heaps of silver dollars at his elbow, while the players sat round the outer circumference. The cattleman was sharp and watchful, so that the dealer . had no opportunity to do tricks, but the regular odds of the game caused the stranger to lose slowly, until, with an exclamation, he announced himself broke and rose from his seat.
 s''But have three hundred dollars at the hotel he said; if you care to wait, I will go for it, and perhaps leave that with you
 "'At the senor's pleasure responded the dealer, showing his white teeth in an affable smile beneath his black mus tache.
 ''The cattleman went out and the game went languidly on until in ten minutes he returned carrying in his hand a bag of Mexican dollars. He was accompanied by his wife, a pretty little dark-eyed Spanish creature, in lowered silk ball dress and mantilla. At sight of her the dealer instantly sprang up to offer her @ seat, but she eoquettishly declined the attention and, sssuntering carelessly along, jumped upon an unoccupied end of the table with one leg curled under her and the other, displaying daintily booted foot, swinging toward the floor.
 ''Her husband seated himself oppo- site the dealer and the game proceeded. As the stacks of silver doll.rs passed to and fro, this time with TO particular advantage in luck to either side, the w0man, apparently becoming more and more interested, leaned forward with the palm of her hand on the table eagerly watching the game. Her man. aer was frank and engaging, bat from where I stood 1 could see that her eyes were dividing the attention of the dealer, who perceptibly was losing in- terest in the game and displaying less of the dexterity that in the begin uing had characterized his handling of the cards.
 At last the ranchman was winning, and the canvas bag in which he had brought his three hundred dollars stake was full to overfowing and triple rows of dollar stacks lay at his right hand. All other play was suspended as the spectators crowded about the table to watch with breathless excitement the game, which now was running as high as one hundred dollars On the turn of card. The conversation in the room was decorous, and none present failed iIl due manifestation of Trg~1ct to the presence of the pretty little ;!ark wom- an perched on the table, who was well known in Tuxatapan as the wife of the gaming caballero with the ivory-han- IIed revolvers. From my position near the wall, little in the rear of the ta- 5Ie, 1 noticed that as in her intense in terest in the game she leaned toward the dealer her mantilla upon the side next him was slipping from her shoul- der, which-she being of Spanish nativ- ity-was very charming piece of liv- ing statuary. Mechanically the dealer lifted from between his feet bag from which he counted out two hundred dol lars to pay the cattlenan's last win ming. Without word the latter added this to his stake already on the table, making four hundred dollars to be lost or won. As the dealer shuffled the cards the mantilla fell from her head and shoulder, and she gathered it about her with half-startled, half-coquettish look of dismay as he turned the decid- ing card without looking at it.
 '''I will againr said the ranchman, and he began to pile the dollars again on the cards.
 ''The dealer reached down to the can vas bag and emptied it in counting out four hundred dollars. Then he passed tlan talln a his