Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-03-16
POKER GAME.

Said a man Of my acquaintance re-
Gently.
do you know 1 believe women would
be the most desperate gamblers on earth
if they dared"
"Nonsense!' was my remark
Its not nonsense" he argued warmly.
i've watched them, old and young,
pretty and homely, light and dark, and
even in the small games that their pocket
books and their conscience allow them TO
play their excitement in winning or losing
is something terrific"
And he caused me to do a little think
ing on his side, though not for the world
would l have admitted it to him.
l remembered a game of cards that
caused the separation of two of the dear
est and sweetest women in the world
three years age
OF course, it was poker.
Poker seems to be played everywhere,
or was at that time, and this diabolical
luster of ''fulls, "straights," 1.-TWO pairs
"threes of a kind" "fiushes" and "fours
has caused more misery and made more
mischief among the Women of this city
than will ever be exploited!
There were five Of them in a fashlon-
able boarding house up town, and l as a
caller, made six.
Rain had ruined a matinee proposition
there was nothing to read, and dullness
descended.
Let S play POKER, Salu MIS-. I.
"%Splendid!' was the general e~jacula-
ton. .... ...
Two of the ladies had never played, but
they were soon instructed. Then it was
discovered that there We're no chips.
But a descent upon the cook produced 3Oo
or 400 white beans, which Mrs. Z TOOK
charge Of.
TN be banker" she said as she counted
out the beans in lots of 100 each. We'll
play five cent limit and you shall have IS
WORTH
The amateurs gurgled with amusement.
"How awfully funny they said. why
we feel like real gamblers
l declined to join the game, believing
that SIS in the pot was worth $40 in the
Jackpot"
Tho game proceeded amid much nervous
excitement and many "Ohs." and "Ahs!'
and Dear mes.' and remarks OF that
sort. a. ...
why. isn't that a nush?"
why your hand wasn't as good as
! mine, 1 think you're real mean
Then somebody asked:
What good are four queens?'
Whereupon all laid down their hands
and the inquisitive one gathered IN all
there was in sight, with the remark:
Il didn't have four queens, but just
wondered"
At length there was a battle royal on
between Mrs. c. and one Of the beginners.
/ happened to sit right behind the latter
and saw her hand. g..
1t consisted Of three aces and a pair of
kings. Nothing but -four of a kind
could beat it.
Back and forth, back and forth, bet and
raise more bets, more raises until
the holder of the full hand has eX-
hausted all her beans and clamored for
more. .-. .,
The banker gave her 100 more and made
a memorandum of it.
The betting went on as fiercely as be-
fore. I felt like giving the full hand
LADY, a hint that she was betting her hand
too high, but of course could not do so.
At last the banker called" and threw
her hand on the table.
"Fou siNes!'
> "Dear me-" sighed the loser, II thought
I'd surely win. What a lot l bet! Lucky
it wasn't real money!
Mrs. G. stared at her.
"What do you mean?'
"Why, it's lucky they We're only beans"
'You must be crazy, Mrs. b.. The beans
represent money. You owe me S.
why, you're talking nonsense"
Mrs. C's lips grew very white.
"Do you mean to say" she asked, that
you didn't understand hat we were play
ing for money"
"Of course didn't"
Mrs. C. swept the beans into a receipt
acle, dabbed the cards into. the table
drawer, cast a look of whitening scorn
upon her late opponent and stalked out
of the room.
The two women have not spoken to
= each other since.
VOTING wANAMAKER