Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-02-01
USED MARKED CARDS
A GAME OF POKER THAT WAS PLAYED
ON AN OCEAN LINER.


AaAME OF POKER THAT WAS PLAYED
ON AN OCEAN LINER.
The Sharper Used Ink That Was In
visible to the Other Players, but
Plainly Dlscernible From the Posi-
ton In Which He Sat.
A prominent turfman here told good
story the other evening Of an adventure
On a Cunarder. You never heard of in
visible ink?' he said. Well, neither
had / UP to a dozen years ago, and my
Introduction to it was rather peculiar.
AT that time was considerably grcener
in the ways OF the wicked world than I
am al present, and, coming across on the
Etruria. after a season in London, l was
fool enough to Sit in a four handed po-
ker game with three fellows met in the
smoking room of the ship. The vulnera.
bic point about any greerhorn who plays
poker is his proud conviction that he can
protect himself against any kind of
work. That was my own opinion, and
consequently 1 didn't care a copper who
my three acquaintance might be$as long
as found their society entertaining.
Two Of them, may as well say right
here We're plain, everyday business men
from Boston. The other was a small,
dark, smooth shaved chap who intro
duced himself by the name of Cum
mings and said he was a lace buyer for
firm of importers in New York.
We began playing on the second day
out of Liverpool, and inside of "a hours;
We We're giving the game pretty nearly
our exclusive attention. The table we
used was in the far corner of the smok-
4 ing room and had four stationary chairs.
As is customary aboard ship, we selected
our seats at the beginning and kept them
I throughout the play. Cummings sat with
i his back To the partition wall, sat oppo-s
4 site, and one of the Boston fellows was
on either side. ! mention this arrange
/ ment because. it has bearing on what
I followed
We started out at a very easy gait.
l continued the turfman, but soon raised
( the ante high enough to make it pretty
2 warm. As far as could see none Of MY
three friends played more than an ordina-
Try clubroom game, and at the outset the
4 bulk of the luck drifted to the lace buyer
8 aud myself At the end Of the first day
y we were each about $50 ahead. Next
day made most Of the winnings myself
4 and was astonished at the succession of
good hands held. AS nearly as car
II remember cleared up something like
$500, nnirily from the two Boston men
3 aud Cummings quit about even. Several
times during the day | imagined the Dos
tnnians looked at ME with some slight
suspicion, all of which afforded me con
siderable amusement and satisfied meSn
s..,'te
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a,,il,43ns;.i, 1,h..s o,,.3s of I i,n ran,n ,vhss
W. "a is 4 s'.,,,a ,l,arn ys-,s
fived ;lan,ns II, ia n,,,i,,ine i,ahind Chr,
minos' chair that vas ,;ent burning IN
aud nigbt T'he si,,,t rat;rllf$g the glea,
Yrnm Iris l;shts ofd eo,la onlv 10 $40
when the card was held Al 4 eert.ii
slant. From, ANY af the other chairs
was entirely invisible. was surprised
Of course aii,, in running over the dec
soon found rhat IN the face cards an
7 ACES we're similarly spottet. some Wit
one and some With more dots, the a,
rangen,ent being different In each case
The discovery upset me completel,
and i could see II was an ee.lal bonlbshe
to; NV two comnaaions. We Law q,
heads together. and, to make a long stor
short. We scnt d steward after our lac
making friend. and after very brie
but spicy preface gave him two minute