The herald., 1895-11-03

/ The poor whites went because il was and
! is their nature to be forever moving.
The rich, painter, went because their
slaves and children were outgrowing the
capacity OF the seaboard states, and they
craved the expansion of a rich virgin
| wilderness. A very old man whom
knew in my youth often told me he did
not see a dollar in cash Tor three years
| after going to Tennessee. On the other
| hand. | nave known men to ride over the
Blue Ridge into the new land OF promise
with no less than sic, 900 in their wallets
and money belts. They went ont TO the
| land sales which followed upon the gov
ernment survey and travelled usually i'll
as it was not easy for larger parties to
| find accom- notation along the way.
| Often they camped ont, and then be sure
| there was some tall betting around the
! campers. Seven-up was>a favcrite game,
| so was loo; also the French game vingt-
| et-un, which they called vantoon. Many
a young sprig who set out to invest his
patrimony IN western lands concluded be-
. fore the journey was half through that he
had better go back To Carolina or Nlr-
| ginia. Oitener, though, the players and
luck we're so equally matched that all got
to their journeys end not much the
worse for the roadside playing and able
to count the diversion OF it a pure and
unmlxed delight.
Naturally, hen they were established
citizens ana men of means, they were
not slow to risk their money in delicious
hazard. Time am bled withal with them
except in their yearly or half-vearly
trips to the city when the crops had Teen
sold and there was money for botl pock-
cts The world has never seen wilder,
nor, in the main, honester waSers than
were made on the western steam boats IN
the first twenty-tiv years after they be-
gan to run. That was their heydey. Com
peting railways there vera none, and the
lew stage lines across the country served
merely as feeders to them. There is
touch of grim tragedy in the story OF one
river gam bier. He was we'll born and
we'll bred, but a shooting scrape at college
sent him away from home. He went to
Mississippi where his father had estap-
lished q plantation, but the country quiet
did not suit him. He rode away to Port
Gibson, then big gambling center, and
In six months he was motel, among It's
professionals even, for his nerve and his
phenomenal lack. But as fast as he made
thousands, be spent them still faster. He
certainly burned LIES candle at both
ends. He was never still. On shore he
would ride or hunt or dance all day, then
drink and game all night. While his luck
lasted he had heaps of friends. Gamblers
do have friends when they are square,
as he was from first to last But by and
by chance turned her back on him. lie
lost as steadily as he had won. Quick
weeks he was at deaths door. One OF
the river men with whom he had travel
ed hundred times, finding that he was
penniless, got a doctor who was going mp
the river to take him as far as faducah,
then tiny village at the mouth OF the
Tennessee river. The captain had friend
there, to whose care lie consigned the
sick man. A dying man he was when
they came to put him on land. The doc
tor said to those who came to receive him.
- Here is money to bury him; he Will
be dead in three hours.
Be you fifty to u hundred L live I'LL
tomorrow morning, the sick gambler
said. They were his last words, but he
won his bet. The sun had risen next day
before his soant breathing ceased. When
his friend. the captain, heard OF 1t he
said:
THAT was like poor Charley. He
Just lived by force OF will, so he might
win enough to bury himself
= There were many gamblers who played
ia lrly there were also plenty OF the other
sort. Two famous among the crooked
ones were old DR.. B nnett and Tom Suck
EFT. The doctor looked a heap more like
a bishop than sport. He always dressed
in black, and never by any chance wore
more jewelry than dark seal ring on
the little finger. His conversation, too,
hal clerical tinge; he even quoted
scripture now and then. That was before
he had more than one bottle OF wine.
The second made him witty cynlc, the
third a vulgar and blasphemous brawler.
He knew that as well as anybody, ana
didn't get beyond one bottle more than
once a month.
"Suckett was as unlike him as possible
in every way EXCEPT In unscrupnlous
shrewdness. The Two were great friends
and liked nothing better than TO play
with each other. Suckett wore gaudy
clothes and rings on both hands, besides
a blazing solitaire breastpin and watch
whose heavy gold fob held bunch OF
seals as big as the fist. lie never went
anywhere without his valet.a smart negro
who could play any game nearly as we'll
as his master. 1t was whispered, indeed,
that Suckett often PLAYED with him in
private, practicing the tricks OF slelgft
and ralming he had devised to beat other
players. He had, among other things,
coat with spring pocket in the sleeve,
whence he could slip cards as the exlsen-
cessof his hand yeqnlred.
'FDr. Bennett found that out and got
himself spring table-thst is, with
secret drawer just under mis- hand. which
was opened or closed by spring under
meath, to be worked by the player knee.
After weak or so he begged Suckett to
come up one night for game OF brag, in
which buth we're thrice expert. Suokett
came in. with his darby at his heels, as
usual. Soon the two gamblers were play
ing Tor dear ll1e. IL WAS truly pleeh
against Greek. The valet, lying on the
floor little way off, caught the stea!thy
motion of Benefits knee, and OWNED
the rear on of il. The stakes were by this
time in the hundreds. He dropped down
on the floor and muttered sleepily:
'Marster I-see-som pm.
{" Listen to that rascal! Hes fast
sleep and dreaming, Suckett said COM
placently, holding his hand up little
closer to mis- breast. Shut up there! III
break your head if we hear any more
from you.
- The darby grunted more sleepily
than ever and lay keeping close watch
through almost shut eyelids. After
while, when the stakes were still higher.
he called, this time in Joy:
- 'Marster!. see som IN else :
- So do ~ Suckett said, laying down
two bullets and bragger. What have
you got. doctor? Does that take the not?
- 1t would, only we have both got
queen of spades. Hadn't we better di-
vide?' DR.. Bennett SAID urbanely.
The darky got up very wide awake.
Us better had 90 home, marster! he
said, an you two gentemens better had
20 an play som pm an som pm else, on
vother folks dan yo own SETS.
The two men laughed aud separated
but each vowed secretly to best the other.
month later Suckett came at his adver-
sary with n false die, one with six on
each face. Re pantered the doctor TO
play with him at 500 the throw, skies
against aces, and the doctor accepted.
rT'bo doctor bod bia pwn dice pprfeptly