Evening star., 1899-04-08
TOO MUCH GOOD LUCK

IT had an experience at poker more than
a quarter of century ago that gave me a
more or less sore feeling on that game for
good and ALL" said an official connected
with the geological survey. 1T happened
at Abilene. Kan., when the railroad was
being pushed by that tough place. ] was
a young attache Of the surveying corps, and
I took it into my head one night, against
the advice of the older men. to mingle in
the joyous life of Abilene for a few hours.
Dodge City was bad enough then, but II
was a camp meeting compared with Abb
lene. I've seen a good many towns of bad
men since then, but none of them ever
classed for a minute with Abilene. 1
wouldn't want any part of it, even for
night, now that I'm older and in a fair way
to pick up some sense after awhlie, put
this night l just wanted to mix with naru
propositions with guns strapped to theiI
waists, and 1 did. They didn't seem to me
to be bad at ALL and they took me in mana
and treated me right-f making me drink
whole lot more sage-brush WHISKY tnaI
l was used to was treating me rignt.
Around about midnight 1 got into
poker game with four heavy-artiiieried
chaps at Toole Kingsleys famous Kansas
or Bust saloon and faro bank one OIL my
tablemates-but 1 didn't find this out until
later-waS one Of the really famous pad
men of the Indian territory, Bud kimoaii,
who was lynched a few years later Tor the
oI d SneTlH III
Il had no right playing cards with that
bunch in the first place, but as long as
was in it / sure enough had no right TO
win. But / did win from the jump. MY
and within an hour after the start L had
all four of the men l was playing with re-
garding me suspiciously. l didn't blame
them, considering the miraculous luck L
had. 1t made no difference which of US
dealt, 1 got the top hand almost every
time. Pat hands were given to me almost
as often as pairs were served out to the
other fellows. After a while the luck took
another switch. While l seemed to get
nothing at all the deals of the other
fellows. 1 dealt myself hands that posi-
lively Smelt of birthstone, and this didn't
soften the glances that they all gave me.
Every timesI showed up one Of these mi
racufous seif-dealt hands and scooped in a
pot felt a certain fear grow up within
me. I didn't get a thing when the luck
switched that way on their deals, and so
L got to dropping my hands and waiting
until dealt 'em myself, to see If the luck
was going to stay that way. 1t did. and l
felt that I'd rather be somewhere else.
Finally 1t was up to me to deal jackpot.
The man to my left cracked it open and it
was raised all around until 1t got up to me.
l mad four elghts. and / raised 1t the limit
to draw cards. l was shaky over it, but
L felt conscious of my own innocence Of
crooked playing. and 1 intended to play the
string out, anyhow. They looked at me
pretty hard when / raised it the limit be-
iore the draw, and maybe there was some
Knee rubbing. They all put their chips in
the center, however, and when it got
around to Bud Kimball he slammed his
bundle of greenbacks-he was shy of chips
with oath.
Podner, said he, looking at me hard
with his little red eyes, some O. your work
here tonight has been SO cut-an' dried
looktn' as to excite hull lot O. doubt about
your bein on the level: an if you happen
t have anythin in that fist O. your'n this
time thatll top these three aces of mine
then. by HI, you havin dealt this mess
yourself there won't be no manner o. ques-
ton about your bafn' a proper crook
There were a few little flowers of speech
in that address, too, that / haven't eiab-
. Grated.
WAS I scared? Well, the cards just fell
out OF my hand, face up. on the table, 1
was SO scared. I was paralyzed with
fear that simply couldn't move or say a
word. and. what's more, I'm not a particle
ashamed to own up to it. When the cards
fell out of my hand. Kimball reached over
and spread them out with his left land.
Well. by HI. you are crook, aren't
your he snapped when he saw the value
of the hand that beat his own good one
and as he spoke he whipped out the big
gun at the right side of his belt. 1 was
blind with terror, and when heard loud
report 1 gave it all up and figured out that
was already about three-quarters Of the
way over the big divide.
When l opened my eyes second later
l saw kfmball staring at the door, his
right arm hanging limp at his side. His
gun had fallen on the table without being
discharged, and his left arm was in the
air. So were the arms of the other three
men. and they also had their eyes glued on
the door. l wheeled around to look that
way myself Standing quietly under the
Intel of the door, with his two guns
ering the five of us, was a tall, broad
shouldered very muscular-looking man,
with long black hair and a heavy black
mustache. The man was Wild Bill, Abb
lene's celebrated marshal. l had seen him
eyeing me earlier in the evening when /
got mixed up at the bar with the fellows
who had invited me into the poker game
I didn't know he was the marshal then,
and wondered why he was taking me in
SO Sharply. L know now that he saw that
1 was tenderfoot jay of boy. who would
probably get into trouble later on in the
evening. The shot 1 had heard when /
gave the whole thing up was from one of
Wiid BITS guns. 1t had pinked Kimball in
the right shoulder just in the nick of time
causing the gun with which the desperate
was going to shoot me to fall from his
hand.
Slope for your camp. son." said Wild
Bin to me quietly, still covering the four
men. Well, for all 1 know. he might be
covering them yet. L do know, though,
that was out Of that room like cat out
of a bag, and the way cut for the survey
ors' camp over the newly laid ties, eight
miles away, was surely a wonder to man
and beast. 1t was while l was making this
little journey, hitting high place once in a
while, that came to the determination
that for man who could not fight shy of
bull-headed luck any better than / could
the game of draw poker was altogether foo
exciting and spirit-ruffling for health and
peace of mind and haven't departed from
that determination down to the present
moment of time"
70 c1,S