The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1897-09-18
THE KING WiLTED.
A Game That Was Too Hot Even For the
Doughty Kalakaua,

A Game That Was Too Hot Even For the
Doughty Kalaksua.
King Kalakara was a lover of the fas-
cinating game of drawpoker and is said
to have been an adept and quite proud
of his knowledge of the game. This
story is related by a man who has spent
much of his life in the Hawaiian is
lands and who was quite intimate with
the king.
There was a wealthy ranchman Of
Nevada who once came to Honolulu to
look after some business he had acquired
in the islands and, being fond of poker.
500 made a wide acquaintance with
the Americans and Englishmen in the
city who INDUCED i'll the game. After
each nights play, when "reminiscences
of the game were in order, some n
would invariably tell a story Of the
king-either about his style of play or
the large amounts of his winnings and
losses. The ranchman always listened
with interest to these stories, and final
~ expressed a desire to mingle with the
monarch and his cabinet i'll a friendly
set to. The only objection offered was
that several members of the cabinet
could speak no English, and consequent
ly the %ranchman, who had no knowl-
edge of the native tongue, would be
placed at a disadvantage.
This objection seemed Instrumental
hto until a rO--. A,a-.n ,r
derstood both languages perfectly, said
that he would undertake to teach the
ranchman a few poker terms in the ma
tive language, such as, II see you. 81
raise you" and That's good" and the
numerals, SO that he could designate the
proper amount of his bet. The ranch
man was an apt pupil, and in a few
days his teacher pronounced him fit for
battle. As luck would have it, the king
had just mortgaged the tax receipts,
paid off the cabinet, and all were anx-
ious for a game.
The ranchman was presented in due
form and politely asked by the king to
sit in a little table stake game which
was just starting. The game progressed
very smoothly for an hour or two, but
the bets were growing larger every
hand, and all knew that some one would
suffer before the game had ended.
The king and the ranchman had been
bucking against each other all through
tho game. and it was a toss up between
them as to who was the more skillful
player. Finally. at the kings sugges-
ton, a jack pot was made for 800. It
passed several times, and with the seven
IN the game. sweetening it at every
clip. | tell you it was about the pretti-
est pot l ever saw. The king finally
caught openers and broke it for 800.
All hands staid around to the ranch
man, and he made it $500 t o draw
cards. The king promptly made it ST..
900 better when it reached him, and
the rest of the PLAYERS dropped out. The
ranchman raised the king back 81 600,
and the king came back at him for the
same amount. Each drew two cards. /
saw that the king had drawn another
ace, making four aces for him, and the
ranchman had filled up three kings
with a pair of queens. The king said he
would bet 81, 900. the ranchman raised
him 5000, and the king raised back for
the same mount. The ranchman then
pushed "A blank check into the pot and
said something that sounded like this:
lump thra "a gug-u-luck i al"
The king looked at him closely for a
moment and then laid down his four
aces and left the table, and this broke
up the game. ! was astonished at his
action, and. finding his majesty in an
anteroom trying to drown out the mem
DRY of his losses, / asked:
Your majesty, what made you lay
down those four aces:"
Didn't you hear what the man said?'
he sorrowfully inquired.
NO" said !. What did he say"
why, when he pushed that blank
check into the pot he said, III raise
you $11, 900, O0O.'"
In the excitement Of the play the
ranchman had got his numerals mixed
and had almost Frustrated the king with
the size of the be- .-Washington Post.
Life In Crete.
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