The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1900-10-13

THE two men approached the card
table reluctantly, without hat
eagerness shown by most persons about
to sit into a game Of poker. These men
seemed burdened almost by the famous
weight Of centuries that M. Millet
and Mr.. Markham exploited with so
much sorrow and profit. After they
had sat down, they did not take up any
pack Of cards. Though there were no
cards on the table, they began to bet,
sadly, asiftheirhearts were not in what
should have been @ pleasure to both,
though a profit t. only lie.
81 raise you n cent" sighed John
Oxheart, the third Of that name. And
mis- friend said, gloomily:
II see you and go you one better"
n raise you the limit, remarked
Czheart. and George Flint the third
again replied:
y see your raise and raise you all
the way"
So the game went on until ten bets
had been made. In n corner of the
room sat an intelligent st~enographer,
who in an old-fashioned notebook had
been taking down each bet as it was
made. He now closed the notebook,
laid it on the table, and retired.
Thirty-six years ago Col. John Ok
heart, of the Ninety-seventh Virginia,
fell at the head of his men on that
bloody field Of . Every student Of
American history knows full well the
battle to which the writer refers. By
his side fell Lieut.. Col. Flint. Their
deaths ended the first act of the com
edy that became almost a tragedy.
Eight years earlier, in 1856, these two
gallant Virginia men had met at a
friendly game Of cut-throat poker.
Their names expressed their Charac-
tiers. When not troubled or thwarted,
nothing could be more lovable than
these two gentlemen. But cross them
in anything, however little-the hitler
the better-and they became wild
animals. Thousands and thousands of
slaves had these gentlemen struck
down, manned, dying, even dead, when
angered by some trivial fault. Each
had only one son surviving out Of
large families, the wives and other chill
dren having in both families died of de-
cline superinduced by ill-treatment.
Yet these two gentlemen were loving
and respected neighbors.
So, to while away a dragging hour,
they sat down to play poker. The linn
it was five cents; simple minded chill
dren Of nature, they did not make the
limit too high. They played merely for
amusement; the money in the game af-
fected them not. So they began. After
an hour or so, when Maj. Oxheart had
about eight cents of Col. Flint's money
(they had not hen their final military
titles) it was the majors urn to bet.
He bet the limit; and the captain saw
him and raised the limit. Two or three
breathless minutes passed during
which each in turn saw his friends
raise, and raised It. There must have
been $1.5s on the board.
The major evidently took in i'll part
the %pertinacity of his friend.
"Yeh betteh drop out, George he
said. eve got yeh kilt"
"Lwon'tdropoutye awhile, seh,2 n
swered Flint. 'ItT take moh'n yeh
have to kll.me."
BOnt yen reply 70 me IN tina tone
o. voice, sehl" cried the major, an
grily sI'm wohnin' yeh TO- you health,
sehi"
81 thank you, seh," answered Flint,
sarcastically; Sim suht'nly everlast-
ingly obligated to yeh, sch; but / can
stay you hand out"
The major swore a great oath that
he could and would beat the captains
hand, and both friends glared angrily
AZ each other cro the table, They
stood Ike that for so loh that the
hotel keeper, aroused at the unwonted
quiet, entered the room to see what was
the matter He called help: the two
friends, who had become almost eata-