The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-05

First came the ace of hearts, and fol-
lowing it the king, queen and jack of
hearts.
BABY shouted the minister in a tone
of angry disgust, you were betting on
an invincible hand. I might have known
it
The senator laid the remaining card up
on the table face down. He placed his
elbows on the green baize, his face in his
hands. He looked the foreigner steadily
in The eyes for a full minute, and then
with exasperatng 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 Virgin
Ia, and that the minister had been wound
ed. If there were really an encounter
can quite believe it was the foreign gen.
tleman who was touched for the senator
was dead shot. and he must have spared
his man purposely"
"Well, john" said the white-haired SEN
ator musinely, that is a good poker sto-
ry- ] remember that 7 heard something
about il at the time. By the way. per-
haps none of you know that the envoy
was afterward killed in a duel in his own
country, and the report was that an Amer
lean fired the fatal shot"
1T was a curious play" said the veteran
journalist but it could hardly be called
good poker" By the way, has any one
ever been able TO account Tor the vagaries
of the cards, and especially that one of
the big lands running 10 one man through
out a long sitting? I remember a game of
long years ago in illustration. The limit
was IS, but the boys were so reckless that
the pots were usually far larger than they
should have been. / was in Washington
for a 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
and the monotonous remarks of the fell
lows at the faro table. 1 was really all
most broke for l had been spending
money freely and had just enough to buy
the stack of chips required to get into the
game. Luck came to me in the very first
hand and stuck to me during the whole
game, which broke up only when day
light streamed through the windows. 1
don't believe there was a single important
pot on 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, superstitious ath-
letics and so forth was exhausted 10 break
the run of the cards 20 me, but without
avail and ] actually quit the game with
more than 5000 to the good. Almost in
variably 1 either held big hand against
one just a little weaker or a hand that
was not good enough to play al all. 1t is
one of the mysteries of the game l have
never heard explained, this persistence of
the cards at times 10 stick TO one person
for a long sitting
yes" said one of the old senator's, 81
remember 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 40, and our
old friend of the mines here viii remem-
Der it, 1 know. John Smith, Wen 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. I never knew anoth-
err man who was so thoroughly hoodooed.
Well, a time came when it seemed that
John had reached the end of his prospect
ing, and he made no secret of the fact.
one evening he dropped into Pinky Blacks
gambling 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 a game of poker among those
who could not get to the other tables. He
planked down $780, saying it was all he
had in the world, aud intimating that
when it was gone there would be one
fewer of the Smith family in the world
But somehow he locke unc1mmonIy h Do
full, as though he saw in a vision that
good luck was about to come his way
For some time ne won and lost indifferent
pots, but steadily gained. There were
some big players in the gang around the
table, bat it was agreed that unless the
bettors let down the gates a fellow should
not be bluffed out of the game. He should
have show for his money The game
dragged along until finally there was a
goodish jackpot on, which was opened for
the downs with every one staying, even
after two or three pretty stiff raises.
Il could see a glitter in the eye of John,
and | thought he must have a dangerous
hand Cards were drawn. John took one,
the player to his right took one, another
fellow stood pat and another took two
cards. Not helping my hand I dropped
out The player at Johns right hand
seemed the most confident one of the lot.
and after he had raised two or three times
pretty strong all quit except John and his
neighbor. John was by this time several
hundred to the good, and he stood the
raises with irmness and raised back Just
enough to keep the thing going. When his
money was nearly ali up he called on
Pinkey Black for a loan saying, This is
wonder Plnky staked him, telling him TO
draw for any amount for 10 per cent. of
The winnings. Johns antagonist was one
of the sleekest players at Pinkys ranch,
and the other gamblers shook their heads
as they saw John come back at him with
raises that would have taken the hair
from the head of an ordinary player The
pot was away up in the thousands when
John said to the other fellow: You'd bet
ter make it a call You've lost enough. >
With an oath the old-timer declared he
would raise till hades froze over in sum
mer But when John gave him bigger
raise than ever he stopped to think mo-
ment and then he called and showed down
four queens. John quietly exposed a
straight lush-twO, three, four, five and
six of clubs.
What tell dye bet four queens so
high fur?' was fired at the beaten gambler
from all sides.
~ had the four queens to go with,
and discarded a king and took in an ace,
said the gambler composedly. L had the
biggest possible tours in the deal. 1 bet
nv hand all right