Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-15
DIDN'T KNOW THE GAME.
Championship PinOchle Game Broker
Up by an Honest Man.

tp by Honest Man.
From the New York Sun.
There is a club up in Harlem that is COM
posed almost exclusively of pnochle play
ers most of whom are COMMUNICATIONS
and experts at the old German game.
There had long been a rivalry among
three of the clubs best players and they
finally sat down the other night to settle
the question of superiority by playing a
series of games, best three out of five"
the winner to be recognized as the best
player The losers were to pay for beer
and lunch for the crowd. The latter con-
dition was sufficient to bring all the mem
bers TO the club rooms when the first game
started. The pinochle enthusiasts gave up
their own games and crowded around the
table where the three experts were play
ing Three games were played quickly in
silence, the old SharpS nodding their heads
in approval at good plays and frowning
whenever one of the players lost an oppor-
tunity to take n trick. AT the finish of the
third game each man had victory and
while the cards were being ripped for the
fourth game. the members all agreed that
they had been fine games and every one
well played. The excitement was more in
tense when the fourth game started, and
there was great hurrah when the young
est player of the three. who was a favor
lite in the club. won his game.
Just before the fourth game was finished
a man entered the room, bowed to several
of the members and, working his way in
close to the table. steadily watched the
game. AS card after card was played a
look of surprise came over his face. He
looked at the other watchers about the
table and appeared altogether like man
who thought he saw something but wasn't
quite sure about 1t. The fifth game was
started, and after one deal 1t settled down
to a close fight between the young man
who had already two games to his credit
and one of the other players. The new
conner was getting more and more excited
as the game progressed, until finally his
queer actions began to attract the atten-
ton of others. He jumped from one side
of the table to the other to look into the
players hands. He had been jumping
around this way for some time and each of
the players had about five cards each left
to play. Each player was playing pos
sum" and trying all sorts of tricks to draw
out his opponents best cards. The last
trick was likely to turn the result either
way. An ace of hearts had been led, when
the man who had been fidgetting around
excitedly broke through the crowd. and
slapping his hand down on the table,
yelled:
This here business has got to stop. 1
know you are all honest. and so am I.
Somebody has done this for a joke. prob
ably, but it's dishonest, nevertheless"
why, what's the matter with your
asked one of the players.
We'll. I've been watching this game.
and that man there and you, each have
two aces of one suit. which is skin, and
you know it," yelled back the man.
We'll. I'll be blamed the players almost
shrieked, as they threw down their cards in
disgust. Several of the members grabbed
the new conner by the collar and hustled
him over to a corner where pinochle was
talked of for the next half hour. He
wasn't long in being convinced that two of
each kind Of cards were proper in pinochle,
but he didn't wait to hear any more. He
got out quickly as possible and left
word that he would pay for the beer for
the crowd. 1t turned out that he was an
applicant for membership in the club and
knew nothing whatever about the game.
but was willing to learn.