The Saint Paul globe., 1898-11-20

Hand Around the Board-Kind-
ness and Not Cruelty His Treat
ment After That Time-one
More Who Caught on.
From the New York Sun.
For fox terrier, that dog don't
seem to know q whole lot" said one
Of the men in the back room of an ND
town cafe.
The old fox terrier was burying his
gray muzzle in the lap of his master
and wagging his stump of a tail fool
ishly. His master was a squat, thin
raced man Of the all-aged class; that
is. he might have been anywhere from
tnlrty to hfty-nve years of age. Run
ming away from the corners OF his
shreWd eyes were many tiny wrinkles,
In his get-up he looked like ready
money. He Tapped the dogs clipped
ears one over the other and looked
reminiscent
We'll" said he. replying to the
other mans remark, Il can't say that
he does look dead wise and smooth
to the naked eye. He's not one of
these here fresh, sooner dogs that want
to put you next to ell he knows the
first clatter out o. the box. He's no
trick mutt, anyhow. I raised him
from pup. and 1 never taught him
any of the jay tricks that these pill
low raised, dog-cracker NUTS go
through. What he don't know about
standing up in a corner and hopping
over cane and speaking for grub and
Naltzing on his front feet and playing
possum, and all that kind o. dinky
work. would fill a book. But If any
OF you people think you can give him
any points on the value of hands in
game Of poker, then you need new
dope book, and that's which,"
''Poker? said another Of the party,
incredulously. Say, shoot it in light
Your yen-hock's OVerWorked." D."
That's what I said-poker," replied
the fox terriers owner firmly. I'm
putting you next now, because 1 don't
make it a business to do pals in
poker game. He's the best poker dog
on the American continent, that mutt
Can't begin to figure on how many
times he's won me out, and for how
much. He's sulked on me two or three
times at critical junctures in games Of
draw and given me wrong tips, just to
get square with me for something or
other, but that was when he was
young and sassy and disposed to work
his edge on me. He's been tipping
me off right now for seven straight
years, and-well, I've got a dollar or
two scattered around" and the owner
of the dog slowly pulled
TINFOIL OFF A % CENT CIGAR.
Didn't have a bit O. trouble teach
ing him the game, I suppose?" asked
one of the men at the table.
We'll" replied the fox terriers own
ct, striking a match on his diamond
incrusted match safe, Il can't say that
-, l. III
O. snap. At first he used to get the
kings and the jacks mixed once in a
while and then he had a habit, when
he was learning the game, OF getting
the eights and tens twisted, too. But
I broke him Of those defects after a
while It wasn't so much trouble teach
ing him the value of the hands IN
I poker as it was TO fix up a sign manual
by which he could express himself and
tip me off on the hands held by ths
other fellows. But patience was my
long suit in teaching that dog the game
of poker, and in less than a year after
I showed him the first pack of cards
he ever saw he was able to put me
onto the worth ofevery hand around
a table without any of the marks fall
ing TO the scheme. His method OF
cc mmunicating such information TO me
during the progress of a game is a bit
involved and intricate, and we've got
lot OF little code signs that would
require TOO much elaboration in the ex-
planning. but III give you a little idea
OF the way the thing works.
Suppose I'm sitting in a four hand
ed game. The dog is nosing around
the room, not in any ostentatious kind
of way and not getting himself no
ticed at all by the other three in the
game. A hand is dished out. The dog
noiselessly rubbernecks behind the
chair Of the first player on his route.
The first player, We'll say, has got a
pair OF sevens, and I've got my eye on
the dog The dog quietly gapes twice,
to indicate that player No. has a
pair, and then blinks both OF his eyes
seven times In rapid succession. See?
OF course 1 know then that No. 1 has
only got q pair of bum sevens. l pre-
tend to scan my hand, while the dog
quietly gets behind the chair OF player
No 2 Well say No. has three
queens. The dog passes his right paw
over his right eye three times. II it's
three kings, left paw over his left eye
three times.
IF IT'S THREE BULLETS
he puts his left paw at his nose and
holds it there for a second. and, If three
Jacks, his right paw at his nose. Saw
Wy? And so on. He's got the whole
manual and code worked out to
stretch finish. If No. s has got a pat
he closes his left eye and keeps
it closed until he sees I'm no.