The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1900-09-29

| boGy's crossing the swollen stream that
night. The pursuers had to make the
| best of it. They sat around in the
damp room and told how sweet VEN
geance would be when they came upon
| the murderer. All the while the rain
| continued to pour and the six men got
lonely. After u while one small chap
| suggested that they play cards and
then somebody hooted at the suggestion
because no cards could be found. But
the little man was equal to the occa-
sion and he brought out greasy deck
| which had been free from the rain.
For an hour they played seven-up,
which was tiresome, and they had
about decided to let the cards alone
when the same little man said that
poker would be a. mighty good propos-
ition for night like that.
"Well, the poker game was started.
The men had to play on the floor in
the light of the one lantern, but when
they got engrossed in the game they
figured more on the worth a hand than
on their discomforts. They played a
steady game without noticing that the
rain had almost ceased and the betting
had at last got down to three Of the
players. The others had gone broke.
The players who stuck were there for
what it was worth and they shuffled
the damp cards and thought less every
shuttle of the man they had been sent
to kill. The short man was winning
right along and this must have been
due to the fact that he knew the cards,
for at home he could not have sat
down at table with the elderly gen.
tleman who was gambling with him.
But the game made them all equal and
they played.
Every word uttered at the table, or
rather on the floor, was heard by the
officer and his man, who were crouched
beneath the house. The playing had at
| last dwindled down to the short man
and the elderly gentleman, Col. Belotte,
and the latter got hot as the cards
failed to fall as he liked. Johnson, the
short chap, was still winning and it
begun to look as if he could win every
thing in sight, and he was playing with
! that object in view. While they were
gambling for stakes that got higher
and higher, Watson and his prisoner
We're planning to escape. Watson called
McLoy and together they hurried from
| the house. The trap was brought out
and Watson found that the stream
| could be crossed with little or no dan
ger Accordingly, they prepared to
skip and they did manage to cross
without the least harm. Just after they
had reached the other side of the
| stream the rain began pouring down
again. and Watson whipped his horse
and made him fly through the muddy
| roads.
"ln the meantime the gamblers were
still at the cards. They had remarked
that the rain was over and Col. Belotte
who had but Il small sum left, said that
nc would start as soon as he lost his
few chips, and it did look as il the
start would not be long delayed, for
Johnson was still winning. They were
! getting near the end when the rain
! began again-thc rain which had been
kind enough to let Watson cross the
stream before it resumed it's violence
haven't much left here said Col.
Belotte, but as soon as this is gone we
Will continue our journey. That rain,
however, will keep us on this side of
the stream if it doesn't hold up soon
Deal the cards rapidly, Johnson
RAPID dealing was Johnson's long
suit. There was q jack pot and one or
! two failures to open it made it sweet
and rich. This kept up until, on a deal
by the Colonel, Johnson said that he
would open the jack for a dollar and
/ the Colonel had to come in at that
price, even if he had to draw another
hand. When the bets had been made
johnson said he wanted one card and
| then the Colonel began to figure, he
found that he had the four, the five,
| the six and the eight Of broken suits,
and seven was needed to make the
| straight. He thought for a moment
and he remembered that he had lost a
score of plantations, as he thought, on
| drawing for inside straights, and he
had always sworn. not to do it again.
But something prompted him, and like
johnson he took one card. He deter
| mined to bet all he had, seven or no
| seven, and the men in the room
We're lounging around and the guns
looked bad for poker place. johnson
looked at his card without changing his
expression and then he bet a handful
OF dollars. The Colonel came back at
him and was met with another raise.
He met this with his last chips. which
by the way, were nails taken from an
old key in the corner, and then he
looked at his fifth card. Sure enough
it was the seven Of diamonds. The
Colonel had filled his first inside
straight.
is my check good for a raise?' he
asked
AS good as the gold replied the
willing Johnson, who was feeling safe
behind three big aces.
THE Colonel showed in a check which
was written on a blank paper and the
call was made by Johnson. When Be
lotte raked in the stack Johnson looked
like Il man who had been hit by a troll
ley car and he did not know how to
take it. But the game went on, the
luck changed. and in an hour more
johnson had lost his last dollar.
! Now. just to show that you We're
not playing fair said the Colonel, I
i