The record-union., 1899-03-21

enjoying the game 1 will give you
chance to call a dollar bet. l raise
you ST.
My present bet is $5,OO1,' said the
Senator
THE two men took their eyes from
the cards and the table and glared at
each other, and if l ever saw deadly
hatred expressed in the human counte-
nance it was at that moment. Ihe
minister grew pale as the cloth on the
luncheon table, and l thought he was
about to weaken, but he came with
raise of $1,000. 1t was with an express
sion, however, suggesting that he hoped
the other would call. With eyes like
those of a rattlesnake when it is about
to strike, the Senator drawled out in
measured tones:
I will see your 5000 and, raise you
$25,OOO,' and began to count out the
remainder of his chips and to take
notes from his pocketbook to make good
the sum.
1.-The minister gave a little gasp, and
then explained in a weak voice that he
did not have SO much money with him,
and he would, therefore, be compelled
to surrender the pot.
Il am quite willing to accept the
check or the note of hand of for
eign minister, said the Senator in
tone that cut like rapier.
:" No, by heaven, you will never have
in your possession either note or check
of mine, exclaimed the envoy, angri-
ly shuffling his hand into the discards.
1.-THE Senator looked at him with
smile of malicious triumph, raked in
and stacked the chips and cash, still
holding his hand. When this was ac-
complished with aggravating delibera-
ton the winner glanced at his hand
curiously and slowly laid his cards on
the table face up.
First came the ace of hearts, and
following it the king, queen and jack
of hearts.
BAH shouted the minister in
tone of angry disgust. you We're bet
ting on an invincibte hand. I might
have known it.
The Senator laid the remaining card
upon the stable face down. He placed
his elbows on the green baize, his face
in his hands He looked the foreigner
steadily in the eyes for full minute,
and then with eXasperating deliberation
turned over the fifth card. 1t was the
deuce of clubs.
All of which proves, said he with
murderous irony. that a man may be
lucky at both cards and love-
The envoy sprang to his feet with
a curse and rushed from the room. A
few days later it was whispered there
had been meeting across the river in
Virginia, and that the minister had
been wounded. If there were really an
encounter I can quite believe it was
the foreign gentleman who was touch
ed. for the Senator was dead shot,
and he must have spared his man rur-
posely''
We'll, John" said the white haired
Senator musingly, that is good poker
story. / remember that l heard some
thing about it at the time. By the way,
perhaps none of you know that the
envoy was afterward killed in a duel
in his own country, and the report was
that an American fired the fatal shot"
1t was curious play" said the vet
eran journalist, :. but it could hardly be
called good poker" By the way, has
any one ever been able to account for
the yagaries of the cards, and especially
that one of the big hands running to
one man throughout long sitting?
remember a game of long ago, in illus
tration. The limit was 50, but the boys
were so reckless that the pots We're usu-
ally tar larger than they should have
been. I was in Washington for brief
visit, and we went to Parker's old club
house, five of my old chums and myself
and made up a game of poker, playing
TO the music of the roulette balls ana
the monoonous remarks of the fellows
at the faro table. l was really almost
broke for l had been spending money
freely, and had just enough to buy the
stack of chips required to get in the
game. Luck came to me in the very
first hand, and stuck to me during the
whole game, which broke up only when
daylight streamed through the win
dows. / don't believe there was sin
gle important pot on the table that
night that / did not win. The way
cards came to me was simply astound-
ing. Every resource Of cold decks,
change of seats, superstitious athletics
and so forth was exhausted to break
the run of the cards to me, but without
avail, and l actually quit the game with
more than 5000 to the good. Almost
invariably l either held big hand
against one just a little WEAKER or a
hand that was not good enough to play
at all. 1t is one of the mysteries OF
the game ! have never heard explained,
this persistence of the cards at times
to stick to one person for a long sit
ting
Yes said one of the old Senator'S
Il remember an instance when this
trick of the cards won millions for ii
man who was about ready to give up
the game of life. 1t was in the days of
40, and our old friend of the mines here
will remember it, 1 know. John Smith,
we'll call him, was certainly down on
his luck. He either ran up against
worthless rock or barren sand, was sick
or having a claim jumped all the time
l never knew another man who was 50
thoroughly hoodooed. Well, time came
when it seemed that John had reached
the end of his prospecting, and he made
no secret of the fact One evening he
dropped into Pinky Blacks gambling
room at Devils Gulch, looking SO cheer
full that every one thought he must
have struck pay dirt. The faro and
roulette tables were crowded. and John
proposed a game of poker among those
who could not get to the other tables.
He planked down S1G0, saying that il
was all he had in the world, and inti-
mating that when it was gone there
would be one fewer of the Smith family
in the world. But somehow he looked
uncommonly hopeful, as though he saw
in vision that good luck was about to
come his way For some time he won
and lest indifferent pots, but steadily
gained. There We're some big players
in tbe gang around the table but it