The Wadsworth dispatch. [volume] (Wadsworth, Nev.) 1892-1899, 1898-01-29
AGAINST The BIG MITT.",

Old time sport, and IA good one too, drop
ped into town, dressed in the easy,
greasy, ill-tilting garments OF Il sheep.
herder. He was drinking pretty freely
and spending plenty OF money and some
OF " II town sporting bloods thought he
would be easy game They introduced
tine old gentleman 10 a quiet room in
one OF our popular resorts and proceeded
to systematically do him up. But the
old fellow appeared to sit very easy,
Joaiing the boys and keeping them in
good nature. The game was draw, the
ante a half, and the limit wide open.
The game progressed for some time
without any extraordinary play until
one OF the local bloods got three aces.
The sheepherder looked at his hand and
decided to risk a half; the local sport
with the three aces decided he would
have to give the old nan Il slight eleva-
ton The old man scanned his hand
carefully, saw the raise and Touched his
opponent lor ii 20 more. The local man
thinking he had IA snap called him and
they proceeded to draw cards, the local
man drawing two out OF the deck, while
the sheepherder decided to stand pat
and drew five cards out OF his sleeve.
The pat WAS something OF Il tacer, but
the local man still believing lie had IA
snap stuck bravely to his work. The
play vent on with the unvarying result
that whenever Il pot showed up worth
playing Tor, the Did man drew rom his
sleeve, while they drew from the deck
and he invariably won. Now. as the
local sports lost their money, they lost
their courage and they came to the con-
~clusion they would have to send out for
assistance to overcome the old mans
luck. They dispatched IL man for the
sport of local sports who came in and
surveyed the ganne for u few minutes in
a very contemptuous manner, apparent
ny making up his mind as to whether Or
not he would lower his dignity by tack
ling such II soft snap. Finally he did
not think it would do to let the innocent
old man take all the dough out OF town.
Taking off his overcoat gracefully and
placing his gloves and cane OH II chair,
he attempted to waltz in and capture
the old mans ill-gotten gains, which the
old mar appeared TO be perfectly willing
for him to do, simply asking him ii he
thought his overroal would tit him. The
play proeee'icd Tor some time without
interruption, with the same results rs
before, every once in u while the old
man making ii phenomenal bluff, which
nobody had the courage to call, and
afterward he would show the hani with
out IL pair. Presently the sport of
sports. thinking the old ina was out
on n lsllh, called him and raised him
back, white the old man. reaching across
for more money, raised him back and
went to- the amt old sleeve ior another
hand, With which he won as usual. The
local men had lost their money and be-
gan to lose confidence in their champion,
finding it was the same old. story OF one
sheep cunning to Il band Of sheep for
protection against the wolf. Hy this
time the local bloods hai suspicious
that what they had thought WAS IL c,se
Of luck had developed into Il case OF 'big
mitt.' They scrutinized the old mans
actions a little closer. LII the meantime
the old man, seeing that he had such an
easy game and ST many suckers, had
been imbibing rather too freely aud lost
his usual caution and dizziness. In try
ing to get his ''hold on" down to call
u back raise, it stuck, while he, forget
ting that he was playing with the sport
OF sports fumbled, drawing attention
to that wonderful depository OF lull
hands carried in the sleeve-and then
the fun begun. The deck was grabbed
and council and found to be five shor :,
which they decided to lind up the ola
man's sleeve, but he objected in II
mild manner convincing them that it
was dangerous to look up a mans sleeve
where there might be more concealed
than cards. They tried to bluff him by
telling him that he could not play any
more pasteboards in Wadsworth, to
which he replied: Seeing that | have
most OF your money aud another suit OF
clothes in my room, that will not SER
iously affect me, but | had decided be-
fore | left town to take that macklntosh
with me and possibly the cane.' Then
they Were going to lick him, bnt he ron
WINGED them that ii they wanted to play
at that game ie had Il ''hold OUT that
wns also Il Surn ,bin,, rI,nn tI., ,,ll