The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-22
R SPUN BY GAMBLERS.
Old scHo,s a SCRATCH Ar
KENO AND FARO.
The A7.n who Disd Arter the Cards Nae
Run Against Hi- All Night RuaninE =
Faro Rs.k for Three DAYS with Oniy ~
Roii-The Mnn who Doubled ITS Mont y

apropos OF nothing n particular. during an in
formal meeting Of the Gladstone Club. az
he toyed with q stack Of red chips. which. like
all their blue and white and yellow compan-
ions In this city. have become useless, except
ms counters In an innocuous game Of whist or
casino. since the reform wave came along and
closed up all the places where men used 70
gamble on the green.
Old Soho heaved a meditativc sigh. reflect
lively strokcd his white chin whiskcrs. and
looked up and around to observe whether any
OF the other members were listening to him.
Having satisfied himself that there were ~
least threa or four who were ready to Evs
willing ears 20 the yarns that he spins on the
slightest provocaton, or no provocation at all
he continued:
~ remember one night, years nRo, WHOM
Paddy Martin was running n keno Joint up here
on Broadway. | made the biggest scratch Of
my life. 1t was like this: I'm broke, an I'm
Just going out when q friend ~ mine comes In
an ] says TO him: 'Lcmmc have ten dollars,
will yer He puts his hand IL his pocket an
pulls out ten dollars an gives II to me. go in
an / bet Just one card, for n half q dollar, AMI
win the pool. There vas seventy-seven dollars
in the pool. Well, I don't play no more keno
that night. but 1 go over to the White House
an / 90 up agin the bank, an l win twenty
seven hundred dollars. I simply can't lose .
bet. I win all the time that night"
AS tnOSe WHO nuu teu lISttHlnB WeTt OWu
and we'll seq soned members of the Gladstone
Club. whose purpose is, and lie distinctly speci-
fed in its articles of Incorporation, the promo
ton of the social enjoyment and the intel
lectual development OF it's members, they did
not show that they had been profoundly I'm.
pressed by Old Scho's narrative. They had
often heard him tell similar stories. all Of
which he warranted TO be true in every de-
tail. But the old man was not discouraged
by Tho orno rant yyanf nf anDreciafiOn m the
part of his audience. With a little prelim-
mary cough. which had no suggestion of an
apology in its sound. he began again:
II remember another time. up in Saratoga
ono night. / see Gull Holland win S66 with two
cents Off the roulette wheel in Gale Mitchell's.
Then lie goes over agin the faro hank an win
something like two thousand"
This time the solemn-lookinR member, with
the long. flowing, black moustache. felt him
self impelled 10 ask:
How could he win anything with two
cents2 They wouldn't let him put 1t down."
"Oh. yes they would. They'd let him put
anything down. even a brass button. and pay
him. too. OF course. they knowed him we'll.
an he'd been losing quite a little money"
A brief period OF silence interviewed, during
which the old man stroked his whiskers three
times. Then he resumed his discourse:
An then again, I've seen the cards run
agin a man all night. I remember one night
when I was dealing faro bank in Chicago. there
was n man playinR-he was the brother of some
Senator: I forget his name now-an' he lose
thirty three bets right straight off the reel.
He gets q stand of now an then, but he never
picks q bet Off the layout. Bimeby he win
along lords midnight i guess he's putty near
broke. He teaches down In his pocket and
an says: Put. that on the five I put it on
the five, an 2, she lose the next turn; We'll.
ina" his % Chair re- ' some s"e OF. the the play pIa5e q that hit was wa.
sitting longside OF him tegan TO rub his hands.
he'd tainted. but / looked at him lust once
an I says; oh. no. he ain't tainted he's dead,
once 'f before. an k 4 the signs" 'D"'
Then the solemn looking member spoke up
's "@o ana n fs%a III tell you people Just one little
story. It's little; but it's true. see a fellow
lar to begin viii: and he begins to play he
Every eser ' turn " through a "i Whole deal. from top pet to
bottom. At the end of the deal he has about
How much did he bet at a timer" asked tho
smooth faced. dark haired member with the
streaks of gray at his temples.
way o !hSsoq %ihy the ss9Ss sssl; ay' WHITE chips all tho
swenty,h I've turns turn in q deal e Z only
R RhJs, lay {. :Ss Fl HILL R %STs toward The last:
again." inquired the member, with the flow:
Inc. gray ,moustache and the SLOUGH hat.
u really don't know: I came away Just
You must have been broke"
Elise = team Of horses couldn't have
winner as often as most people"
Yes; 1 guess that's 50: too" y,
re others were talking, reminds me of one
cago run a faro bank for three days with only
s. in the bank roll. You see, we had the use
! chance; W Saa several sIoss calls. 81 One
lose 1t all back again: Another time soms
come along a fellow with a big wad one one night.
y soon ~ We f have ss aSoa a'% a t hlo% 1ds dollars siHS1:
of his money; then he strikes a lucky streak.
keeps on a.Iosin' until about 5 O'clock in the
hoy much money do We s'pose we win OFF
"oh, about a hundred thousand" gravely
the solemn member.
Probably about a million, II we let You tell
Old Scho looked up with an expression evt.
IDENTIFY intended TO be one of injured innocence
ing You Is the honest truth. We win Just i've
thousand an nine dollars, an not a cont more"
Der with the smiling face and the stubbiy,
black moustache. In a tone of deep surprise.
Old Scho took a few vigorous puffs at his
pipe. Then he began again:
Say, you people remember the time when
they used 10 deal draw poker around the table,
like studT Well, In them days they used
to give u prize OF a hundred dollars every week
over here in the White House for the hest hand
held. Well, one Friday night | sit in tho game
an putty soon | have four aces. That's tile
best hand that's been held that week, am
there's only one day left, so my chance OF get.
ling the prize is putty good. But q fellow who
an | says: Gives yer Sl0.' Some OF tn:
other fellows say I'm foolish; hut know what
more uncertain than cards. sure
enough; before I'd been play ing a great while
An III he darned II that wasn't beat the
next gay BY q higher straight flush"
member with great intensity OF feeling, and