The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-12

ally run across. with an irresistible ma
mia for gambling in all its forms, Yet
altogether lacking in the temper ament.
skill and experience required FOR sue
cessful gambling. He went against al
the heavy games that were running i'll
Butte under the old regime, and he got
hit hard by nearly all of them. lie
lacked the will power to let the tables
alone. however, and after while his
steady losses began to prey upon his
nerves and injure his health. Al
though he never encroachcd upon his
capital, he sloughed away the major
portion of his very large income on
the green cloth. and il the reform ad-
ministration hadn't happened around
just when it did there's no telling how
far he might have gone. Although he
Kept at ii for few weeks after the be-
ginning of the reform, he was too up
right To be able To stand for sneaking
up back stairs, to be inspected through
a peephole by hangers-on for faro bells.
But his wife was chiefly instrumental
in his giving the banks the complete
go-by.
He had gone back to New Hamp-
shire and married the sweetheart Of his
boyhood after he began To pile up
money in Montana. He got a prize,
too, and he knew it. ana he did every
thing in the world for her but the one
thing she most wanted him to do, aud
that was to quit gambling
After while I'll let the banks SO
Timmy.' he'd say to her 4 want 10
give EN- one good. hard Welt and get
at least some Of II back and then You
and I'll spend our evenings playing
checkers, and you won't worry any
more
We'll you all know how il goes when
a fellow stacks up against another
mans game for the purpose Of getting
his money back. The player plays With
desperation and imbecilty. and he gets
worse mired all the time. That was
what was happening 10 this man when
his wife got into the game. She was
and IS a pretty level-headed and ac-
complshed woman and clever enough
to keep the' smartest men ON their met
tie on any subject
= Tom she said to her husband very
early one morning when he reached
home with a worried look on his face.
you know I'm no Mrs Caudle. and that
/ haven't sat up to lecture You You've
been at the bank haven't you, Tom?
Tom owned up.
=" And you look as if you were hit
pretty hard. I suppose YOU were"
Middling hard says Tom
Well. now she went on. I've been
hearing to-day that the lrst-rate men
don play bank any more. since they've
been compelled to go about il in a
skulking kind of way. And. after hay
iIls idu the HOllOf OF your acquaintance
ever since | was little girl IN short
frocks, il is clear to me that you belong
to the tribe of first-rate men
Tom smoked his cigar and kept his
mouth shut. !.
Tom, Mrs. Tom went on, 1 be-
lieve that you just naturally love to
gamble. that you Were born that way.
that you have a passion for venturing
your money. just for the excitement
the mental stimulus OF it, Am ! right
Tom fiicked the ashes from his ci-
gar in way that said yes, but he kept
still.
Well she said. after "A pause. I'VE
got scheme Gamble with me-
Tom told me afterWard that he
thought at the time that his wife was
delirious from anxiety. ana that he
looked at her pretty hard.
You needn't stare at mo in that
way Tom she said i m not cray
and | haven't got Mysteries ] know
just what I'm talking about. and
mean every word l say. Stay home
and gamble with me. | like TO gamble.
too, although | have never told you
and I'm perfectly certain that / can
play just as good a game Of draw poker
as you can. You might as well keep
all this money you are wasting at the