The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-08-18


Out His Grocery Store.
II saw story in a paper recently"
said an old sport at Willard's the other
day, (which told how two slick stran-
gers from the Windy City MIXED
poker game in an Indiana town and got
away with all the money in it. That
reminds me of another story of the same
order.
''In the town of New Harmony are
located number of gentlemen of great
taste and considerable means For
years the mainstay of this crowd was
playing euchre and whist, but this was
finally changed by the arrival of two
characters who organized and taught a
class in poker. The first of these was
the son of Frenchman, who lived on
an island down the river His father
was worth in the neighborhood of $780,
900 or $500, 600, and he kept his boy
well supplied with money.
"Well, this progressive youth organ
lied poker game in the peaceful viii
lage Of New Harmony. There were
about six in the party, and it was their
custom once week or more to meet at
the hotel and indulge in friendly,
quiet game, but one where the only
limit was the beautiful blue sky. The
Frenchman played game of bluff from
start to finish. He would pike along in
the pots until some one thought he had
fair hand and would open for few
hundred dollars, when the Frenchman
would shove from So, 900 to So, 900 dol
lars into the pot before the draw, and
nine times out of ten the other man
would have to go to the pack.
"There was another player in the
game, the hotel keeper, who was also
after the spuds He was the only one
who could beat the Frenchman. Time
after time the latter would push in his
roll and send the hotel keeper to the
pack. But once in. awhile the latter
would catch his antagonist mapping and
would come back at him with another
raise, getting back in one pot all he
had lost during the remainder of the
evening
lone spring day we'll dressed, quiet
| looking man drifted into town and put
up at the hotel. In the course Of time
he was introduced to all the crowd
/ about the hotel, and they found him a
most congenial companion. He was only
a moderate drinker, but liked to gather
a crowd around him and smoke and tell
stories. After a week of this he told the
boys that he intended to locate there
and open a fancy grocery store. He
went away for few days, and when he
returned he opened up near the hotel.
Such store as he opened had never
been seen i'll the place prior to this time.
He kept imported pickles. canned
shrimps, fine cheeses and everything on
that order, supplemented with stock
of the choicest wines, liquors and cigars.
Owing to his congenial habits his store
soon became the loafing place of the
poker playing crowd, and they often
gathered there of an evening to listen
to his stories and to drink and smoke.
Many invitations were extended to the
quiet man of business to take hand in
the game, but he invariably replied that
he knew nothing about playing poker.
He had, he admitted, played the game
and liked it pretty well, but he would
say: You boys have nothing to do to-
morrow and can afford to stay up all
night if you want to. l have my bust
ness to attend to and must get around
early to open up.
Zone night, however, when the crowd
had been drinking more than usual and
were feeling particularly good, they re-
fused to take any excuse and insisted
that he must go in with them. He had
been drinking himself, and he finally
consented to go to the hotel and take {
hand for awhile. In the game the
Frenchman played his same old tricks
Every time the storekeeper would poke
his head out of his hole the Frenchmal
was waiting for him with club ant
hit him hard. The game broke up abou
o'clock in the morning, and it wa
found that the storekeeper was GU
about $4,000 Was he sore? Well,
should say he was. He had told them
he said, that he didn't want to play
that he couldn' play, and that he coult
not afford to lose the money. Finally
/; he said: Il have been thinking for som'
time of putting clerk in charge of N.
store, and am going down to Louis
f vile tomorrow to get one. Then vii
have more time to play with you boys
True to his word, he went to Louisville
and several days later man came VI
and went to work in the store Nov,
said he, Il am ready for game tonight
and | warn you l am going to bring ;
pile of money with me- l am deter
mined to win back what l lost or lost
all that | have left, which is consider
able. Well, the gang felt sorry for him
He was good fellow, they admitted
but he had 10 business playing poker
However, his money was as good a
any one else's, and if it was III the gam
they must go out after it.
no