Waterbury Democrat., 1902-06-02
COSTLY POKER GAME.

A brace or young cOupleS llVluS iis adjoining flats in a Mount Pleasant apartment building, have been having little quarter limit poker seances 1n each others rooms during the past few months. A few weeks ago another young couple took flat on the same floor It didn't take long for the first pair of young matrons to get into con- versation with the newcomer on the subject of the care and treatment of rubber plants, the best flea wash for skye terriers, the dumb waiter milk thief and other topics dear to the souls of hatters.
 The newcomer was very demure little thing, who had been raised in the country, and whose clothes as the oth- CT two women decided between them- selves, were suspiciousIy 'bridey.' She hadn't as a matter of fact, been mar ried very long. She looked as if she would about rank with the class A bunch in a spelling bee at Turnipyille- on-the-pike's little red school house, and she didn't make any pretensions to being next to metropolitan ways. Her husband looked as if he might l run to fires on very slight provocation. 1 He looked as if no suit of clothes could ever be made to fit him, and he had the Rube walk of an agriculturist try 1 ing not to tread on beds of spring on 1 ions. He handled his hands and feet as if they belonged to somebody else. and he wore a pale pink crocheted four-in-hand that his wife mad manu- factured for him with her own little hands-which ought to be about enough for him.
 It wasn't very long before the brid- ey-looking young matron' from the country found out, by accident that the other two couples indulged in semi-weekly poker feasts. The other two women were afraid, when she found this out that she would give them the sad eye and curl up on them. But she didn't.
 We shoula like to learn how to play poker too,' she said, alluding to her husband and herself.
 So she and her husband were invited to sit in the next time.
 Here" remarked the two other hus- bands. ''is where we pick up a little l loop-the-loop change for the summer It'll be just like knocking them down with juvenile tree and taking it away from them, but look at the wash dresses and summer hats and things our wives need. It'll be shame to make this trustful young Ipswich pair melt down their wedding presents to make good, but haven't they them selves invited ruin by voluntarily but ting in?"
 It was on the evening of the last pay day that the three young couples got together. The newcomers didn't display much aptitude in learning the values of the hands until they were about S14 to the bad, but then they 1 began to pick up. The sedate young matron had great difficulty in appre- hending the value of fours. which she caught frequently, and she couldn't quite get over the habit of regarding them as two pairs. Her husband couldn't quite dope it out why a full l house should be better than straight or a flush, but he consented to let Hoyle have his own way about it, and played the full houses which he be- gan to get about every other deal, un- l til the other folks felt like talking to themselves. They were playing all jack pots, and the newcomers would stay for quarter apiece and draw five cards each. and then chase the opener to dark corner of the attic. l When the cashing-in-tim came around with the arrival of midnight. the young couple with the alfala-and- ensilage look about them were S94. .35 l to the good and the other two hus- bands were wondering whether their respective disbursing clerks would
 stand for the hurry touch for the rent coin on the morrow.
 The next time I make an assist in teaching tyros how to play poker.'' remarked one of them when the new couple had made their escape with all
 of the money, tits going to be for sawed-and-split wax matches. and the rates going to be S1O0 per lesson at that. This game of fnstructing e1e, plants to box and then taking them on
 as sparring partners hasn't got enough percentage-to-b -break-even in it to muss up a fly leaf on a calendarn
 Then his wife-who didn't have 10
 do the hustling for the car fare and
 morning paper money-called him a hard loser, and the thing broke up with, several swirling circus clouds on the Washington Post.