Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-09-22
THE BLUFF FAILED.
BUT IT BROUGHT ABOUT THE DESIRED
 RESULT AT LAST.

| Lad Repate ~- 4 Medal That Contained
 an Inscription Poker ana Bottled Ee
 freshments.
 It frequently happens. said col 1ege graduate. that different chapters of the same Greek letter fraternity. sit uated at different colleges develop diff ferent characteristics. All of these 90 oieties think, are organized to eneour- age literary pursuits. I mean that's what the constitutions say. As mat l ter Of fact, tbe literary element is rath CT lost sight of ill most cases in the stress of having a jolly good time i When convention time comes round, however, the chapters that have main tained their literary quality come te the 1 fore, and the others have to put up q bluff by sending as delegates men wha have high staAding as scholars or else 1 take a very back seat.
 .tThe chapter to which l belonged was located at country college, aud ln some way or other it had acquired 3 reputation in the fraternity Of being es- sentially nonliterary, and, in fact, rath CT sporty in character. This was ao much tue case that in my junior year i there was q movement on foot to expei or suspend our chapter from tho fratef- nifty. Ne weren't very strong il nigh stand men and couIdn even scare uB two to ge as delegates to the eanven. tion. Another man and myself were finally selected for this function as th8 most unsophistieatad looking members of the chapter.
 As usual in such eases. a speeia! train was made up to start fE9m he westernmost chapter and 10 pick up as many of the other delegations as could be arranged OH it's way te the convention city. Ne were among the moIe remote chapters, and when NC boarded the train there was only oua other ielega- tion on board, composed of three mem bers. We sighed when we saw big boxes of bottled beer in inc freight car aud reflected on the elaborate instructions we had received from our constituents. We were prined for tho occasion. My companion, Forhes. had classical vol. uma in each side pocket of his coat and thero were ink stains on lis fingers had borrowed from a elassinate q lneda given for scholarship, aud this I had rather estentatiousiy hung on my watcb chain.
 Ne soon made fhe acquaintance of i tine other three delegates and joined them in their stateroom. Before long they proposed game of poker. and one of them produced pack Of cards Forbes said he didn't play retired to.a corner, pulled out q copy oi Gladstona's Landmarks of Homeri0 Study and after gazing thou9htfuliy out of the window for a moment or twa apparently became absorbed il it ] admired hia conception of tho part, but couldn't bring myself 10 break I'D tlIe game, and that's what it meant, for everybody knows there's no fun in three handed poker. Besides, tbes ssts, q. three delegates on the train to witness my fall l said didn't play. but had seen the game aud thought it locked inter esting. 1 was willing to learn.
 When we got started, there was q demand for a buck, and I unkitehed tbe scholarship medal and dropped it Into the pot es a good means of calling at, tention to it. Everything went on swimmingly for awhile. I had outra geous luck and won pot after pot, so they were confirmed in the idea that I was a beginner. After awhile one of the ether delegates got away with jack pot and while he was waiting for the cards to be dealt he picked up the medal and glanced careleasly 1t the obyerse side. l hadn't examined 1t particularly, but found out after8ard that it bore this neat inscription: Garrett ]. Gardner. Weymouth University. Glass of ST.
 The delegate started and looked nt me with a glance that was filst mysti. fed and then suspicious,
 beg your pardon, Brother Gard ner, he said, with tonoh of sarcasm. T thought you said your name was Hawkins, and we've all been calling you that right along.
 There was smothefed guffaw frotd behind the Landmarks of Homeric Study, and I saw the jig was up We made q clean breast of it. and Forbes sat into the game, making it five hand ed which oi course, is the ideal game We didn't lose any time sending for. ward for q consignment of that bottled beer, and the floor was stregn with dead Indians when the train filled up with other delegates, and they crowded around to watch the game.
 tOur elaborate bluff hadn't worked. and the convention opened with our chapter in just as bad odor as before, but we had made stanch supporters Of the threo delegates and some other Eiud- ly spirits who had joined IFS on the train They all went to work like bea- vers, and when our case was taken up in the convention we had a good work ing majorits which sustained our char ter with whoop New York Srn
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 Must Hare Been Very Sad.
 In this day of slang ard slirshod Rno1ich if is ouita rcfrCsi,ino fo find one