The record-union., 1898-11-30
THE DEAD HAND WINS.


Heavy snow had penned d-us-- in-the
house for three days. and during those
three days a hot game of draw poker
had been running in the Montana sa-
loon. Jim Murdock-a 'profesh." but
the whitest man that ever drew cards
the Englishman, Harris, w hom every
body called the Little Cockneys Gack-
ler,'' me, Joe Williams, and old Dick
Hawser of Missoula, that was our
crowd; and every man, having done a
good summers work, had money Ito
lose and was willing to chance losing
It
Murdock and I had carried big luck
from the first, and stood heaps ahead
Of the game. Little Cockney had been
sitting in hard luck from the start
and was some hundreds out.
We had just picked up our cards,
after Joe Williams deal, when Tom
Simpson dropped in to ask If any one
could loan him gun, as he'd got to
work his way down to Missoula that
night.
Williams looked up from his cards
long enough to say:
You'll find a gun in my oyercoat
pocket-overcoat's hanging yonder, agin
the WALL
| Simpson said 'eThank-ee,''. crossed the
room, took out the pistol, and, as a
joke, started to fire a shot through the
| roof.
But the d-n fool had a bad habit--a
cowboy trick-of first singing his gun
over his shoulder and then pulling the
trigger as he brought her back again.
1 He must have got furried somehow,
for he pulled the trigger too soon
pulled it while the gun was over his
back and pointing straight at our
party.
"Bing!''-God! I can hear it now
bing!" and the gun spat fire; and there
was poor Little Cockney lying on the
floor blood flowing from a cruel hole
in his forehead flowing fast and paint
ing red the five cards gripped in his
hand.
| He'd been sitting next to me for three
days, had Cockney; I was his best
friend-his old pardner. A second after
he'd dropped was kneeling at his side,
begging him to speak. But he wouldn't
Then DR.. Frank. who'd been standing
at the bar when the gun went off, he
6Oes 41i5 ldilu ONSI SOthtlCy IlSdTt. +.
He's gone," says Dock; never knew
what hit him.
Nobody spoke or moved for a mo-
ment. Then Jim Murdock said:
Little Cockney never did a dirty
trick in his life. When he lost he paid
up like man, paid up smiling like a
true sport. For three days he's sat,
without kicking, in rotten luck; his
Iluck's changed, see what he holds now!
Four kings and an ace; as we don't
play straights, that's sure winner.
There's only one thing for us to do,
boys, and that one thing is, play this
hand out-play it as If Little Cockney
were sitting in that chair and us not
a-knowing he held the winning hand.
That's square amt it?"
Square" said every man at the
table.
'I bet the limit said Dick Hawser,
pushing five blue chips into the center
of the table.
II see that bet and lift 1t a hundred
dollars" said I, putting UP the $500
needful.
Jim Murdoch glanced down at the
dead boy, then, with a catch Of his
breath, said:
Little Cockney, sees both rises, and
lifts the pot the slimit2'Y ~ b
Speaking lower, most WHISPERING he
continued: . d aEsess--.s y
.Cockney, boy, you're short. 500, but
I'll loan you the chips" and he did.
Then. raising his voice higher, says
Murdock: ~ asa @
TITS my bet now. I'm seeing those
three rises, and I'm lifting the pot an
other hundred .s'Sicsa
Joe Williams, the dealer. had a
mighty little hand, but he'd a id big
heart; that's why Joe slid out S400.
enough to call.
Everybody. evened UP chips and
called; then we. all showed cards.
cockney had won the biggest pot Of
the game.
Murdock raked in the chips, counted
and stacked them up In front Of the
empty chair.
Mebbe it was accident, I don't know,
though I've my own opinion, but Muir
dock didn't take back the 5000 he'd
loaned poor dead Cockney to make his
first bet with.
1.-TWO thousand and seventy-five doll
lars in the pot said Murdock, after
he'd counted the chips a second time;
then, speaking slow, said he:
"Cockney while he lived allus sent
money home to England to keep his
old mother. Now he's won what'll
keep her easy the balance other years.
You'll send 1t to her, o. O'Hagan?'
Yes" said; and did.
That's how Cockney Cackler went
away from 1lS Poor little chant