The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-05

money easy He was a careful PLAYER
| and never insisted in playing bis
stakes, but somehow he couldn't gel
hold of the money. If he had a full
hand some other person would hold
four of kind and if he held four of a
kind some other fellow would hold
four higher. And SO 1t went, Staples
always getting the worst of it.
''One night after the legislature had
adjourned Staples ran across Jake
Eibbs, who was about as unlucky at
cards as himself. Hibbs told Staples
thaf he had been in a game the night
before and dropped about $500, which
he would like to get back if he could.
Staples felt inclined to play, and to-
gether they began to hunt for others.
They struck couple OF fellows and
Went to room over a cafe on Front
street. There's a brick building there
now, but then there were only frame
buildings. 1t was a terrible cold night
and everybody snuggled up to a hot
stove wherever he could find one. 1t
got noiSed around about midnight that
there was pretty good game going on
over the Front street cafe, and I went
down there to look on a while before
going to bed. AS usual Staples was
losing. Hibbs was doing better, but
the money was gradually drifting over
to the other two players, who had
already scoOped in $100 or more each.
Il remember it was long about half
past in the morning. The room was
crowded and everybody hated to think
about going to his hotel, it was so cold.
Hot applejack was the order Of the
hour, and everybody was filling up to
the top notch. Suddenly a jack pot
blossomed out on the table, and the
cards were thrown around three or
four times before anybody caught
openers. Then Staples opened the pot
for fifty. Nobody came in except
Hibbs.
I'm going to stay with you, old
boy he said, and, throwing down his
hand, called for five cards.
" Give me three said Staples, who
looked at his hand and showed up a
hundred
That don't scare me- said Hibbs
I'll see that hundred and bet you an
other
Staples fingered his cards for
minute or two as if studying them to
find out whether they would win or
not. Then he said he guessed he'd bet
ter not lay them down, and raised
Hibbs 5000. Hibbs was in the act of
pulling roll of bills out of his pocket
when somebody on the street yelled
fire. The next minute a fellow came
running up the stairs and said that
the back of the building we were in
was burning. There was a general
rush for the stairs, and by the time we
had got out in the street the blaze was
under full Roadway. Trenton didn't
have the fire department in those days
that she's got now, and before the
tiremen got there we knew that the
building was a goner. The bucket
brigade got to work and the chemical
engine did all it could, but the fire
couldn't be stopped.
THE whole building seemed to be afire
when somebody hollered out that
Staples and Hibbs were inside There
was great excitement then, and every
body began to look around for q ladder
Smoke was beginning to come out of
the windows of the rooms over the
cafe pretty lively when Staples and
Hibbs stuck their heads out and yelled
for ladder. A ladder was put up to
the window and the two men came
down. They were all right, barring a
title smoke in the lungs and eyes
when we had all got in warm
quarters at the hotel Staples said:
That fire was the luckiest thing
that has happened to me in a long
time, because it broke up the game.
I'd been betting Hibbs now if it hadn t
been for the fire. You know we were
up against jack pot that I'd opened
on a pair Of jacks, and l drew two
more. Hibbs made a five-card draw,
and I naturally thought that he was
my meat, and I was tickled about to
death when I found him willing to
bet all kinds of money. We kept It
going till the room got so full Of smoke
that we could hardly see the cards
when Hibbs called me as he said to
wind up the game. Think of that,
being called with four Jacks; why I'd
rather played all night back of that
hand, but I had to lay them down and
Hibbs laid down four kings and took
the money. That fire saved me money
because 7 never would have stopped
betting the Jacks But what's the use
III my going up against man that
can draw four kings in a f1ve-card
draw anyhow"