The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-09-30
POKER I'D | U[Duk
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CIssUyDss-9sssss We Nss -
DsA - u wsghs uevs Bees.

although I have neve. touched q card tn
my fife. ! nearly lot my wife BY q little
game OF poker, IN fact Could snytaing
more than that happen 70 q man.
Il wa the unanimous sentiment Of ths
party tn. the question was oratof.cal ard
noho6y attempted an answer
"A party Of strangers played the same
that worried me" ne went on Il did nos
even know their names. They were .
mixed lot, men ard women. who were
stopping AZ q summer resort IN the vir-
ginia mountains. They were southerners
And used To play every night In one OF tae
houses that MADE Up what was called the
hotel. IL was q ramshackie place, built
before the war. and different houses
hza been butt or bought A. is popularity
increased. The place was cool. there was
mere fried chicken than suca places asu-
ally supply. and the cost % living there
b. the week Was not much more than &
costs for day In IN Eastern resort So
the old place was Always crowded. and
there were few weeks In the summer thar
didn't find every rickety wooden house
occupied Dy Southerners OF a very good
class dian't meet any Of EN- the sum
mer 7 was there. because The girl / was
engaged to was down there. Does n man
mead anybody else Ia the summer tine 10
enjoy hinseifr'
The listeners were not moved by this
( obvious attempt TO keep up their interest.
None Of them made any prstense At re-
ply. They felt they were showing inter-
est enough In the commuters sentimental
affairs BY merely listening.
Things were not gong % smoothly.
though. as they might have in that direc-
tion." re went on. The girl was all
right, and there was no question about our
determination to pat the thing through.
whatever opposition We might have. We'd
had plenty Of 1t. Her people simply would
not hear Of me. They never got q chance
TO see any q what I think are my best
qualities. for whenever I came around they
froxe ~ 20 that they lost the sense OF
sight and hearing and made me feel that
7 l was making about as much impression
on them an OIL stove an iceberg.
Ny giri ard had met while she was WHIT
ing In the North. and anything we didn't
settle then was attended 10 aftsrwaTd BY
correspondence. Her folks had no use
for me. I was rejected without trial r
was a Yankee, and . poor Yankee at that:
80 there was no excuse for my living,
pecally with two or three rich Southern
ers In the ofnng, doing all they could. with
I the support Of the family about equally
I divided among them. This took me down
( TO the Southern springs. where my girl
I was stopping with friends. was sure
+ enough Of her, but ! thought II would DO
( no harm TO be on the spot. particularly
she wrote me that one or two Of thu other
fellows were coming up for a few days 10
see her I wasn't exactly afraid. but I
know how attractive Southern men can
make themselves. and I decided to 70
down there II was IN tho summer, and
( was the only man Jeff IN the ONCE 10 lock
+ after business. but I few the coop one
Friday and on Sunday morning I dropped
In TO ind the most dangerous man Of the
lot up from Richmond 70 stay over from
Saturday to Monday. She was there w.th
her aunt. and II that fellow talked 70 any
body but her aunt while he was there II
was a, meal times. when we ali sat to-
Z gsthsr.
Everything seemed all right The aunt
I was not frozen 80 tight as ths rest Of the
family. but there was a CLASSY look In her
eye that made me Suspicious In spite Of her
ffieucilness Of manner Ny girl and |
were together the whole time and ne 4
settled every detail. I, was 10 take p.ace
the next winter whatever the family a.d
She was going :, write them that NJ soon
rs went back 80 New York and I was 20
come down in the fall and make another
attempt 10 thaw EN- out. Whether 4, fall
81 or not, though. We were going TO se.
the thing 10 a nnsh. She wanted me 20
stay on a while longer because sf. wa
~ suspicious Of the cunts geniaity as
was. The old lady favored the man ina,
q
ei a chance TO cap his game. The girl
wanted the moral support Of my presence
for while and ! was willing 70 give Z,
TO her especially - was having The time
Of my life
Late one afternoon . negro boy came
up from the village drug store ard told
me vas wanted az the telephone The
place was six miles away from the rail-
road and there was no telegraph Nv
! was TO come back right away. Thsrs
was no getting out OF &. had made
myself think that the ONCE would BE- able
20 get along without snyhp3y in charge
at the busiest time; but the news from
New York Knocked that idea out % NY
head with u bump. knew tho thing was
settled. / hurried tack 10 the hotel 10
report 20 headquarters, but headquarters
vas upstairs dressing for supper. went
70 my room and packed my trunk nscn
a. could la tine for the Eastern train
the neHt morning. TIE Stage left al
O'Clock. when came down I sag tina,
something bad happened she was IRE
ueusl beautiful. hlmy combinations that
southern girs make Themselves IN TIE
evening There were Fz-s that she had
been crying. ana there were tears IN hef
eyes WHEN sire said 10 ne:
What DO ydu suppose Agst Helar's
Z DONE She's written you are ssre. mamma
ard papa are furious With me and I have
got tire most awful i~'tsr from hem.
Agntle ard are going 20 leave .oraarrow
afternoon and we're going % visit CharIi.
Hirf1n's mother
"Birtou Vas the chap I found DOWN
there This revs vas more than mine.
told mine buf ssor~ that 10 60 Win
her In TIRE opposite direction from Fsv
YORK. even n my firm wen, ~ pot. said
IA never leave her. Fer an hoGr ~e
walked around pine grove rear tire no
tel az miserable sa two people coGl1 -.
She wouldn't TEAR OF my travelling with
her ard her aunt ard said that would
MAKE things worse than ever ! realized
that 10 might. and we taxed over twenty
plans OF getting as>sd of the old people
before we ~, or o.. ,nsf s~eres hseiy
+ 10 succeed That ore We. uSire u took
a iot ~ peTsuAsier. but q went fr tire
end talked hard .9r f. ard Won after
tss hardest twerty minutes taking
ever as
The only other man in the piscs be-
risss myself who was rot o s1Eshsrr>y
had arrived that morning Re vas a cler-
lyman from Boston His wife. Who To-
2 iarggl .r Nfrrt~fa had hrprfgsf Nt-yf trw1