The sun., 1897-05-16
WHY HE FORSWORE CARDS
THREE ESCIPES THAT INDUCED
MAN TO GIVE UP POKER.

| Tried q Game OF Hun ana WOn-1f He Hndn't
Won He Might Have Gone to the Pen,-
| tentirry-An Escape from Marriage and One
| from Death by Bullet In n Game n club.
81 don't care to play" said tho quiet little
man in tho smoking compartment on the first
, evening of tho trip eastward from San Fran.
| cisco. There were only four men on the car who
had thus far shown signs of being companion.
| able. and he was one OF the four. They lad
| dinod and were enjoying their cigars together.
The talk was desultory and amounted to little.
| One proposed game of cards. and two OF tho
others were ready, but the little man declined.
| Tho pause that followed was little awkward.
| They did not even know one another by name,
and the wording of the refusal seemed curt.
The little man seemed to realize this, for after
| moment of silence he continued:
Nothing would have given me greater pleas.
| ure year ago than TO Join you in game OF
| poker. In fact, nothing would give me greater
| pleasure now. but am done with cards. and
| believe any of you would refuse, as do, IL
| cards had cost you what they have me-
| The others spoke few polite nothngs, to the
| general effect that it was a free country and
nobody was obliged to play anything he didn't
want to play. and one-the youngest in the
party-sad:
"Unlucky, suppose"
Him! Well, don't exactly know as you'd
| call it that" said the little man refectively.
| II most always win when play, or used to-
| that is; but I've had some Of the cussedest
since that I'd had enough OF EN-. And as / can't
| just naturally quit cards"
Story about sGnt it, t. qsked p, IL the young man;
" Man won't play cards. Ought TO do some
| thing" This was the young mans appeal to
SeHr TS fheg fsSgM RSddfd ss mind spinning III.
yarn, said the little man after a little hesita.
tion. seeing that you don't any of you know
ngain after we separate at the end Of the ct trip
Ifyou knew, me wouldn't care TO tell i just as
other way. The first narrow escape had was
from State prison, and good deal worse; At
taken with me to prison the consciousness that
deserved to GO ,n ana according to ny notion
@ deal worse Than amt the G punishment iseif
everybody. think. who plays it much; I
played more and more, and as l generally held
10 playing harder and harder till was 1 not con: on:
ger the better. ~ IbaSe T travelled three times all
tho way between Chicago and Washington 70
course couldn't do that sort of thing without a
good supply m OF ready money and A considerable
fair cash capital and business OF my own that
paid me well. And my business was in such q
condition that could leave it to my employees
One night there was particularly stiff game
at hs S bsn Tss ss @t most In NsT ley York
raise OF thousand was made several times dur
ing the evening. / had expected hot work. and
one % IN s
larly, wanted to beat, partly because he was
watched him carefully. and twice in the course
Of three or four hours play was satisfied that
Nothing hing in my OWN own hand V either The time % and ddnt a
to PAX to see his cards but felt that
five he had hc would do II again
suspect him unless call ed. but decided to risk
when came in after the jackpot was opened,
and hadn't bettered in the draw. 1t had been
raised II thousand before the draw. That's
what made me come in on so small n hand. for I
was big enough to Justify the attempt. for there
was over thousand in it before he spoke.
three. As said, caught nothing The opener
bet thousand tSy and man went back at him
but the opener lost his nerve and laid down a
small straight without calling. My man had
but my bet became call when the opener quit.
and he showed down two siSes.
game went on. I didn't know till next day low
noar rum had been just then. When went %
had gone TO Canada and that instead OF having
several thousand dollars in bank, as suppoS"i
not sound ike n1n S Mas
trustee Of certain funds amounting 10 about
SIS 600, and was called OH for settlement IAal
very day. II II hadn't been for my winnings he
night before | couldn't have settled. and II II
hadn't been for winning that pot on pair o,
sevens would have had TO quit the game for |
was loser before that hand. The consequences
would have been frightful.
Another narrow escape had was from hciNg
married man. was engaged TO be married 10
q lady who broke the engagement because sho
learned that played poker. Perhaps ought
not TO speak or this as an escape, hut ! know
that she made the man she aftcrwart married
most miscrably unhappy. What would have
happened il had married her | can't say, and
don't enjoy thinking about II.
THE most wonderful piece Of luck that ever
San Francisco, when the stakes were not partir-
ularly heavy. In fact, we were playing iNc-
dollar limit and nobody won or lost more than
couple of hundred In the game. The men in Il
We're all members of my club ami wcr" snpInscl
to bo gentlemen, though one Of them. ~ -
nighI, and there was nobody but the five pln'rrS
In tho room when we caught this fellow cheating
The accusation made n row, of course, ana no
fellow drew revolver and attempted 20 sHn"t
The man who had accused hlm: Another man
struck mt tho pistol as hc fired. and the bullet
anybody could want; but the luck OF il lay III ,'n
fact that was rising from my chair as ihr ~"
was fired, ana my foot slipped as Was ~ 'N'
act of rising. This caused me TO lose my hhi'"o
and in falling back as did. my head just w"T'l
out OF range, so that | had only grazcd shlu "H
would have had II had not slipped.
In order Ia save scandal we allowcI lAe
fellow to resign from the club. and the story "."+
never made public. thought the thing over
pretty seriously though, and after a time con-
Cluded thai puker was rather too exciting f." inr'
/ think | ppf Il inns nhDuI II bui how