Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-30


open new deck when play was resumed,
and ruffled them rather uncertainty.
tontound new deck II machine-bur-
nished cards, he exclaimed impatiently.
hand '''
'Lescolette took the deck and ruflcd
them for fully two minutes. Then no
spread them out all over the table. tossed
Them about every Which way for a hit
straightened them together In A bunch
ruiiied them again. and. passing them over
10 Cuthoert Tor the cut. d'shed them out.
Well Under Way.
"Cuthbert was one OF those poker players
who pick up their cards one by one II IL
terribly bad form. that, but Cuthbort with
his nervous disposition. was addicted TO Il.
He picked up his first card this time. and
said: All, a good beginning When he
looked at his second card said nc. Better
yet. lie made no comment on hts third
card. but he flushed and gave a start that
WIS ptrcepuhle to every man in the room
save Lescolette. who was scanning his own
hand. His fourth card took tho flush otit
OF his checks and Steadied him lie went
pale when he looked At e. He forgot to
p.Sk up ms hfth card until Lescolctte
looking up. remarked. PHI are YOU strong
enough &c beat me with only four cards y
lhen tuthhert picked up his 9TH card
nechancally. II was bad break his
leaving his fifth card untouched until re-
nl.nutd OF 1t; IL seemed 10 announce.
SIMPLY. that he had pat faurs Hut he
dldn appear To think Il This
'tuthbcrt's So antcirg chin was II, tho
middle Of the table. LoScoIette looked al IL
Tor second, ard seemed to be in more
IMAM one mimi about playing or making Il
JACK pot He decided to play. and joggIed
in his blue chip.
suppose said Cuihbort stiu paIe hut
SteadL. We make it $500 more 10 play Jnes'
or course said L,@colettc and h.,
showed Sn@Ted IN a yellow chip to match Cuth-
a., How many asked Loscolettc. ready to
".These'l do me- said Cuthbert. who
looked queer and unnatural. with his white,
countonance and glowing eyes.
SO strong as that on the gn-,n2' said
t. csc CT, Glevating his eyebrows. You
nave me seincd 7 require q card And
he served himself with IT,
Quick Action.
81 pretended to have a bit OF cleaning
business TO attend To behind Cuthbert's
chair, so l could glance at his hand He
had four kings. His NTH card was a
queen 1 couldn't get behind Lescolette.s
chair for three OF the players friends were
seated behind him. Lescolette didn't make
any sign either Of citation or disappoint-
drawn. 'i'l'
Up to me. isn't it?" said Cuthbert.
Make it thousand dollars joe
On L m not in so deeply that can't
pun out of this pot said LescoIet:e, good
E9ffr
$1,000 is sighted. and it's 5000 more
Cuthhert wanted "'
Now you're racing said he. Ten
thousand more. Joseph Marie
denly. 1''''it suu-
60 say, Cuthbert' said he. isn't this a
OIL tumultuous and headlong. as it were?'
don't see why you should consider Il
So Joe, replied Cuthbert. I'm plaving ac-
cordlng to the value Of my hand How
ever IL 1t seems too strong, why
Higher and Higher.
No, no, no. put in Lescolette, quickly.
1 can stand it. and do not seek to have
you lower any of your bluffs. 1 simply
was considering my own almost invincible
strength herein
well said Cuthbert. mock-airisbIy. q
rarely bluff. You are to regard me as A bit
$4,000 raise? '''0
Surely said Lescolette. and elevate II
another notch of Slu.opO. VIII some of
you gentlemen addressing the somewhat
wrought-up group of onlookers-'keep track
of this with a bit OF pcncil?'
one of the men in the group got ont a
note book and stood by 10 register the ba+s
HaNlng emerged from the narrow do
MAN OF chance into the wide field Of nm
certainty said Cuthbert I fear mo IN
nave nv 10 make it still another SIo.ooo. joe
Lcscolette, the more common-srnsf man
OF the two, rested his hands on IN, fulIa
before him and reflected.
don't think want more Of this. Cutb
per-, ne SAID, There is now "A good deal
OF money in the pot II would be i,Ila -.
elIher one OF US to say that We could easily
aHord to lose our respective share in no
P Fa, as IS- II stands And Yet don't exactly
Ieel Ike calling you. I'm too well fixed
maven had such hand at poker since
GondinE Him On.
That being the case said Cuthbert in
h.
and play your string?
That remark nettled LcscoIette inst
enough to hold him in indefinitely. There
was no more talk on his part
Ten thousand more. lie said, short and
sharp.
Then the friends of the two men began
to mutter.
gameness they said, collectively, but there
Is stopping point. or should be
Ihelr mutterings aVailed not. When
there was nearly S275,ueO in the pot buth
Cuthbert and Lescolette pulled out their
note books and began to run over their ac-
counts at various banks. Both found thar
they had about tapped their supply OF
ready banked cash. They wrote checks
payable to each others order for their re-
spective shares of the amount in the Dot
and then Cuthbert said:
Joe, / can't let down in this | could
never quite forgive myself If | did. APP
praise my ST. James land
'Lescolette protested. He had often
visited Cuthbert at his beautiful p!anta-
ton home. He protested hard. Yet he
wouldn't call.
"'Appraise the St James land. joe said
Cuthbert again. Lescolette declined to do
it, and Cuthbert appealed to one of his
friends to do ii.
- should say your St James pIanta
tons are worth close to $25O,OvO,' said this
gentleman unwillingly.
cry WELL said Cuthbert. Shall / say,
Joe, that those two squares of yours down
on the water front are worth the same
amount%
'Lescolette nodded gravely.
Rather more than they're worth
should say he remarked.
Approaching the Climax.
"'Wel. they'll serve. approximate
their value said CuJhbert. the flush back
in his face again and his eyes burning like
Goals. 1t is now my bet, is it not? Joseph
Marie, my st. James plantations. at their
appraised valuation of $4,000 Against
these, your water front property. If you
elect-and we'll show down