Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1897-12-03

Vile SAID to him, GU We been at the
bank, haven't you, Tom?'
Tom owned up. ...>'
And you look as if you s~ere hit pretty
hard. suppose you wereP'
"Middling hard" says Tom.
well, now" Mrs. Tom went on, II be-
lieve that you just naturally love to gam
BILE: that you were born that way; that
you have a passion for yenturing your
money just for the excitement, the mental
stimulus Of it. Am rightY"
Tom licked the ashes from his cigar in
a way that said Yes" but he Kept still.
We'll. said she after pause. i've got
a scheme. Gamble with me!''
Tom thought his wife was delirious
with anxiety, but the plan was SO novel
and was SO insinuatingly put that he
couldn't reject it. So he said, well,
Jimmy, I'll have to go you"
Well, this couple started their two hand
ed game Of draw on the very next night,
and Tom said that from the very go off he
never had SO much fun playing cards in
his life. Not that his wife didn't know
the game. He had taught her the game of
poker soon after they were married, and
on his evenings at home they had often
played quarter limit game for the fun OF
ing with his wife for really immense
when the game was we'll under way, that
this Butte man relished the play enor.
mously. He quit the faro banks altogether
and devoted all of his spare time to the at
tempt to beat his wife.
The little woman was not loser a dollar
from the very first night they started play.
At the end of month, as Tom said him
self, it seemed to be no longer q question
as to which of the two would come out
ahead on a nights play, but simply
question as to how much be would lose.
At the end of six months his wife had
5000, 900 worth of his securities in her
compartment Of their safe deposit vault
"Lose?" said Tom about this time.
"Holy smoke, she doesn't know how to
lose! She'll have ME a pauper before l
know where I am. And bluff! Say, she
bluffs 1he out Of my own jack pots on eight
or ten high when there are thousands of
dollars in the pot. Then when conclude
to put stop to this blutfing and raise her
up to the ceiling by betting whole slathers
of money on really good hands l happen
to hold she holds tours or a straight flush
There's no way know of to get line on
the way a woman plays poker, but she's
got me so deep in the hole now that I've
got to see the game through"
WE'LL at the end Of year this nervy lit
tie woman had not only captured all that
portion of her husbands income that had
formerly helped to enrich the green cloth
men of Butte, but she had gathered in
about an even half of his capital. 1t was
all his to manipulate and do business with,
but it was in her name. 1t took her an
other year to break him, but she made
mighty slick job of it at the end. 1t was
almost exactly two years to day after
they had started the game when the inevi
table night came on which this Butte man
had to sail the sponge and acknowledge
that he was all up. Each Of them had on
q corner of the table list of securities
stocks, bonds and other properties, with
the money values noted that they indi-
vidually owned, and they had devised d
system Of checking this list off with Il
pencil as the securities were waKered IN
the progress of the play Then at the end
of each week they would have u settling
day.
On Che night that she broke him flat she
had been bluf1:ng so lNr>lstrntIy that he
concluded be would call u halt to that sort
Of thing as soon as he got a good hand.
His opportunity arrived when he gave
himself three jacks and then another jack
on the draw. His list of securities beside
him was pretty we'll checked off by this
time, but he thought he had q good enough
hand to do a double or quits turn, and So
when he saw that his wife was inclined to
raise him in the betting, he just fired the
whole list in the middle of the table.
If haven't got you beaten this time
Timmy," he said, I" l might as we'll 20
broke"
"Well that won't break you, you
know" she replied sweetly. You've got
your diamonds yet, haven't your"
"Oh, I'm too strong this time to let you
bluff me out that way, Jimmy" said he
II will put into the pot everything own
in the world except my buds. "
"And the value of what you've got
lefts" she inquired, cool as q cucumber
swell, said Tom, II guess my rings
and pins are worth &c, O0O."
The little woman calmly took the pencil
and checked of 90, 600 worth of securities
on her list.
II call you" said she.
Tom smiled as he spread out his hand.
"Too bad, Jimmy" he said. -Four
jacks"
"Too bad, Tommy" said she, spreading
out her hand "Four queens"