The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-20

Uofe wrong Cue 10 the
Hand Around the BOard-Kiud-
ness and Not Cruelty His Treat
More Who Caught on.
From the New York Sun.
For a fox terrier, that dog don't
seem to know a whole lot" said one
Of the men in the back room of an up-
town cafe.
The old fox terrier was burying his
gray muzzle In the lap of his master
and Wagging his stump of tail fool
ishly. His master was a squat, thin
faced man OF the all-aged class: tina
is, he might have been anywhere from
thirty to fifty-five 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
Stner man remark 1 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 all 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
Waiting on his front feet and playing
possum, and all that kind o. dinkV
work. would fill a book. But if any
Of you people think you can give him
any points on the value Of hands in
a game of poker then you need a new
dope book, and that's which"
incredulously. Say, shoot it in light.
Your yen-hock's overworked"
That's what l 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 a
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 25-CENT CIGAR.
Didn't have a bit o. trouble teach
ing him the game. I suppose?" asked
one of the men at the table.
Well" replied the fox terriers own
er. striking a match on his diamond
incrusted match safe, Il can't say that
teaching him the hands was altogether
q 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 Fights and tens twisted, too. But
1 broke him of those defects after a
while. 1t wasn't so much trouble teach
ing him the value Of the hands in
poker as 1t was to fix up a sign manual
by which he could express himself and
tip me off on the hands held by the
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
&C mmunicating such information to me
during the progress of a game Is bit
involved and intricate. and we've got
a 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
noiselessiy rubbernecks behind the
chair of the first player on his route
The first player, Well say, has got
pair of sevens. and I've got my eye on
the dog. The dog quietly gapes twice,
10 indicate that player No mas
pair, and then blinks both of his eyes
seven times in rapid succession. See!
OF course 1 know then that No l mas
only got a pair Of bum sevens. L pre-
tend to scan my hand, while the dog
quietly gets behind the chair Of player
No. 2. Wen say No. has three
queens. The dog passes his right paw
over his right eye three times. II rs
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 second. and, If three
lacks. his right paw at his nose. Saw
w? And so on. He's got the whole
manual and code worked out to
stretch finish. If No. has got pat
he closes his left eye and keeps
il closed until he sees I'm no.