The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-28
members, as well as the younger

members, as we'll as the younger
guests.
4 guess I never told you how I hap
pened to go into the army, did I,
cloud of smoke ceilingward
Never" replied half dozen voices
as one,
well, replied Weeks, ''it was all on
account of a game of poker. Away back
in the fifties and sixties, as you all
remember, I presume. poker was a
mighty popular game in Trenton, and
big money changed hands every week
on the run of the cards. One of the
steadiest players among US in those
days was John Collins. We used 10
call him Jack for short He went West
right after the war was over and died
out there Well, as / was saying, Jack
was one of the steadest players that
we had among us, and one of the I'M
luckiest, too. Sometimes he would win,
but seldom, because he didn't use good
Judgment.
zone day. after the war had broke
out, there were a half a dozen of us
up in the old Columbia hotel playing
poker The cards Were running big,
and l was having my share of the
luck. 1t seemed to me that had new
er had the cards run to me as they did
that afternoon. Pretty soon Jack came
in and took seat to the right of me.
He seemed to be a little nervous, but
nobody said anything about it. He
bought stack of chips and the cards
were dealt. They had gone around five
or six times before Jack played. Final
ly he came into pot with a pair of
skies, didn't better, and lost of course.
Well, it ran on that way for some time
without Jack getting single pot But
he was a cheerful player, and kept
dribbling his money away without
murmur AT last he opened a pot for
IS, which was the limit. l had a pat
straight, and l raised the bet Jack
lifted 1t again, and l gave it another
boost. Jack raised it again, and, think
ing that / had bet all that the straight
was worth, I saw him, and the dealer
asked Jack how many cards he want
ed. He said that those he had were
good enough for him, and threw a SIS
note on top of the pile of chips on the
table. I raised the S.. and Jack gave
it another lift. I knew then that /
was a goner, and laid down my hand.
Jack had pat full house.
1T vas getting along pretty late in
the afternoon when Jack opened a pot.
1 had the ace, king, queen, jack and
nine of hearts I raised Jacks opener
and he raised me back. Well, we
finally I quit. I knew by the way that
Jack acted that he had as good as a
full house pat, and came to the con-
clusion that my flush was no good I'M
less l was lucky enough to make a
royal of it. Jack stood pat, and 1 dis
carded the nine spot of hearts and drew
in the ten spot I had made the royal
flush, and was ready for anything that
Jack might call for.
HE started with a bet of IS, and I
promptly raised it. Jack gave it an
other boost, and l lifted it again. Well,
we bet and bet, until Jack had all his
chips and more than 5000 in cash in the
game. He didn't show any signs of
quitting, and / was beginning to Won
der whether or not he had a royal flush
too We kept on piling up the money
until the pot aggregated $1,500. and yet
Jack seemed as confident as ever that
he had the winning hand. I knew that
he couldn't afford to lose the money,
and knew that he couldn't possibly
beat me with any hand that he might
hold, 50 I called him. Jack chuckled,
and, pulling the pile of chips and mona
ey up to him, said I should think you
would call me- and he spread the king,
queen, jack. ten and nine spot of spades
out on the table. He had a straight
flush. The ace that l held was all that
saved me-
After a while Jack braced up and
told us that he wouldn't care so much
about the loss if it wasn't for the fact
that it included $500 with which he
had planned to secure a substitute. 1t
seems that he had been drafted. and
unless he could get somebody to go to
war in his place, he would be obliged
to leave his family and go to the front.
He had managed to Scrape together
$500, which was the amount for which
he could secure a substitute, and that
had gone with the rest on the strength
Of the straight flush
IT was a bachelor in those days. and
a pretty lively rooster. When l heard
Jacks story l saw way out of the
trouble at once. ! told him not to wor
ry another minute. I wanted to get
a sniff of war, and would go as his
substitute. And go 7 did, but first made
Jack promise that he would keep away
from the poker table from that time
on, and I know he never played the
game again in Trenton. What he did
after he went West I don't know.
Il was a little superstitious about
that pack of cards. had never held a
royal flush before, and never have
since. T had never seen the cards run
as peculiarly as they did that after
noon in that game. So I took the pack,
and laying Jacks straight flush on one
side of 1t and my royal flush on the
other side, l wrapped it up in piece
of a newspaper and slid it into my in
side vest pocket.
Il served two years in the war. and
all that time I carried the cards in an
inside pocket ! had leather case
made for them, and if l hadn't carried
them around with me | guess I
shouldn't be here talking to you to-
night Them cards saved my life, as
sure as you live, and that is why l
say the devil gets into them sometimes
You see, it was this way. ] was do
ing picket duty one night. My beat
was along the bank of a narrow
stream. On the other side, some ways
from the stream, was clump Of trees
and beyond them, somewhere, we knew
that there was a gang of rebels, which
we intended to tackle in the morning.
1t was a moonlight night. There wasn't
breath of wind stirring. Along about
8 O'Clock in the morning I got kinder
sleepy. l stopped, and, picking up
stone threw it into the stream. While
etoo5 ua+rbino the riDpleS in the