The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1898-08-22
THE JACK POT TEST.
HOW A MEAN GAMBLER SPRUNG II
ON SISTER ABIGAIL.

Got 10 NJ the Expense Of Uncle Urishs
Opponents at Poker.
Bent. but tall. with sparse whiskers
seldom trimmed. nearly 20 years old.
Uncle Oriah used 70 sit in the poker
game in Omaha, his long, thin fingers
tremhlingly placing his chips and his
! old eyes glttering rs he timorouslv
skinned his hand. Pathetically like Lit
/ tie Nells grandfather he looked some
times, but he was ct no desperate shift
TO obtain stake, Tor he was the pos.
SCISSOR Of a competence, and he brought
into the game the raving grace Of the
| parsimony to which he had been habit.
uated ia his earlier days ia New
| Hampshire home He never bought
/ more than g. worth Of chips 1t time
/ These he would for the most part ante
/ away waiting for aces OF better, and
when he finally did get good hand
bare call represented the climax Of his
enterprise.
In those days there was always
game on Sunday afternoons, and Uncle
Uriah, although devout Methodist,
could bee counted upon to arrive directly
after sorvice and To- sit I'm until the time
| Tor afternoon Sunday school The boys
used 10 joke him at first and ask him IL
| he had slIeaked his stake out of the con.
/ tribution box, bat TO this question aud
Co all others of similar levity he op-
posed . scared seriousness which showed
that his passion for the game was more
a weakness than vice.
Uncle Uriah lived with his two sic
tors Abigail, nged az, and Arm. aged
b5. In New Hampshire they had been
called "the girls. hut IN Omaha the
irrevercnt. with rude directness referred
90 them as "Uncle Uriah s old maids Z"
1t did not take the boys in the game
long to discover that Uncle Uriah was
in much fear Of Abigail in general and
IL mortal dread that she would discover
his besetting weakness Tie would al
ways shy Mt new player, and he fire.
quontly held forth TO the boys on the
impropriety Of talking on the outside
about the features OF the game.
II sh d hate to hev the parson know. 4"
he used TO say Il wouidn { keeg so
much bout Ann, cause she's easy
skeered, but | wouldn't hev Sister Abi-
gail know fer the biggest jack pot twas
ever played on this here table I"
There was never any solution to the
mystery Of how Sister Abigail discover
ed the obliquity IN Uncle Uriah's life
Some oticious neighbor may have told
her or Ia an excess Of caution Uncle
UTiah himself may have aroused her
definite suspicious. AZ any rate, ca a
particular sunday afternoon he arrived
at the room at the regular time, but
without the key with which be, ia
common with other participants ia the
game, had been provided The negro at
lendant admitted him, and no was soon
engiossed in the play
There was good jack pot on the Ia.
BILE Uncle Uriah was IN and was deal.
ing II was his Inst say, and the two
men ahead Of him had bet $40 each lie
had drawn one card, and the play was
mp TO him. He had not however, look
ed at his draw when the key turned IN
the snap lock of the front door, and Sis.
ter Abigail, pale with righteous and
terrible rage, strobe into the room and
up TO the table
"Gamblinr' she cried And on the
Lord day, with the church BELLS ringiu
Vutside and decent people tiockin TO his
worship l expected TO find you here
you hypocritel" she went on. turning
to Uncle Uriah. "You better get on
your duds right now and come home '
II was comm in jiify, the old
man said, weak with fear IL guess
might rs well go long with you as with
anybody else He rose and steadieC
himself by holding the chair
Seth Coe was the coolest hand Ia th,
game. Even Sister Abigail had not dis
concerted him. lie reached over nnS
turned up Uncle Uriah's hand IL wa
a flush
lyon better straighten this pot on
before you go, uncle. said Cos. "YoI
, call, Of course, 1 suppose flush /
good? Coe asked, turning 20 the othe
players. They nodded assent. Coe stack
ed up the chips Forty three dollar
here " he said, pushing them towar'
Uriah.
The old man started instinctively 20
ward the pot and then remembered Sis
. ter Abigail. He stopped and waite'
tremblinRly for her decision.
IL seemed TO the players who turnet
from the weak and timid old man 4
the dominant woman. that at this cru
cial test something Of her moral rigidit,
e relaxed. She did not sweep the chips /,
the floor She said nothing about II
gotten gains. With visible effort sh
Oyercnme slight nervous construction
Of the throat She grasped her skirt
firmly and swept toward the door
Uriah, she said with great dig
nity II will wait for you In the hal
at th3 foot Of the stairs.
=, After Uncle Uriah had obtained hi
$i8 and departed Seth Coe said In hi
leisurely way:
"The old man didn't have flush.
q slipped in card 10 ill IL out for him
/ reckoned you fellows wouldn't min
payin once more for positive proof that
y no matter what kind Of woman she il
she's always in with your play whe
you win the pot New York Sun.
Careful.
II is related Of certain clergyman 4