Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-09-15
A GOOD POKER STORY
THE NEW MAN IN THE NEW hAR
MoNY SELECT CIRCLE.

Hadn't Time to Play-hoWevefs He join
ed tho Party For Two Evenings and Sold
Out His Grocery Store.
81 ssw 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 q
poker game i'll an Indiana town and got
away with all the money in il. That
reminds NE Of another story of the same
order.
I'm tho town Of New Harmony are
located number Ct 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 tire arrival Of two
characters who organized and taught a
class in poker. The first Of these was
the son of a Frenchnan, who lived on
an island down the river. His father
was worth in the neighborhood of $780,.
coo or $500, 900, and no kept his boy
well supplied with money.
"Wcll, this progressive youth organ
lied a poker game in the peaceful vii
lagc Of New Harmony. There were
about six in the party, and it was their
custom once a week or more to meet at
the hotel and indulge in a friendly,
quiet game, but one where the only
limit WIS the beautiful blue sky. The
Frcnchman played q game of bluff from
start to finish. He would pike along in
the pots until some one thought he had
a fair hand and would open for few
hundred dollars, when the Frenchman
would shove from 1000 to s., 600 dol
lars into the pot before the draw, and
nine times ont of ten the other man
would have to go to the pack.
''Thcrc 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
Zone 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
most congcnial companion. He was only
u moderate drinker, but liked to gather
q crowd around him and smoke and tell
stories. After week of this he told the
boys that he intended to locate there
and open fancy grocery store. He
went away for few days, and when he
returned he opened up near the hotel.
Such a store as he opened had never
been seen in 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 u 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. 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 a
hand for awhile. In the game the
Frenchrlan played his same old tricks.
Every time the storekeeper would poke
his head out of his hole the Frenchman
WIS waiting for him with a club and
hit him hard The game broke up about
3 O'Clock in the morning, and it was
found that the storekceper was ont
about 1000. Was he sore? Well,
should say he was. He had told them,
he said. that he didn't want to play
that he couldn't play. and that he could
4 not afford to lose the money. Finally
he said: i have been thinking for some
time of putting clerk i'll charge of my
store. and am going down to Louis
vile tomorrow to get one. Then l will
havo more time to play with you boys.
True to his word, he went to Louisville,
and several days later a man came ny
and went to work in the store. Now,
said he, 1 am ready for a game tonight
and warn you am going to bring :
pile of money with me. l am deter
mined to win back what l lost or lost
all that l have left, which is consider
able. Well, the gang felt sorry for him
He was good fellow, they admitted
but he had no business playing poker
However, his money was as good a
any one clse's, and if it was in the gam
they must go out after it.
The game commenced early TIA
night and lasted until in the morning
Again the Frenchman tried his old tao
tics, hut somehow they did not work
Every time he came at the storekeepe
the latter was loaded. Finally. about 6