The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-06-15

hANsu ' NgAIN AWNING al w NN|
for . y-aT ~ usnr~. ba' -oms;sov ha =
. notion that he ws- In ~ iferr- ~k.n ].
was destroyed Ian iuagins hiui pukif
lbs ns-~ over the crater on Munt p-l~
az tbs vsry nsm-nt at N. great eruption
He sasnt hat yul would rail- a quarrel
-oue man That h, ! never saw HIM b-sii
. nsht, hat he would ct into on. mor- BOY
ousiy and nFomptly than anytrodN els-
ever saw n there was an up-uins Tor him
r-mcmf~r on. in-tancr la which, be- de
lb-rately butted into a game Of thrrc-cafd
monte that q party of grea-.fs w-rn play
ing In Texas, near the harder II Was al
ugly crowd that We were In. ard he and
had been watching N" xr-ss-r- swindling
100 or thru" tend-rfrr,, tll rp-'ock got
uneasy
They were playing The old game. asking
the bys'andrrS To bst on tn. ace. aud then
substitute some other ard for the scr. 81
that when they threw down the three there
wouldn't be any ace on the board To puck
The tenderfset were hr,ting ten and
twenty at a time III they had lust maybctwo
or thrse hundred and | was wishing some
thing would happen. though ] learned long
Az never To interfere with ANYTHING that
gus~ On IN a gambling hous.. l dunt Like
hxhling, ~ well as 1lp~tock doe.
The big greassr had thrown the cards
and one ~ the tenderfs-t was lust about 40
bet. when Tipstock put IN a word
III bet you a hundred ! can pick the
ace he said, and the tendcrfoo, drew hack
l. looked At Tips,ock in anayrment .
Tor ! knew that he know. ~ well ~ | did,
maj there was no ace on the hoard, Tut lie
never winked.
The dealer looked up in surprise, hut
though fancy lie scen,ed trouble, he was
game. AMI a. Tp-tock laid down his money
he cOveret u
Then Tipstock with a motion n quick
As IA cats flashed a heavy bowie knife
from his sleeve and drove II through the
middle card. deep down into the table.
hat the acr. he said, Cuouy. and with
Nsecond motion equally quick he dipped the
other two cards face up
-of coursc neither of them was the ace.
and the Mexican could not declare that
the middle on" was not without exposing
the Tact that the whole game was a swindL,
~ lac cursed a little. but made no reinon-
STRANGE when Tipstock picked up the money
and put Il, in his pocke,
~ did. however. lay his hand IN the
middle card, 40 that Tipstock could get
his knife out without pulling the card up
WIN u. but again Tp-tock outwitt.d him.
Selling his knife with his right hand he
pretended to find difficulty In withdraw
lug u and pu, his left hand Town beside it
as II to brace himself for n strong pull
Then as he pulled the knife ou, with
one hand tho other slipped. pushing the
greaser = fingers aside. and -rizing the card
he threw that face up on the table II
was a trey. and every man In the room
NHfIt Ntfe n uDlfn or ~ LOOKING III saw
shat the game had teen.
What happened afterward | can't say.
for as ] said. | don't enjoy fighting. and
the door was open. but half al hour after
ward Tlp-tock came into the room where
he and slept. looking as happy rs a clam
and as placid.
Was it much ~ a aght;' I asked him
a. he was pulling on his boots.
Pretty we'll he said. indirerentlv.
Two ~ IN" cowboys got cut sors, bat
the three grea-ers are all dead hrok.
that game up very nicely And | never
heard him speak 81 the occurrence again,
j saw him Join a poker game once on
q steamboat on the lower Mississippi.
for no other reason In the world. I am salts
fed, excepting hat he Thought II would
end In a fight and he wanted Ia 10 In hat.
He and | were pretty intimate at one time.
and "a my business kept me travelling
all over the country he used To 60 with me
ils' for amusement
W." wer" on the way from NlCksburg 10
New Orleans, and | could 49,, that Tip~tock
was getting Uneasy h@caus. nothing had
in the way 81 an accident or .
since We left New York
II didn't say ANYTHING about II. Tha,
his way. But he seemed nervous
and walked about NOR than usual
Soon after We left Nicksburg there
md when ! had finished my a~fter-dinner
'tSar strolled In Ia look on Their
three or four oihers standing around
the players and one 81 these was
He didn', saw anything. hut A. ! came
~ i saw his ewes gl"aming In a way that,
me he had found something at last
o interest him ~ ] knew the game Wa
unusual in some way, and ] became inter
myself.
Al frst | saw nothing out ~ the ordi.
lsry. Two 81 the five players we're evil
lgRNN n IEaN.-saanala lass VIaN -. -. 4
You could tell them by their looks.
md II was n forgeone conclusion that thew
playing together with AN idea Of
up III. other three. hut. NJ ! looked
he others over. ! got the notion that maybe
hey wouldn't get all the money.
One mar was a yap from hack In the
somewhere. who looked and acted
u II he wouldn't tr safe till he got back
A second was a hig breezy fellow
Who might have been a miner or a cowboy.
Judging from his style, but who, as ! after.
harmed. kept a store in one Of the
tv'r towns and was on his way 10 New
TO buy goods.
The third mar wa a puzzle. He looked
Ike an actor. but A. he had nothing what.
yer To say. judged he wasn't. Tipstock
obi mo later, that n" too, was a pro-
gambler. though he wasn't in with
b" two partners.
They were PLAYING table stakes and
al started with a hundred apiece, ~ IL
's- n stif game from the start II might
nv" be.,n expected that with three pro-
'--ionals In the game the other wouldn't
any time, but the other two had luck
10 get a few good hands. n n
both piayel well, whether hv accident
7 not, they wore both ahead at the eud ~
alt an hour, thuugh they had L.th been
oNn 20 the last chip once or twiCr
ihe two partners started the see-saw
70 or three tunes, but didn't catch a staver
Their time and | was looking for some
Incy dealing when Tipstock spoke up
! wouldn't mind taking q hand N there
no objection, he ~aid. and a. there wasn't
~. lie bought chips and sat in. Then I
u sun" there'd te something doing soon.
" was soon, too. for on about the third I
'und after Tipstock came IN Il was the I,
~for-looking chaps deal uh.y said his =,
me was SomersI, and Tipstock made n ,
'eak at him '
1t was a jack pot. and IL had boon sweet l
I'D ul there was 81 on the table, for
lcN were playing f~ivc-dollar Jacks, and .
q whit" chips were n dollar. ,
IlI~t"ck AT under ~" guns. 20 the deal ,
: left and passed without looking AT his !
rds. The countryman sat next. and !
passed and ~ did tho next man, who =
"a one Of the two partnore.
he storekocper opened u for tho size =
the pot, aud the other partners STAYED. !
the ,iealer l,pkasI nj Ia. ard. q, r..- u