The Monmouth inquirer., 1897-02-25

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should maneuver to best advantage be-
fore raising the question who should be
the man. 1t took only a few minutes,
though, for the scout to give his advice,
which was for one to ride out, waving
q white handkerchief He was to keep
to the eastward and ride as hard as he
dared toward the Indians, looking
sharply for the weakest point in their
line toward his right. He should then
make dash and ride as hard as possible
until it was all over, firing as often as
he could.
"Tben we had to decide who should
go, and / supposed, of course, that we
would draw lots, but one OF the men
spoke mp unexpectedly:
"tWhoever goes, he said, doesn't
want to start for some hours. The scout
says just after daybreak is the best time.
What is the matter of settling this thing
with poker? We can play freeze out, and
three games will settle it, the winner
dropping out each time"
''The proposition caught me. You
know used to pride myself on my
poker After little hesitation the others
agreed. The man who proposed it had
the cards, and we counted out 900 coffee
beans for chips and began playing on a
blanket folded and laid ON the ground.
tYou would think the details Of q
game like that would fix themselves in
the memory so that would be able to
tell you every hand / held and every
bet I made, wouldn't you? Well. l
can't In fact, I can't tell anything
about the first game excepting that |
was the first man to lose all his chips.
I had played often enough. for what |
thought were high stakes, but the
thought that was playing for my life
ratified me completely, and I really be-
lieve bet at random.
Whatever did lost, and the man
who had proposed the game won out
He was shot in a gambling house three
months later-had an extra ace in his
sleeve, believe, or something like that.
1.-THE next freeze out, between three of
US, was comparatively short one. 1t
did not take more than 20 minutes for
the scout to gather in all the chips, but,
short as it was, managed to get myself
together little, though was still full
of the thought of the value of the stakes
"a thing which, have noticed, always
interferes with my play.
'tWhen the third game began, how
ever, pulled myself together with
most tremendous effort and really be-
came as cool as ever had been before
at game of cards. The man I played
against this time was young English
man whom had grown to esteem highly
in the short time / had known him.
His people at home never heard this
story, and hope they never will. They
know that he was killed by the Indians
and that he was on hunting trip, but
they never heard of his last game of
cards nor of the way he rode to his
death.
1--WE had each 800 beans, and half a
dozen hands were dealt before either Of
us got cards to bet on. Then on my deal
/ caught three deuces and made it 80 to
play He looked at his cards and raised
me so, which / covered. He drew one
card and let it lie without looking at it,
Wnll6 ne WaCCn6Q me.
81 saw him looking, of course, and
am more glad than am of almost any
thing else l ever did in an almost use
less life to think that l made the worst
play I ever saw made. liked the man
well, as said, and some impulse that
l couldn't understand then, and can't
explain now, told me to leave the thing
to chance and to give him little the
better chance.
81 had played with him before, and /
was certain that he was drawing to
flush, and somehow | felt that he had
filled it. Of course | should have drawn
to the strength of my hand, but didn't.
| drew one card only, holding up an
eight spot to my deuces. and 1 showed
all my beans into the pot without look
ing at my draw
HE gave me one look, in which |
read a perfect appreciation of what I
had done, and without word and
without lifting his fifth card he pushed
his chips forward.
''Then my nerve gave out. l grew as
white as death, l know, though no one
ever told me so, and / actually could
not lift my cards. His nerve never
shook, though, apparently, and he turn
ed his fifth card over as he laid it on
the blanket. They were all clubs.
He looked at me- and l swear l saw
regret in his eyes. tell you he was a
man. Then l managed to turn my hand
over. had drawn the other eight "
The westerner stopped. He drained
his glass and then said:
Waiter, bring another bottle and
bring me some whisky besides. This stuff
doesn GO to the right spot " Then,
after he had had his drink, he said:
You don't wonder, do you, that l
don't play poker any more?"
NO" said his hearers, "but finish
the story"
'tOh, there isn't much more to it. AT
least that is the end of it, as | think
about it. The Englishman shook hands
with us all and rode away. We watched
him until he fell, and he must have gone
fully three miles. A good many Indians