The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-09-21

left llcm ilIce years before, MNtA Ni.f
threw up their jobs To- follow the fortunes
Of the brothers MaCco.
THE POKER PLAYERS
LAS ] was saying when Cox took his
seat at the plano everybody within care
shot except the poker players. stopped 90
listen officers of the regiments cncampcd
on the hills outside OF the town. who al-
ways dropped in at The club 90 set n
square meal stopped rummag'ne around
the piles of out-0fdlto. French. Spanish.
American and English p.ctorals which lit-
tered the long mahogany table 100 the
center OF the ROOM the immuncs OF
Grubbs battalion occupying the old Span
ish theatre. across the street. ceased their
ribald SONGS. tpplcrs az tho New Amer
lean Crystal Palace Cafe. lately c-'aD-
lshed under the old theatre. AN came out
on She sidewalk and the scnoritas FOB the
houses throughout the neiehhorhood drew
their chairs close 20 the lattice walls
which separated their verandas from
the street. 20 hear the mining managers
lively solos and the crashing chorusus
which followed.
"The poker players alone hung stoidly
20 the work in hand smoking and drink
ing and making only occasional m0uo-yl-
iabic responses 20 the queries: What y
got what 81 going to do? etc. COX s.
nmitable.
Then ere's 10 ye. Fuzzy Wuzy'
" AT yer 'omc in the Sowdau had mo-
charms for them. We We're very strons
on Kipling. and the Ang'o-Sax0n unity
On those days In fact The Queen and
Empress was toasted by us about as OIL
ten as any red-coat 90 The far away H.ma-
layas The uncomfortable ship captain,
who came into port one day anxious 90
create q sensation. and told a yarn about
Victora's alleged death caused as much
CONSERVATION as he might have stirred
up In Kingston.
Cox didn't sing late ON this particular
night Tie and such Of his crowd AS d.d
not go TO bed when the singing was over
were watching the game before 10 o'clock.
STRICKEN WITH FEVER
AT that time James had most OF the
chips and big pile of Spanish ccntens.
English eovefoiens and American hve-
dollar gold pieces before him. He had
big run of luck Also he had two dark
rings under his eyes. two dark semcir-
cies around the corners of his lips and a
dazed look and "a very pale face Ihe
crowd was Interested in the game ana
hadn't noticed how badly Doe looked unul
he suddenly got mp and said abruptly
80 I'm going 20 quit
"'Whats the matter? Cold feet? Quor-
led the biz blonde staff captain. with just
a touch of sneer in his voice
Maybe said James. with some fire,
but not the kind You are thinking or
~Then turning TO Cox he said:
"'Cox. you cash I'm for me. I'm going
TO bed. With that DE went on to- his
room and Mason and ] followed him.
.o There's only one kind of fever that
fsfrH
look Mason whispered to me as James
went into his room and it's tAe knh
tnars always bad when it strikes "a man
of James build.
Eyes. ] know I said. q have seen
lot Of it in Central America whor. ! was
building railroad when this trouble came
up
..Aq we entered the room James was
crawling into bed with his siX-shooter I'D
his hand He put the gun carefully under
hts inflow turned his face toward me wall
and muttered half 90 himself and half 10
MS:
THE SYMPTOMS
"Trs the real thing. symptoms unmis-
taxable Crashing pain al the .ise ol
the brain. shooting pains up anu cow
the backbone dun aches in the kn.
ioints-I know en- but rememper H
going To- stay here. They are huellhs ll-
yellow lack patients over 10 the l7.'in az
last as they catch the disease III kills
the patleuts go be moved. but 10 saves lne
town 10 get him out OF the way. Dno
mans doesn't count for much When N
balanced against the town. accordns "
trs NAV thcv look 90 things at the Palace
,.,. ,,.6er MS INV life Sc counts with me.
ro hell with the town. M thinking OBJ
lanes. and If they try 90 move me- iheio
win De- "a lit of "a scrimmage n mere.
James tapped MS pillow significantly
..Nfason and 7 agreed TO take chance
o,d mot saw ANYTHING about what area
lanes We didn't thiuk the other fellows
would ne quite as expert al diashos'hs
49, trouble as wc had been. After we h9'
seot the last bottle of champagne ln the
l.o chest into him we went back TO the
nol,er game Tho crowd had thinned OUT
some. another man was i'm James ch'I''
and the cloud of smoke hanging over lHe
table was Dit heavier
".Wm the next death report Of the COM
handing general department santiago
contain the items James. civilian opera
4or. yellow feyer2 asked one OF the cor-
respondents.
otTm afraid So said Mason. Then the
came went on. other men had dropped
out of it on other days just as James had
done. and for the same reason. 1t was no
longer novelty.
DEATH OF JAMES.
Games was dead when a doctor and a
connie of ambulance stewards sent from
the Palace the next afternoon arrived TO
take him 90 the island. 80 they ordered
him 10 the cemetery instead and told as
20 be quick I'm oheyng the order or the
Palace would have 90 take The job on our
hands. We bought a. rough mahogany
coffin with James poker winnings and put
him i'm 10 just as we found him on .tne
bed sticking the siN-shooter under his
head
Don't be surprised at what SAID about
the mahogany coffin. The Santiago woods
are fun Of mahogany timber Tt is much
cheaper wood there than American hard
pine Back 'n the hills the natives use
IL TO cook With and the principal wharf of
the town Is made OF 10. an but the piles.
James got more OF a funeral than the
average stranger was getting i'm Santiago
In those days We who had been messing
and playing Isker with him at the club
felt that IL was up 10 as 90 do something
out Of the ordinary We followed the body
10 the cemetery I'm which they buried for
aieners because the Archbishop never all
lowed hurying of herctics I'm the Catholic
cemeteries There are about two hundred
graves IN the cemetery. including the
trench I'm which are The hfty-one Amcrl-
cans who were with Captain Frye ON the
Virgnius expedition and were shot there
by order Of the Spanish authorities more
han twenty-five years before our arrival
We had 10 pass the old bun ring I'm
which Captain FRYE and his men We're
shot. Mason pointed 10 ont 90 us.
SJNfpI u CEREMONY