The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-01-07
bill and pushed that to the middle of the

and the colonel raised 10 q hundred. The
lawyer came back, and the congressman
dropped out.
The colonel raised IL q hundred. The
lawyer made it another, and there were
over $500 on the table.
| The struggle of the evening had come.
and the three who had dropped out were
not loss excited than the two players. 10
all appearances they were far more so, for
the colonel looked as calm ss il on
parade, and the lawyers only sign of
agitation was his heig ghtened color. None
OF them thought much OF that, for he was
OF plethoric habit and flushed easily.
The colonel raised il hundred. The
lawyer fumbled his pocket book for a
moment and, drawing out fresh roll of
bills. raised IL two hundred. The colonel
raised 1t five hundred. The lawyer came
BACK to him with five huadred more. The
colonel raied it thousand. The lawyer
nipped up the ends of the. bills he was
holding in his hand, ana, counting them
rapidly, found little over I wo thousand
dollars. Separating the odd money, he
extended his hand with the twenty CEN
turies In 1t and was in the act OF speak
Ing, when he heckei himself ss sudden
ly as IL he had been snot.
raise, he began, and then was
stricken dumb. Tho bills were still in
his grasp, and, instead of laying them
down, he sat for q moment as rigid as
statue, while his face grew white.
The silence was intense. The colonel
was the only one in the party who
showed no excitemenr, bu. the lawyer,
who had watched him up to thai moment
with the most acute scrutiny, no Longer
looked at him at all. Instead, he slowly
withdrew his hand, picked up his cards,
which he bad laid, face down, before him
and looked them over again.
"What il that for?'' thought the eiitor.
"He Is not looking TO see what he holds.
he knows perfectly well. And he HASN'T
been blufing. What stopped him, 1 won
DER"
= 40 one spoke, however, as The lawyer
laid his cards down sgain and looked
once more irto his p ok 4 book.
Aha" thought the editor. s."It's the
amount that stsggers him. That's queer.
too. Pve seen him play higher than this
at the table,"
1t seemed to bs the, amount however.
Ior the lawyer, finding no moro money
In bis pocketbook, counted out thous-
and dollars from the roll In his hand
and, laying that on the pile in the MID.
die of the table, said:
81 call you"
Z his hand shook percepiibly. and for the |
first time the coloneps face relaxed. He
smiled grimIy as he laid down four faces.
The lawyers face had peen pale, but
lt grew almost ghastly as he showed his
hanj. lie had caught the jack of hearts
In the draw and had won the pot.
The doctor watched him curiously.
even more so than the others, though the
entire party was surprised. 10 h:s-pro-
Iessonal eye 1t looked as IL the excitement
would culminata in a fainiing lit. Ths,
'or moment was indeed imminent; then
he magnificent nerve which hac.made the
awyer famous stood him insgood stead
ina he rallied by a supreme effort. Once
more MS hand was as steady IS clock
work as he reached out and drew the
're't pile of chips, gold and bank bills
oward him.
1t was not, however, until after he had
lone strange thing tnat he could COM
nand himself sufficiently to speak. And
While ne was doing ii the Others looked
n In silence. They had seen four aces
eaten by straight flush, bat oven the
xcltement OF that was in allowance.
ONE strange climax was coming and
one could even guess what it would be.
First he counted out from the pile
wenty one-hundred-dollar bills, ,and fold
ng them together with the money be
ad held back on the last bet, ne placed
ne roll In his pocketbeok, and, closing
nat carefully, put ii into his inside
ocEet and drew long breath-simost a
asp-ss II Of relief. Next he counted
ut two thousand moro and pushed it
YER toward the colonel, who looked at il
nd at him in wonder. The remainder of ,
10 pot-a goodly st m lay In confused
eap In front OF him, and before speak
X he looked at it steadily for a space
herein one might count fifty. At length
said, raising his hand,ss If registering I
D oath:
am done with poker, have nothing t
soy against the game. You oil know :
ow veil i love to play. To my MIND
ere is no other sport that equals Il.
ono l.believe, so shows the skill and the
ettle OF man as this docs. Yet loving
o game as well, and admiring it as
uch as do, give 1t up from this L
oment, forever. have stepped across d
e border line of dishoner tonight. -2ae c.
oDey have just put back IN my pocket =
Is given to me last evening by a client .
be paid out this morning. ana IL had
Vt could not Immediately have re-
aced ID. j had 1t in my possession
nply because had not bad the oppor-
nifty to deposit IL. ana Ia tho excite III
mt OF the game forgot that il was el
{ my own. The facinstion that couId M
Ike me do thing like that is one that
are not risk again. Then. as the last