The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-05-22
ALWAYS LUCKY.
Narrow Escapes From Danger Induced
Him 10 Quit the Game.


little man in the smoking compartment
on the first evening OF the trip eastward
from San francisco Ihore were only
four men on the car who had thus FAR
shown signs of being coinpanionable and
no was one of the four. They had dined
and were enjoying their cigars together.
The talk was desultory and amounted TO
little. One proposed game Of cards, and
| two OF the Others were ready, but the lit
| tie man declined.
| The pause that followed was little
awkward. They did not even know one
! another 10y name and the wording or the
| refusal seemed curt The little man
seemed to realize this, for after moment
| OF silence he oontinued
| Nothing would have given me greater
pleasure year ago than TO join you In
| game of poker. In fact, nothing would
| give me greater pleasure now, but i am
| done with cards, and believe any one of
you would refuse as i do II cards had cost
| you what they have me.
The others spoke "a few polite nothings
| TO tho general effect that 10 was free
country and nobody was obliged TO play
anything he didn't want to play, and one
the youngest in the party. said:
"Unlucky | suppose.
HIN! Well, / don't exactly know as
| you'd call il that F" said the little man re-
| fiectively. II most always win when L
| play, or 1 used to. that Is; but I've had
some of the oussedest, narrowest squeaks
| In the game that could easily be imagined,
and L made up my mind some time since
| that I'd had enough OF 'en. And as 4
| can't play cards without getting back into
| poker, i just naturally quit cards"
STORY about ity' asked the young man.
| Yves. Sort of. But I'm no story
Man won't play cards. Ought to do
! something This was the Young mans
appeal to the other two. They nodded.
| "Well, 1 don't know az | mind spin
| ming the yarn, +" said tho little man after a
| little hesitation. "seeinQ that you don't
any of you know me, and you won't any
| of you be likely 10 see me again after we
| separate at the end Of the trip III you
| knew me wouldn . care 20 tell IL just as
it was, and IL wouldn't be worth telling
any other way. The first narrow escape
i had was from State Prison, and good
| deal worse At least L count IL was worse
! for l would have taken with me To prison
! the consciousness that / deserved TO 90,
and according To my notion the knowl-
| edge that you deserve punishment is "a
| deal worse than the punishment itself.
The game fascinated me. as IL fasci-
| mates every body, L think, who plays it
much. / played more and more, and as L
! generally held my own. and won more
! often than / lost ! got TO playing harder
| and harder till / was not contented with
! anything but big gaine-the bigger the
| better. l have travelled three times all
! the way between Chicago and Washing
! ton 20 get into game with genuine high
! rollers. q. course, i couldn't do that sort
/ of thing without good supply of ready
money and "a considerable amount of
spare time. l had both, for had far
| cash capital and a business OF my own
| that paid me well. And my business
| was in such "A condition that / could leave
| it to my employees for week at time.
1NffF hnn aRf ft1fl1 1ars1x
! stiff game at the club frequented most
! in New York, whore ! then lived. The
| limit was Oft, and raise of "a thousand
! was made several times during the even
| ing. had expected hot work, and had
! put $1,000 in my pocket that afternoon.
! There was one man in the game that
! | particularly wanted To beat, partly be.
| cause he was "a noted player and i had
never met him before. l watched him
carefully and twice in the course of three
| or four hours play, i was satisfied that
! ne took in fairly large pot on II bluff.
| had nothing in my own hand either
/ time, and didn't care TO pay To see bis
| cards, but l felt sure that If he had
| bluffed twice successfully, as i was posi-
tive ho had, he would do it again.
Presently he tried it. OF course, l
! could only suspect him unless l called,
! but decided to risk it, though l had
! only pair of sevens when / came in af-
| ter the jackpot was opened, and 1 hadn't
! bottered in the draw. lt had been opened
/ for five hundred and nv antagonist had
/ raised IL thousand before the draw.
! That's what made me come in on SO small
/ "a hand, for / concluded he was trying to
! steal the pot, which was big enough TO
! Justify the attempt, for there was over "A
thousand in it before he spoke.
IL stood the raise and so did the opener
who stood pat. My man drew rwl cards
! and drew three. AS / said, / caught
/ nothing. The opener bet "a thousand and
my man went back at him with another
! thousand. i simply made good, but the
| opener lost his nerve and laid down
| small straight without calling My man
| had evidently reckoned on my dropping
! out also, but my bet became "A call when
| the opener quit Gnd he showed down two
/ SKIES.
1--WE had some little chaff over it and
! the game went on. L didn't know till
/ ncxt day how near ruin l had been just
! then. When / went To my office in the
! morning L found that my cashier had gone
! to Canada, and that instead OF having
several thousand dollars in bank, as l
! supposed had, my account was over
! drawn. That does not sound like ruin, |
| confess but was the trustee or certain
/ funds amounting 10 about 5000, and |
| was called on for settlement that very
/ day. If it hadn't been for my winnings
! the night before ! couldn't have settled
! and II it hadn't been for winning that
pot on "A pair of sevens l would have had
| To quit the game, for | was a loser before
thai hand The consequences would have
| been frightful.
Another narrow escape | had was from
! being "A married man. | was engaged to
| he married To lady who broke the en-
! gagement because she learned that |
! played poker. Perhaps | ought not to
/ speak of this as IAN escape, but | know that
/ she made tho man she afterward married
most miseraby unhappy. What would
| have happened IL had married her / can't
| say, ana | don't enjoy thinking about it.
THE most wonderful piece of luck
that ever happened to me- though, was in
| poker game in San Francisco, when the
! stakes were not particularly heavy In
fact We were playing five dollar limit, and
| nobody won or lost more than couple of
! hundred In the game. Tho men in IL
/ were all members of my club and were
/ supposed To be gentlemen. though ono of
! them. as it proved, WAS not We had
| played Till after midnight and there