The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-06-02

his friend Drifter put him up.
s.Gentlemen, said Drifter, my friend,
the Colonel, is ono of my kind. Like
me. be was tenderfoot of the tenderesi
kind when he struck the frontier To-
gether we roughed it in the logging camps
no In Keewatin; we were chainmen TO-
oetber on one of the first surveys Tor tire
Canadian Pacific road. 20 cross the Saskat-
chewan: we had both been millionaires In
our minds when the gold fever broke out
from Lake Superior TO Lake winnipeg;
and we've been hungry and thirsty In q
pair at a time when mining claims ana
mining stock wouldn't buy John Col,
lips or q square meal. Yes, the colonel
Come of, Drifter," interrupted the
pewcomer 'your friends are hungry
and the soup is getting cold. Don't speak
al mining claims and bricks In tho same
breath. for have no gold bricks on mana
at present ~
supper Drifter's fellow members learned
from the colonel's lips that he had roveu
tie continent as widely rs the now civilized
Drifter. that he had loafed and punched
cattle with the ianchmen OF the texas
Panhandle; had been one OF the carlltsC
boomers in the wild rush Tor the lertue
plains of tho Cherokee strip, ana as no
admitted over the coffee, had KNOCKED
at,out quite little, " and was trying 10
..get used TO Broadway with nothing In
narticular 90 do (" Later, when a game
of draw was proposed, the colonel asked
70 be excused. Although no comment
was r,ade. Drifter. who is always aching
for few rounds of jackpot, noticed the
surprise OF his fellow members and apollo
gctically said
"Boys, suppose we shelve the cards 10
night? should have told you that the
Colonel never plays nowadays, but I've
seen him go up against the stliiest klnu
of games To satisfy the gambling instinct
of a man. hos "A total abstalner now;
aren't you. Colonelg'
The visitor bowed assent and II was not
long before the clubmen induced him to
own nm that no had still srealsing re-
gard for a square game OF chance.
No prejudice against gambling or ig-
norance of the value of n full hand, keeps
me OUT OF game, said the man who
according 10 his chum. had been up
against all kinds OF stiff games. 'Drlfter
here. knows that there Is n world oil las
cinarion 10 me In the rattle of the chips
and the click of the deal box Ia a stoutly
fought faro game. There Is sweet music
to mo in the roll oi q roulette Dail ana
the whirr OF the numbered wheel hed
and black, high or low, odd OF even, hazard,
hearts and baccarat alike have found in
me a deyC tee in my wanderings over the
country, ard down South many night
I've fingered by the hour watching the
roustapouts from the lovee shooting craps.
So gentlemen, when oase'hardened cit
izen like myself denies himself tho pleas
ure of a friendly game of poker, IL must
be evident that, like the genuine keeiey
graduate, he has taken the cure.
Drifter paved the way for the Colonels s
narrative by remarking: Yes, you took
the euro, not only once, but oitener: ana
paid nigh for It, too. We've locked the
cards and chips up now, Colonel, so
your in for it. Tell the boys how an
inveterate gambler was reformed. Oh
there's no preaching in his experien, o.
gentlemen I'll vouch for that.
II did backslide, that's the GOSPEL
truth" said the colonel Yes, l took
my medicine three times and in good big
doses, too, before l was cured. If yon
can stand the postponemei OF your ok r
game. / can tell you how became what
Drifter delights in calling me, an example
of a reformed gambler.
"It doesn't make any difference how
many years ago l took the first dose OF
anti gambling medicine. / was younger
than nny of you are now, and was head
strong and full Of warm blood. | Travelled
for a big Eastern wholesale firm and made
collections as well as sales. On my return
from u trip west, that Is. 10 buffalo,
lay over at Albany TO close up some over
due accounts. That done, / bad on hand
a gcodly sized wad OF money belonging tC
the firm and little of my own. | was
earning Is pretty good salary, ana up tC
taat time had never known trouble Of The
kind that eats holes in ones brain ard
bigger holes in ones reputation At the
Delavan some one proposed run mp tC
Saratoga. l was ready for little outir z,
ana Joined the party.
AT Sarat. !" continued the colonel
tlssra n tfr.i
whirl at the roulette wheel. The Sara
togs Club was In full blast We had re
turrsd from the races. l had backed
Charley B-I think that was the horse 1
name-in a cup race, and had pulled oL
what for me was cutie pot OF money.
We dined ut the Saratoga Club ana tEer
sauntered through the main gaming hall
had never seen anything so fascinatiu s
"a roulette. My travelling acquaintance.
amused themselves for n while and wen
cut. i stayed. lost In wonder at the cool
ness with which little Cuban playeC
aud lost on some system which was al
creek TO me. | ipsensibly drifted-ints
mentally calling the numbers and theI
motaphurically kicked myself for not risk
Ing n few dollars on my selectiors. O
course there was the Inevitable result
tried TO act as an old timer ns bought 50
of ohips and i'm my haste 20 get thm oI
before trio magic ball stopped rolling | be
tr1you my Irc~hbCsS ana SIlllcu stack q
chips on the floor.
'1wenty-three in the red. called tn
dealer as cafclessiy ms a hotel clerk call
Front | had in my ignorance an,
haste. covered the number ia three or fnu
possible combinations. and had ton dol
lar bot flas on the 23 Ny hands trcm tio,
and my teeth chattcTUd. 20 Gonie
quickly pushed over chips representing
my winnings. n trine under S5l0
'Whiz-z-z, spun the murry littlc lvor
ball In the wEirling basin. With feyerls
prodignlity / scattered chips as % drunke'
man plays. and only dcslstcd whe { h
smooth gentleman bchind the table calle
out:
Twenty three and she's repeater.
Sure enough. the tickle bail had lodged Il
the niche corresponding TO tic numbcr :
which somo unknown iniiuence ha
guided my hand. was ricLer this tim
by $3.50 A bracer of brandy and soda n
my elbow an1 one OF the fattcst cigars th
house afforded gave me- ! iancicd ia
appearance of graduate of Monte Carlo
played and won and played and lest
The imperturbable Cuban showed hug
stacks of blue chirs on the red or black
disdaining the numbered squares 20 whic
1 confined myself
slt seemed IN me that / had hrpn ptav