The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-16
POKER WITH i SHoSHoNE.
SERGEANT GAMBBER. o. =. A., MEErs
A BLANk EFT SHARPER,


An army officer who WINS stationed at Ro,,S
barracks told this OF his gambling sergeant;
"By tho time taps was sounded the sergeant
was out $3.50 ON his chuck.a.luck game, and IA
was given TO mo that he was about MS miscro.
bic q looking man as ever wore n stripc en- hi.
leg, when the recruit, stuflng his last rake.oY
into his bullying pockets, announced with n
grin that no had had enough for that night.
Tho recruit said 'Ccrt'nly' when the serrc,nt
pathetically asked him II he wouldn't give
him a show to get back on him on the follow.
ing night. and walked ont in the direo
tion of the quarters. but he never Rot
there. Instead, no took the midnight train
on tho Oregon Short Line for the East, and they
haven't got him yet either. When he failed TO
turn up for rcvoillo the next morning the ser
geant was torn by n sudden agoniZing thought
and he rakod out his mustang dice in a hurry.
He found that they weren't his own dice at all.
but frst-class limitations Of them. and that two
OF them were just almost bewltched to roll over
so that n club on one and a heart on the other
would turn up. The grief that consumed him
when he made the discovery was not assuaged
by the honrsc hooting ho got at the hands of the
men who had had financial dealings with him.
This thing, as 1 said. started the wheels in
my sergeant's head to whirring, and he got bag.
gard with anxiety to get even. He wanted 10
win that $3.50 back tho worst way, and 1t was
for this reason that he fell into the habit Of
playing draw poker with some of the Shoshono
Indians who used to hang around the post al
times. Some of those Shoshones always had q
good sum OF Government money slowed about
their clothes for q while after their quarterage
days, when tho agent would make them their
payments, and the sergeant took it into his head
to have a try for some of 1t. He had pretty
good success at first, for he knew a good deal
about the game of draw. and got $50 or $50 each
from four or five Of the Shoshones without
much trouble.
"Then no fell in with Charley Daw, a chief
with q face as hard as an Easter Island lava
statue. Although the sergeant didn't know It
at the time. this Charley Daw had mastered the
game Of draw poker right here, in Washington.
dams for the. adjustment of some ShoshOne
claims-and when a wooden.faced man becomes
thing 70 este steer pt Clear Of Of him. T PGee ser \ "a a W Wss
too much ratified, however, over the, way he had
t essm Of aG0 tSfs sort Sy .n and recruit Se also 20 f %sisa t TO remsn.
Der until 1t was too late that Charley Daw, since
his return to the reservation from Washington.
as the most magical dealer OF poker hands that
ever chucked one Of his papooses under the chin.
$500 from him on the first night tho two sat
down together. and on the next night he donated
for nearly a week. in fact. and Exhibited such
o %%st Ss stqpiSd ndy A. a. the 1s, game sstst that ot,, the IS se err cant
pretty gorgeously In his mind. The games took
place in Charleys wlckieup. the best on the res.
e%ervation. and the only onlooker present on tho
1.-The sergeant, about $500 Of the Indians
this final night that at the beginning OF the play
he started tho blufing system. 1t worked
sSP Bs nd SsynS Gh o1l y p nTrs sg }esr d9 Ito to m lay d SI,h
attempted to blufr the Indian out Of a jack pot
that the Shnghnna had nnanad m hfa npyp lan1
he struck q snsg; Charley Daw let him get in
very deep. making very small raises himself in
ing that the Indian was only trying to protect
himself. and would sooner or later later lay
there was Ksss about %" s $500 X tho T pot, f fGen DG The u sho.
shone. not caring to scare his man out on tho
with a nervous oath; To ease the soldier up u
little Il Charley Dnw Let it,. him win 500 0 back on
The last play was q natural jack, and it was
those poker dealers that make men nervous iy
covering the whole deck up with their hands
pretty ratified frame OF mind. and the only thing
that relieved his nervousness while the Indian
seemed sn to be giving VIM G no att @as Ih to thu hee lob tai bst
kept his gaze fixed dreamily to the top Of the
'shuffie the cards on the blanket he said.
however, to the Indian finally.
Huh y inquired Charley Daw, but he showed
tlluI hC hhu Iuc TGI1hTk all TlRuU W KY
blaT Witb . nat az. mil ~. ..,..,nt
looked as Il Pho he f felt t q re sfs SSf q interest %i in ' iite,,
ana IN order to entice the Indian In, he opened
Shs hpP 1sd for toF . 0iR oSyg I'll time The and sf snailg he s.%%io d
who believes he is making a fool of himself. He
pat with q self,satisfed grin and threw one Of
his cards into the discard with the hasty. nope.
flush. For the first time since the two had been
playing the Indians .countenance assumed a
dealt himself, and the soldier looked as if he
feared he couldn't make much out Of his ace fun.
Fifty dollars said he. in a bluffy tone OF
The hoshone gazed at aim with the stolid.
injured expression Of a maj Of whom a gross
convey. and did convey, the idea that he didn't
ming his hand. he raised It a hundred. This was
pie for the sergeant. He saw plainly that tho
rive hundred more said he, reaching in.
side his blouse and hauling out his reserve bag
Charley Daw now looked pitiful. He dropped
his hand of cards on the blanket and gazcd
smack into the sergeant's eyes for fully a min:
half a minute another Indian. Big Ringdove.
also a chief. walked into the wickieup. Charley
hand, and the pair had a conference in Shoshon",
which wound up by Big Rinedove looking as y
geant was the picture of complaisance through
1t all. but the ordnance sergeant who was pres.
ent at the game told me that the sure-thinG non.
edges OF his grin when Charley Daw %gruntrd
out a raise OF 81 900. That raise tapped tho
sergeant. all but $500. But he was still pretty
and so he stood the raise and threw
In his last $500, certain that 1t would drive tho
Indian out. But a wicked smile now wreathed
Charley DAVIS countenance.
THAT all you got y he inquired o; the soldier.
hrmntively.
"'Then l call you said Charley Daw. with his
eyes now contracted like a serpent's, and hs
allowed. the sergeant to nervously spread out
his ace full on the blanket.
mo good said the Indian. Ticking his four
queens onto the blanket one by one.
Look a-here, you cursed, red .hided. short
card player. the sergeant began. ~scramDlins
70 his feet. and then he stopped suddenly. Tho
Indian sat perfectly still, holding, a big army
pistol In his blankcted lap with both hands.
".You go your barrack.' said Charley Daw.
TATTOO, he go in a minute; you get In bunk AMI
now
And. persuaded by Charley DAVIS manner
was right choppcd-off, I was told, and NV
the gun, my sergeant returned to his quarters,