The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-14
THE MORNING NEWS: TUESDAY, JUNE H. 1898

know one anothers play very well. and
the luck ran pretty evenly TIL toward the
last. The winners at one time generally
lost at another, and nobody was hit very
hard for a considerable time.
IT was thoroughly enjoyable game TIL
tnat last break came, for we played the
straight game, with none of the fool aD-
pendases in the way of freak rules, tokers
ana hands, which some people seem to
consider improvements. And we all had
sufhcient control of our temDers 10 make
no display of anger under any circum-
stances. A poor loser can make poker so
wfetchedly uncomfortable for one that
ward.
Three of us were business men. With
ers was lawyer and LuptOu was a bank
cashier. Not a very pleasant thought, you
think-that Of bank cashier playing
cards for money. Wen. perhaps 1t Isn't,
as a general thing, but, as 1 said, none of
US was winning or losing any very ire
mendous amounts, ana Lupton was the
richest man among u.s. having an indie
pendent fortune of his own, aside from his
business connections. Then there was the
Congressman, who joined us once in
while, and the editor who also came oc-
caslonaly, SO that there were sometimes
SIX playing, though generally there were
only five.
We had noticed for some months that
Nlthers had been losing rather more than
anybody else, and h was naturally talked
ABOUT at supper for we always stopped
playing at Y o'clock and took supper to-
Betner. Withers affected to treat 1t light
", ana said, laughlngly, several times:
"Oh, III get square with you in the long
run. Nobody wins or loses anything Sc
rious In this crowd" It was true enough,
or had been up to that time, and as we
knew that Withers had good practice
we gave 1T no serious thought At least.
l didn't think particularly about it, and
L guess no one but Withers did. AS it
proved, ne was thinking a devil of a lot
about it
one night the play ran higher than US
ual. Davis, the iron merchant had lest
his first five hundred early in the evening
and had flashed out another thousand and
half an hour after the congressman, who
was with u.s. did the same thing, so that
there was over 5000 on the table The
cards ran well too so that the betting
was lively, and the editor, who dropped in
late, and who sat looking on for we
wouldn't play with seven at the taple,
exclaimed, regretfully, that he thought he
was missing a mighty good thing, which
he certainly was
"Withers was losing again. and al
though he had laid a thousand in front
of him at the beginning of the. play, he
was down to less than four hundred when
he came in on the last jackpot we ever
played. Carter. the dry goods man, opened
IL, as we afterward learned, on three tens
and mad drawn one card, holding up
queen, but not lettering in the draw.
came in with two pairs, which l laid down
after the first raise. Davis had a four
flush, which he didn't fill, and didn't try
to play, as he seldom bluffed. The con-
gresham filled a small straight. and Lup-
ton also bettered, getting two more trays
to the pair be drew to.
"Withers was the dealer, and as he pick
ed the cards up after the cut he fumbled
them slightly, so that 1 saw the bottom
card was the king of hearts I said moth
ing about it then, for l didn't imagine that
he had done it purposely, and l really
didn't think that anybody but myself had
seen it. When 1t came to the draw he
helped himself to one card.
Garter showed up $40. I saw it. Davis
laid down. The congressman raised 1t
twenty-five. Lupton went twenty-five bet
ter. and Withers in his turn made 1t TWEEN
ty-five more to play.
Garter showed his openers and quit The
congressman made good and Lupton raised
it fifty.
"A hundred harder than YOU said
Withers and the congressman lost conf
dence in his straight. Lupton's blood was
up, naturally, and he raised another hun-
bred.
"Withers counted his money. We played
with gold and bills, preferring them to
chips. He found only $50 remaining, and
he showed it forward, saying: I'll have
10 call you for what l have
What is it?' said Lupton, drawing
down $40, and the two men showed their
cards. Lupton's four traps won, for With
ers had only a king fun.
'When saw it started in amazement,
for I could hardly believe my eyes. One
OF his three kings was the heart that I
had seen at the bottom of the pack. The
shock was SO great that for a moment
couldn't speak, and before l gained COM
mand of myself the editor reached over on
the table and gathered up the cards.
Let me look at that deck he said
coolly, and, running through it rapidly, he
threw 1t back on the table, saying: The
pack is all right There's only one king
of hearts in it, and, gentlemen, that king
was on the bottom at tho beginning of the
DEAL
"Withers turned as white as a corpse
| What do you mean?' he demanded, with a
! show of buster. do you say 1 cheated?
It's a lie! And he started up from his
chair, trembling violently.
"' No, its not a lie said 1. I saw the
! card myself at the bottom of the pack
| after the cut. And for a moment there
was a dead silence in the room. Wthers
| looked around from one to another wildly,
.
| for him. but, though he saw plenty of
establishment, he found no sympathy on
any of the faces that confronted him, and,
after a moment of agonizing suspense, he
suddenly collapsed, falling back in his
chair and dropping his head on his arms
en- the table before him. he sobbed and
cried aloud, like beaten dog.
For some time no one spoke. Our in
dignation gave way to disgust and con-
tempt and no one seemed disposed to say a
word. It was painful as well as disgust
ing. Finally. however Withers pulled
himself together a little, and, lifting his
head, he said brol1enly: It's a terrible
thing to break down like this. but I am a
ruined man. That thousand 1 lost tonight
was the last of a trust fund. and it's all
gone where that did-in gambling. I'm a
defaulter for $11 900, and haven't penny in
the world
'fStill nobody spoke, but by and by Lup-
ton said very gravely: I am more sorry
than l can say for this, Withers, for I've
had more than a common regard for you
would have helped you out of your money
trouble gladly if you had come 10 me-
"Withers looked up quickly and eagerly
but Lupton went on, gravely and pitiless-
", before you showed as you have to-
night that you are not worth helping