The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-03-28
POKER AFLOATO ON AFLOOD
1T BEGAN IN ARKANSAS AND ENDED
IN LOUISIANA.

ACame of POKER said the mnn from Arkansas.
was m everyday occurrence In my State be-
fore the war, and very often droYes of slaves aud
whole plantations we're won and lost down near
tho Louisiana border In the jack pots that were
played on the packets that piled between Now
Orleans and the towns In sorthern Arkspsas.
The gnmo 7 am going to tell you about was Far
moro remarkable than any otner, and possessed
some features that made IL truly unique, even
in that region OF ex :raordirRry happenings. IL
began on the OuAchita River. n little TO the
north Of the boundary. and came to an end on
tie Mississippi In Louisiana. The stakes were
snail at Its beginning; then the play grew reck-
less. and thousands OF dollars were wagered,
and In the last hand the lives Of FIVE mer
depended on the cards. while gold and green
hacks lay on the table unnoticed and unI Jared
for. II was q scene TO be -e nembered, and, as
Tar rs | have heard. without an equal for inter-
Get and stranReness.
III you have ever been down in the Ouachita
district. nr are acquainted with Its e Jgraphy.
you will understand why IL is that time and
modern improvements haven't made much diff
ference with its general layout. The boats
from New Orleans still make their fortniRhtly
accommodation trlps to the towns in the SOUTH
ern part OF Arkansas. and the spring freshets
still continue TO defy the railro ads. In fact.
aside from the hard times. things down here
to-day are about as they were thirty odd years
ago. when chat same started up on n Saturday
night well slonE tow ard March. II was begin
ming to rain q little. and looked as II II would
X, Cd on raining In the spring styie. so the at
tendance at the club was far below the average
in numbers I was one Ct the five who didn't
know enough 10 stay In out OF the rain. and the
Others were bout the worst poker fends 10 the
whole region. We all bad plenty of coin in
our belts with which to back our opinions. and
We all felt that the session was going to be a
pretty lively one. although, Of course. we had
no idea of re unexpected extra features that
w.re 20 be added to the programme.
The building in which we had met was Just
tnrreabouts. It was one story, high, win a
HAT roof. raised on four posts like a Yankee
solid square box as anything else. 1t wasn't
very perfect as TO IT'S appointments. either. but
the players. aud a very ample shelf for BEETLES.
II was a new concern and didn't leak from the
coot down. Whethsri 1t was equally. water
rroot from the bottom up remained TO be seen
when the spring freshet came along, which
f th.nS sverySody Comedies that time viii
pass more pleasantly and quickly in q good
strr p%ker Esms sha1 IN any 9taeT KIM 81
saturd. ) night tho deal kept going merrily
rogut. and not until sunday evening d1d the
settle down to business: then n big lack start
Ell "ni grew and grew. and was opened for a
nal.ly it ended BY making the opener nearly
trn thousand to the good and the rest OF US pro-
poFtlonately that much poorer. This NJ AIDE
th,ngs Interesting during the next few hours.
snd robGdy at the table had tine TO notice that
tHu water had been running slowly in under
tu- door and oozirg through ut the 81, es and
cracks. AMI was now Lricklt z through the
l. was over our boot tops. and the pares OF
Liass in the window were CreakinG and strain
lax a2aIlst the outside pressure. and the posts
uuIe. the corners were beginning 70 sway -
latte As the earth in which The. were sunk be-
ZANE lOoseued ami sottened by the water.
IAcrs had evidently been n cloudburst TO the
rnr,h of rs, and a steady rain all around US
and over Us. and the Ouachitn had been roar
lag and swelling and creeping toward US and
had surrounded US. and there We were-cauCht
Ia tie worst spring washout that Arkansas ever
knew before or since. and entirely too much
interested in that poker game TO think of the
Fond until IL was to tie.
1T was useless to th!nE OF escape. for the
water WAS already TOO Lt-D for vAl-ing and
t~ sSltt for horenver. the OPEN
lag or breaEiuE in OF TIE door or window would
have flooded the house in an instant and ruiaed
was anoth r consideration to dt,ain US. for
three OF the pis yrrs were heavy loser5. and it
1as only naturi Al that thew should want 10 set
even. There wa. a trap door above Us through
which We could ascend to the roof. but As 10 z
20 70, 'h sSr WIDOW ap ,p paneI b6 ns,d solid mn1. We bs, were e h s9o,
drowned out by the drops that trickied in
tnroush the cracks and k-yhoie. so We kept
two winners, and the rem lining three oezan
TO fear we would he drowned before the cnras
sould run our way. inst at the deciding of an
Wnusu My Interesting Dot. which 1 won on a
h!uif. the lower pane in the windo~ CAV way.
si5ue crock from the 81 ELF. We made for the
roof. We made another quick raid below for
an extra PACK OF cards. as IL was evident from
TN first glance we might be obliged tn hav- a
long siege OF it. .Ab"ut all that could he seen
noout q mile from what had been the bank Of
tile river. As for the Ouachita. there was no
oRG 10 It. il might have been the Mississippi or
the Atlantic ocean for the way it stretched out
on -yerT aide and surged along and foamed and
village lay t-low Us where it had always been.
had we could see the housetops and the people
GA the roofs. but a good deal of IL had moved
~ with the freshst. The rain had stopped and
tae air was quite warm. 80 arrsr We tired NJ
Toof snd xeat m With tne Iaair.
~ really wasn't half bad up there. and az
h~t good action and won. / rather enjoyed the
iiFn things had taken. II | could hold tho
cards was aura OF a chance TO get square With
the game. as none of tie monev could ger
tvty from me until the anOd went down. which
"a. rather a 20 n torting thought toa man
Ne hai been plaYtnR for a coupi. OF hours in
S S3 n ne. Gu,r,er, ;oT t hing seemed q give way
arnat. shooting past the lew remaining houses
10 the lutte village. and booming along south
eaS, with the main current OF the Ouachita- A
pLe Of drittwood had struck us and knocked
on the corner posts. AT nrst rhe ark rolled
sartsd down the riv r ike a packet under full
,'"om. The novelty OF the thing took our atten-
t|i for IA few moments. bur we soon got accus-
T. ned To the motion. and w-r.t on with the
g"ar. b .uudG~n-it had cleared In the after.
CREATIVE playing. When It grew dark we had
~ "4ioGrH ne brrslDl uHtl mnrllNR, ana all
hivHI We slept caln'y. laid out oil the dry fat
!'aris. with the stars shining over US and
=. and h]ogsstoDs into Louisiana, and on toward
! The great Mississippi. IL wasn't light enough
Z L. play by the stars, and Sesidea we were ter
M, tired and sleepy after having been at IL
i"r tort eight hours. But when the night had
l"'Nei and TIE sun popped up over Tho food
\ o. The left. showing that W were going south.
j hoh0dy wanted to play poker. All the money
On rarth wouldn't have driven away the
IhGght that was uppermOst in each mans
r'nd. The cool morninz ntr and the hours OF
sound sleep had brought the secret out So
PAM that you cou.d see it written over every
b"Ts face and flashing out OF his eyes. Tho
t"rIf .ag on the boards. the money Al Il checks
h""r'- them. Every spot in the deck. every
"".fr IN th" pile, ev ry drop IN the OuachitA
80" I-i u mean the same thing hunger.
,'.t-ra while one OF the men started up and
Ia "Trr Ia the crock. which had been brought
h" rom neIow. and opeaen IL. With a sudden
eN'"h'uaiion his hand disappeared inside and
IALLt nIt NnIiInu a nrAnf hunk nK cnrn hrend-