The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-09
gcra's Poker Game.
CRrooklvn Eagle.

There was something wrong apoOC
Tom Readymoney. 1 knew il Just as
soon as he came into the club rOOm- I
was sure of it when he refused 10 get
into the game. II was the first time on
record. Now, Tom was born TO the
game He was honest. but if he ran
up against a stacked pack he could
show q trick or two that made the ma
nipulaIor gasp. Every one knew that
if he was in a fair game he'd play fair
but II did not pay to try any funny
business with him What's the mat
ter. old MANI" we asked. as he stood
looking down sorrowfully at pat flush
that had been shown Not gone back
on The noble game. have you"
Nope. went hack on me- Clean lost
the game
Lost the game"' We all shouted.
What game2 Case of cold feet or wipe
out?"
SAY" Tom looked at US all in a
half resigned. sorrOWful sort OF way.
and dropped into the chair that s.as
handed u for him. If you fellows
viii promise to keep il mdm. I'll tell
it to you. I've just lost a game that's
put me out of the business for good.
OF course the boys were aStOnished
at this. We had seen him run u
| pot without limit on a bobtal hush and
never vince when some man showed
/ back the same pile at him. For Tom 10
I say he was wiped out was something
/ out of common, and the game paused
/ till his tale was told.
We'll. this is how it was (TOm
reached over and took one of the cigars
/ from the kitIy bOXl. You know I've
/ been losing pretty steadily lately. and
/ Cora-that's my wife-has been after
me TO stop the game She was right,
all right, in her way. but when We were
married it was agreed that l should
play at least one night a week and
nothing was 10 be said about it. She
had her literary club and woman's
rights association and all that, and I
had my poker In the course Of a year
1 about eVened I'D on my play aid
there was no kick coming either way
( until this last six months. Then luck
! got going against me. OF course I
| could afford 10 lose TO a certain extent,
but Cora seemed to be worried that it
would lead to my being tempted to
change my luck unfairly. and We had
several cuarrels about it But I al
ways held my own until the day she
played the trick on me. Honestly,
though, it was so clever that L ad-
mired her all the more, though it took
the best part of club life out of my
existence. She had pleaded, argued,
threatened, stormed. cOoed and gone
through all the antics without chang
ing me in the least. was set on having
my poker. Then there was a let-up,
and she never said a word about it, and
was so confoundedly sweet and tender
and attentive 10 me that I ought to
have known something was up
g q q
Then she got TO betting with me or
; various things. She'd bet the car we'd
. take would be such and such d num-
Der; that the Dostman would bring 81
many letters per week; that there were
t so many steps in a block we'd walk
{ Well you know that anything in the
betting line appeals TO me. I'd takt
) her uD every time and life got to bC
: so interesting at home that I nevel
, cared to come around here. Why, tina
D woman invented more ways of wager
: ing money than I had ever imagined
possible, and nothing happened in GU
: domicile that didn't mean the chang'
: of a dollar or so in our allowance Thel
: the climax came
I Tom she said, most innocent like
I'll bet you cannot beat me at your owl
; game
I What's that?' asked.
? Poker
5 well, you can just imagine how tina
: tickled me. Here my wife who ma
fought against any form of gamblin
< was becoming not only a fiend at bet
e ting. but now wanted TO play the yer
q game she had pleaded with me TO droI
n Did I accept2 Well, I guess. I aske
r her what kind of a limit and she pro
e posed that we play a certain numbe
!, Of hands and, if she won, 1 was [
Z quit playing poker any more She woul
: not listen 10 any other wager becauS
\ she declared that she wanted me t
e play my best and she knew I woul
S for such a wager. Well. il looked jus
= a cinch- 1t was just the easiest wa
. out of our old controversy that coul
: be thought OF, especially as she prom
4 ised not TO mention the game 10 N
: again in a derogatory way for a yea
! if I won, and then we were TO pla
k another game. to settle it for the mex
z year.
!; She didn't know much about tn
= game and / did not want TO have
o last long because I wanted to get owe
e to the club. SO I showed her the priI
" ciples of the noble game of freeze OF
Z and it was arranged we should pla
- for 81 worth of scent chips. The card
. were dealt and had four five, six an
Is seven of clubs thrown at me- / DIRE
le one and filled the straight but not II
Il flush. Cora looked at her hand, pl
W the pack down and stood pat We
this was annoying, but just showed
a couple OF chips TO cover her raise an
go one better, just to see how hig
that Paddy was. Back she came wit
a 25-cent raise and I was hesitatir
whether 10 call her. when she said:
Tom, we're playing lulus, aren
we?'
le Yes. my dear 1 said with a sinl
fe ing feeling. and let her have the pot
s. seemed like stealing anybOdy's none
i'd when a hand was told TO you by an il
- nocent like her. Then she threw dow
ne her cards and I looked at them
~ amazement- There were three aces az
nothing else. You can imagine how
We kicked myself
es That's not lulu I said, rath
y I did not say it was, dear s.
e, calmly replied.
at a. Well, why didn't you drawn
r. Why. dear. isn't that dreadful?
!, forgot all about drawing
n 'Now, wouldn't that stagger you?
he did not say anything, but made up n
mind I'd end that little game in a ft
;.r short moments. Well, we drew aga
ar TO the next hands and I'll be hang
nv if I didn't get another flush, ace hig
op Now. that's big for two-handed pla
ing, and I was not surprised to see
draw i've cards. Then demon g
ey hold of men. / was tired of sitting
as a game with woman who did T
he know anything about it. and I made
my mind Ia give her something TO
le- on. She was an easy mark for me,
Just shuffied for a few moments q
a. threw her three treys. 1t was easy,
80 they had come right together. felt