The Saint Paul globe., 1899-02-12

would call. With eyes like those of a rattle
snake when it is about to strike the Senator
draWled out in measured tones
" L Will see your five thousand and raise
you twenty-five thousand dollars and be-
gar to count out the remainder of his chips
and to take notes from his pocketboOk to
make good the sum.
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.
am quite willing to accept the check
or the note of hand of a foreign Minister,
SAID the Senator in tone that cut like a
rapier.
mo, by Heaven, you shall never have in
your possession either note or check of mine,
exclaimed the Envoy. angrily shufling his
hand into the discards.
The Senator looked at him with a smile
of malicious triumph, raked in and stacked
the chips and cash. still holding his hand
When TINS was accomplished with aggravat-
ing deliberation the winner glanced at his
hand curiously and slowly laid his cards on
the table face up
First came the ace of hearts, and follow
ing II the king, queen and pack of hearts
Bah! shouted the Minister in a tone of
angry disgust, you were betting on an in
vlncible hand. l might have known it.
Ihe Senator laid the remaining card upon
the table face down. He placed his elbows on
the green balze, his face in his hands. He
looked the foreigner steadily in the eyes for
tul minute, and then, with exasperating
uelperatlOn, turned over the fifth card 1t
was the deuce of clubs
All of which proves said he with muir
derous irony that man may be lucky at
both cards and love-
Ihe Envoy sprang to his feet with curse
ana rushed from the room. A few days later
1t was whispered there had been a meeting
across the river in Virginia and that the
Minister had been wounded. If there were
fealy re an encounter can quite believe it was
the foreign gentleman who was touched, for
the Senator was dead shot and he must
have spared his man purposely.'
We'll John,' said the white haired Senator
muslngly; that is a good poker story l re-
member that 1 heard something about if at
the time. BY the way, perhaps none of you
know that the Envoy was afterward killed
IN duel in his own country, and the report
was that an American fired the fatal shot,
1t was curious play said the veteran
journalist, but it could hardly be called good
poker. BY the way, has any ever been
able to account for the vagaries of the
cards, and especially that one of the bis
hands running to one man throughout a long
sitting? L remember game of long years ago
IN illustration. The limit was S., but the boys
were so reckless that the pots were uslally
far larger than they should have been I was
| in washington for brief visit, and we went
to Parkers old club house, and made up a
game OF poker, playing to the music of the
roulette balls and the monotonous remarks
| OF the fellows at the faro table
L was really almost broke for had been
spending money freely and had just enough
!
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 windows. l don't believe there
was single important pot the table that
night that [ did not win. The way the cards
came to me was simply astounding Every
resource of cold decks, change of seats suner
sttlouS athletics and forth was exhausted
! to break the run of the cards to me hut
with out avail, and 1 actually quit the game
with more than $1,000 to the good. Almost
invariably 1 either held big hand against
one just little weaker or a hand that was
not not good enough to play at all. 1t was one of
the mysteries of the game 1 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 Senators. "J ra-
member an instance when this trick of the
cards won millions for a man who was about
ready to give up the game of life. 1t was in
the days of '49, and our old friend of the
mines mere Will remember it, I know John
Smith, We'll call him, was certainly down on
his luck. He either up against worthless
rock or barren sand, was sick or having a
claim jumped all the time. I never knew
another man man VINO was so thoroughly hoo
dooed. Well, time came when it seemed
that John had reached the end of his nros
pecting, and he made no secret of the fact
One evening he dropped into> Pink Blacks
sampnng room at Devils Gulch, looking so
cheerful that every one thought he must have
struck pay dirt. The faro and roulette tables
were crowded and John proposed game If
poker among those who could not get to the
other ta ableS. He planked down a hundred
dollars, saying it was all he had in the world
and intimating that when it was gone there
would be one fewer of the Smith family in
the world. But somehow he looked uncom-
monty hopeful, though he saw in a vision
that good luck was about to come his wav
For some time he won and lost indifferent
pots, but steadily gained. There We're soms
big players in the gang around the table, but
- oeA1 f1,of1 !,