Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1902-08-07
DISCARDED E0UR ACES
Caught four Queens and won the pot
Hanks Thought he was Playing sold
Maid"

Jim Hanks the oil man, who has
made SistersviIle his headquarters for
several years, was the star figure in a
big poker game at the Pan American
hotel in Buffalo last summer
A lot Of high rolling chaps who
were managing exhibits at the exhi-
billions were in the game and as things
were not booming at the Pan-Ameri-
can the men were seeking diversion
ia the great National game The
game fiuctuated evenly for some time
when In the course of an hour the
dollar ante had been tilted 10 81.
Jim had been holding his own in the
game and was the price of several 40
quart shots to the good. A New
Yorker bad won several good sized
pots and was bit elated over his
good luck.
Along about II O'Clock Jim's inter
est ia the game began to wane. He
had a far away look in his eye and
passed several good hands up without
breaking the pot. To arouse the in
terest some one suggested that this
pot be sweeUened every time it was
not opened, each player putting in the
equivalent of the pot instead OF the
size OF the original ante. The deal
went around number of times until
the pot contained nearly 800 without
being opened.
Even this did not seem to arouse
Hanks attention. 1t was finally
opened by the New Yorker who dealt
the cards. The second man to the
left Of the dealer double broke the pot
having passed three jacks to play for
raise. Hanks picked up his hand
which contained four aces and a
king, stood for a tilt, and mechani-
eally dropped his cards on the table.
The double breaker of the pot had
driven all the other players--five In
namber-out of the game, leaving
Hanks only.
The chap with the three knaves
called for two cards and the specta-
tors, who had got a peek at Jim's
four aces and a king nearly tainted
when he drew down the four acess
keeping the monarch and calling for
four cards. When the stiff betting
which ensued was over and Hanks
laid down four queens and a king the
amazement Of all was astounding.
When Hanks was asked about the
matter afterwards he explained his
unaccountable action this way: "Well
/ guess | was in a trance-no use
denying it. You see for long time
I've been moonIIghting, skylarking,
scouting and having busy time gen.
orally in the immediate vicinity of
the primrose path in the oil country.
"When | went down to West Vir-
ginia / became acquainted with nice
girl who resided on the banks OF the
Little Kanawha. She was a sturdy
and straight going lass, the Oldest girl
Of erdo-well parents, known
among the niggers and aristocrats in
the South as poor white trash.
81 believe had / been a marrying
man and not been afraid that settling
down would have become monotonous
would have asked that girl to marry
me. AS it was / went no further
than to become a friend of the entire
outfit for the sake of calling on the
girl occasionally. When | would call
we frequently played game with
cards called "Old Maid.n This was
all the game the girl knew and many
an hour was passed in this innocent
amusement. The point Of the game
is that you take three queens out OF
the pack, deal them all, try to make
pairs and the one who gets the case
queen is called the old maid.
"Well, during that poker game my
mind wandered back TO the banks Of
the Little Kanawha and the nice girl
ia the vine clad cottage and when l
got peek at those four aces, in
stinctively threw them away under
the momentary hallucination that 1
was playing "Old Maid"