El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-19
TEACHING A WOMAN.

| Three young men happened to drop
| into the married mans house not long
ago, and the married mans delightful
young wife thought that a game of cards
would be about right to fill in the even
| ing. The usual question, What will
| we playT' was gone over and thrashed
until one of the married mans pals
said, whats the matter with draw?
Draw? What's that?" asked his
| friends wife.
"Why, poker" he replied.
"Oh, surely, poker" she said. Il didn't
know you called it draw, though. Why
do you call it draw?'
Usual explanation here.
I've always been perfectly crazy to
learn how to play poker" she said then.
You're going to learn right now,"
said her husbands chum. Got any
money!
.'Um-yes.' she replied femininely,
Anyhow, Jack will lend me enough to
start on, won't you, JackT'
Her husband nodded, and then they
went ahead, after all three of the men
had got themselves rather hoarse in
explaining to her just how to handle
her hands, what they were worth, what
bluffing meant, what not to do if she
only had eight high. and on.
1t was to be a cent ante, 10 cent
dismal job of banker. and all four bought
dollars worth of 3 cent chips. The
chips were parlor matches.
The banker had the first DEAL his wife,
who sat to his left, anteing. All three
of the men seemed to have caught some
thing, for they all staid. The man who
had suggested the game sat next to the
young married woman, and he took two
cards. The other two men took three
orIc oh hn NJ NJ nt
any. They all looked hard at her when
she stood pat. and she smiled back at
them triumphantly.
Pretty early to begin bluffing,'' they
all said to her, but she only continued
smiling at them. The young man who
had drawn only two cards went the
limit. The other two men appeared TO
have flied, for they both raised the
limit. The Y. NJ. W. came back at all
three of them and raised them the limit.
Then they all put down their cards and
expostulated with her.
You're making a break" they said
to her. you don't know what you're
doing. Stop blufing. You don't have
to bluff all the time, you know Only
when you've got something to bluff
you understand? We don't want to
put you in the poorhouse. Better come
off the perch and lay down your hand.
Well let you reconsider"
You needn't waste your sympathy on
me, any of you,' she told them. Il
know just what I've got"
And those three great, strapping, hulk
ing men promptly proceeded to be scared
to death and laid down their hands to a
little woman who doesn't weigh moro
than 40 pounds. She raked in the pot
with a thoughtful smile.
"Now, you don't have to show what
you had in your hand unless you're called
by somebody" said one of her husbands
pals, "but just out of curiosity let's see
what you've got. will you, please.
ma'am?'
1--WE got a-what did you call it?-a
full house, she said VIGOROUSLY, and she
showed up three clubs and pair of
spades. The three men looked at each
other in disguised kind of way.
Then they all three deliberately ex-
planned again to her the values of the
hands, and the game was resumed.
She dealt the hand herself. Her hus-
band and her husbands friend staid, and
she looked obviously at her hand for Il
to drum on the table.
Don't hurry me-" she said. 81 want
to think
She thought for some time longer. and
then she passed her hand over her fore
head despairingly and said:
swell, if it only costs cents, l guess
can risk it,
She dished out the cards, and the three
men noticed that she only took one her
self.
Then the betting began again. When
it got up to her, she raised it the limit
again. They all dropped their cards and
gazed at her again.
did you catch the other card and fill
that fush?' they inquired of her in Il
breath.
I'm not going to tell you, so there.
now" she replied. How could i bluff if
1 told your"
Then they all naturally concluded that
she hadn't filed her four flush, and they
watched for her to drop out when the
betting was up to her again. She didn't
drop. They had all three raised each
other the limit. She raised the three of
them the limit.
MY DEAR said her husband to her
then, "'you may know how to make
tides and doilies and things, but as a
pokeriSt you've got some shortcomings |
Can't you see that we all know now
that you're bluffing-that you didn't fill
your four fiush-that you practically told |
US so? All you've got to do-and We'll |
all give you n chance, won't we, fellows? |
is to just lay down your hand and let |
us three fight it out. Then you'll only |
lose what you've got in the pot now.
See?"
you play your own game" she said |
decisively. 81 know what I've got"
Thus she alienated sympathy from |
herself, and the three men went on bet |
ting. She stood every raise and came |
back at them each time.
Her husband did the first calling, and |
then they all laid down their cards for
a look. The young married woman
spread out her four queens and raked in |
the pot
T'hn thus