The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-30

This sort of thing went on for couple
of years, when Elmhurst began to drink
hard and to go to pieces in general. When
in his cups he would invariably give her
a beating, and it grew to be a common
thing to see Belle wearing a veil to cover
up the pair of black eyes Elmhurst had
given her. At first she would savagely
resent any allusion to Elmhursts abuse
of her, but after awhile her patience broke
down, and she, too, began to drink. When
a woman is in trouble with the man she
is living with she has plenty of sympa-
thizers, and it was just after she had been
beaten rather more outrageously than
usual by Elmhurst that Ed Pikeman, an
other well-known gambler and desperate,
came along and strobe into the woman's
affections. Elmhurst was in too sodden a
condition to notice the alliance between
the pair, and went on drinking and abus-
ing the woman who had stood by him
through thick and thin.
THE finish came at MoJave. Elmhurst
was running his game in a shack across
from the railroad eating house, and as
he was generally drunk, and as Belle had
declined to serve longer as his lookout,
his bank was being hit pretty hard. Pike
man giving it the worst jolts. Pikeman
was sitting at the table, winning steadily
at the game one afternoon, when Belle,
who had been brutally whipped by Elm
hurst that same morning, walked into the
shack somewhat under the influence of
liquor Pikeman's presence probably gave
her nerve, for she walked up to where
Elmhurst was dealing, and bitterly de-
nounced him for his treatment of her.
She Informed the standers-by that Elm
hurst was the worst brute and BLACKBOARD
that ever walked on two legs, and an
nounced that she was going to leave him.
Elmhurst sat looking at her meanwhile
wit n n n
on his face, and was too amazed to say
a word. After roasting him for fully
ten minutes, during which time Pikeman
and the rest of the crowd stood around
without a word, she said:
" Every word that have spoken is the
truth, George, and you know IL. But you
did something for me once that l am not
going to forget. You are brute, and 1t is
impossible to live with you. l know that
you want me to go on living with you, so
that you can go on abusing me, but 1
am not going to do it IL can
help it, But I'll give you one show. I'll
play you one hand of poker. Wen draw
cards and then show down. If l win
quit you. If you win I'll stay with you,
brute as you are, and you can go on abus-
ing me until you kill me.
''The crowd broke into murmur of APP
prevail and Elmhurst, who had been gaz-
ing open-mouthed at the woman, saw that
nodded.
Fired Rollins. the proprietor Of the eat
ing house. who was present, was picked
out by both to deal the hand. had been
stopping at his place for some days, and
he had told me the story of the peculiar
pair, and / don't think 1 ever watched a
man shuttle a deck CT cards with more in
terest than l did Rollins on this occasion.
Elmhurst kept his seat on the dealers
side of the table, Belle sat directly In front
of him, and Rollins took his place at the
left-hand side. Ed Pikeman quietly walk
ed around behind Elmhurst, and the rest
of us drew around the front OF the table.
There wasn't a word spoken during the
whole business, and the quiet was almost
painful.
Rollins produced a new deck Of cards
and riffied them so long and carefully that
we all shifted to the other foot with i'm
patience. Belle kept her eyes fastened
upon Emhurst who looked sodden and
ugly. Rollins passed the cards first to
Belle to cut them, and then Elmhurst cut
them again. Then, slowly and carefully.
Rollins dealt the hand. lingering each
card to see that they did not stick to
gether.
Both OF the principals rofrained from
picking up their cards until all were dealt
Then they picked them up nervously, and
Bellies hands were seen 20 trcmble a good
deal. Standing behind her, ! could see
that she had caught bob straight with
a king on top, an eight on the bottom.
A." Both show down at once. said Roll
Inns.
Il could see that Belle was studying
whether TO draw 90 the straight or to dis
card all but the king. Suddenly. with
quick movement, she spread her bob
straight on the table. AZ the same In
slant rclmhurst, with an ugly smile on his
countenance laid down In front OF him
three aces. and tossed his other two cards
aside I noticed Pikeman turn white
and / suppose all OF US felt more or less
like shooting Elmhurst then and there.
Belle caught her breath convulsivhly. hut
said not n word.
There was a whole LOT OF pent-up ner-
vousness In that room. ! can tell you when
Rollins picked Up the deck 70 deal the
draw. Elmhurst leaned black IN his chair
with his vindlctive smile, confident that
he had won. Rollins slowly dealt him.
face up. two cards. They we're trav
and a six. Belle was arranging her cards
neatly side by side. Rollins was coughing
little bit, and blew his nose with d good
deal OF force Then he threw beside Belle'e
cards, face up, nine OF diamonds IL
completed the straight.
" by hell, cards or no cards" blurtod
cut Elmhurst, leaping 10 his feet. But. he
got no further. Pikemans two hands
were about his throat, and. even n pike
man hadn't been on hand. the woman
would have got faF play. Elmhurst strug-
Cling like a devil feached for knife and