Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1897-07-29
THE BLUFF FAILED.
BUT IT BROUGHT AeouTThE DESIRED
RESULT AT LAST.

The College Society Chapter That Was In
Bad Repute - A Medal That Contained
an Inscription - Poker and Bottled Re-
freshments.
1T frequently happens" said a col.
lege graduate, that different chapters
of the same Greek letter fraternity, sit
uated at different colleges develop diff
ferent characteristics. All of these So
cieties, think, are organized to encour.
age literary pursuits. I mean that's
what the constitutions say. AS mat
ter Of fact, the literary element is rath-
er lost sight Of in most cases in the
stress of having jolly good time.
When convention time comes round,
however, the chapters dat have main
tanned theig literary quality come to the
fore, and the others have to put up a
bluff by sending as delegates men who
have high standing as scholars or else
take very back seat. q
"The chapter to which I belonged
was located at q country college, and
i'll some way OF other it had acquired
reputation in the fraternity of being es-
sentially nonliterary, and, in fact, rath-
er sporty in character This was so
much the case that in my junior year
there was movement on foot to expe,
or suspend our chapter from the frater-
nifty. We weren't very strong in high
stand men and couldn't even scare up
two to go as delegates to the conven-
tion. Another man and myself were
finally selected for this function as the
most unsophisticated looking members
Of the chapter.
AS usual, in such cases, a special
train was made up to start FROM the
westernmost chapter and to pick up as
many Of the other delegations as could
be arranged OH its way to the convention
city. We were among the more remote
chapters, and when we boarded the
train there was only one other delega-
tion on board, composed of three mem
bers. We sighed when we saw big boxes
of bottled beer in the freight car and
reflected Oh the elaborate instructions
we had received from our constituents.
We were primed for the occasion. NY
companion, Forbes, had classical vol
ume in each side pocket of his coat and
there were ink stains on his fingers 1
had borrowed from classmato a medal
given for scholarship, and this 1 had
rather ostentatiously hung on my watch
chain.
1--WE soon made the acquaintance of
the other three delegates and joined
them in their stateroom. Before long
they proposed game Of poker and one
of them produced II pack of cards.
Forbes said he didn't play, retired to
corner, pulled out copy of Gladstone's
Landmarks of Homerio Study and
after gazing thoughtfully ont of the
window for moment or two apparently
became absorbed in it, l admired his
conception of the part, but couldn't
bring myself to break up the game, and
that's what it meant, for everybody
knows there's no fun in three handed
poker. Besides, there were only three
delegates Oh the train to witness my
fall. said I didn't play, but had seen
the game and thought it looked inter,
esting. I was willing to learn.
when we got started, there was a
demand for buck, and unhitched the
scholarship medal and dropped it into
the pot as a good means of calling at
tention to it. Everything went OH
swimmingly for awhile. had outra-
geous luck and won pot after pot, so they
beginner. After awhile one of the other
delegates got away with Il jack pot, and
while he was waiting for the cards to
be dealt he picked up the medal and
glanced carelessly at the diverse side.
I hadn't examined it particularly, but
found out afterward that it bore this
neat inscriptions: Garrett J. Gardner,
Weymouth University, Glass of 81.
1.-The delegate started and looked at
me with glance that was first mysti-
fled and then suspicious.
81 beg your pardon, Brother Gard
ner, he said, with touch of sarcasm.
Il thought you said your name was
Hawkins, and we've all been calling
you that right along.
"Thero was smothered gutfaw from
behind the Landmarks of Homeric
Study, and saw the jig was up. We
made clean breast of it, and Forbes
sat into the game, making it five hand
ed, which, of course, is the ideal game.
We didn't lose any time sending for
ward for a consignment of that bottled
beer, and the floor was strewn with
dead Indians when tho train filled up
with other delegates, and they crowded
around to watch the game.
"Our elaborate bluff hadn't worked,
and the convention opened with our
chapter in just as bad odor as before,
but we had made stanch supporters Of
the three delegates and some other kind
ly spirits who had joined us on the
train. They all went to work like bea-
vers, and when our case was taken up
in the convention we had good work
ing majority which sustained our char
ter with whoop New York Sun.
Must Have Been Very bad.