The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-03-02

/ the next TO 70 to the boneyard.
Keep was the third loser, having had q pat
straight beaten in the draw by Bassett
who drew three cards TO an ace and king Of
diamonds, and made a flush. Then Hutch
inson got squeezed between two good hands,
having three Of a kind himself, and Bas-
sett and / were the only ones who had not
bought. I had lost q little, but kept not
recouped in part, but Bassett was away
winner when suddenly the luck turned,
and he caught a series OF hands hat would
exhaust the Comstock LODI II they were
played as the average man would play
them.
we knew that he had been something
OF a loser for a long time, but we did not
know till afterward that he had grown des-
perate under his losses, and a that very
day signed a mortage on his homestead
for a thousand dollars, and had come around
for a last effort TO win out. He was pretty
heavily in debt already, and the thousand
wasn't enough TO do him much good. but
IL was enough for heavy play, and he had
the gamblers confidence In a turn OF the
luck. 1t looked. for a time, as II he had
caught II, too, for. as said. he was a good
winner In the first part Of the night, but
the devil was against him for fair, n II
there ever was a victim Of luck, Bassett
certainly was.
First, / caught him with a full house
against his three tens. He had opened
thN lON Ol tltIut hlu Il bIiltd Oho ~ .
drawing three cards, SO he naturally saw
me when / put up all l had. Then Keep
got a whack at him for two hundred when
they each had a full house and Keeps was
the larger. and Waterman got ANOTHER
hundred out of him on an ace high flush,
Bassett's being queen high.
II was buying by this time, his velvet
being gone, and the next hundred all went
to Hutchinson on another flush, Hutchin-
son having drawn two cards and caught
his fourth seven, Then Rhames got the
best of him with a straight against his
straight, Rhames's being the higher one Of
the two,
1T was really pitiable by this time. He
had had good hands beaten by everybody
around the table and yet none Of us had
had any sort Of good luck We had won and
lost among ourselves with no very great
advantage to any one, but Bassett was
getting tho lash every time. He never
whimpered, though, but after he had bought
five times he set his teeth and flashed a
Observation-Disclosures bill. 1t was the last,
and all he had in tho world. but We did not
know II then.
81 either win out or go broke on this
he said, as coolly as II he had been buying
a dollars worth, and the game grew fiercer
from hat on. We knew him for a steady
player and knew he WAS not likely to get
ratified, even by such luck as he was get
ting. and we all realized that he would
make q strong play toward recovery, but
naturally enough we all wanted that five
hundred, and knowing there was going TO
be a struggle. We braced up and played
for all We were worth.
There wasn't a break in his bad luck.
though. LAY seen men pounded in poker
before and since then, and I've caught II
myself sometimes. but for a good, hard.
unremitting streak Of pure c~ussedness
the cards ran to Bassett that night. II
wasn't that he didn't get hands. The
trouble was that he did get them and got
EN- so good that he was fairly forced 10
play, them. but he didn't win a pot out OF
the last five hundred He had three OF a
kind beaten five or six tines, a flush once,
a full house twice and then the climax
came In the worst two deals ] ever saw.
He caught four mines pat, on my. deal,
and sitting or my right he had a chance
Rhames and Waterman both stayed, Hutch
inson dropping out. Bassett looked at his
| cards and said, Here's where l make a
winning at last He came in and raised
1t a hundred. ! dropped, but Keep saw tho
raise and so did Rhames. both having three
of a kind. That made nearly four hun
dred in the pot and l could see Bassett's
| eyes CLEAN. II certainly did OOH as II
he were going to get back a slice OF his
losses, but on the draw Keep got his fourth
lie Clipped and Rhames stayed, not
having bettered. Bassett drew one card
and looking at II carefully before betting,
he raised 1t a hundred again. Keep only
had ninety in front Of him. so he had TO call.
and Rhames laid down. OF course Bas-
sett's four mines we're no good.
Il had never seen fours beaten before
and that seemed about as hard a blow
as a man could get, but on Keeps deal
poor Bassett got II even harder, for he
caught a straight flush pat, ten high. Ii
went around TO him, no one else having
openers. and Hutchinson stayed, having
seven, eight, nine and ten of clubs.
"Bassett put up $50, leaving only about
a hundred and thirty in front OF him out
of his thousand, and Hutchinson looked
clubs, and there was a genuine look OF re-
gret on his face as he said: Il am really
sorry for you, Bassett. I've got TO raise
you for all you've got, but i advise you
You've had such hard luck that there's
damned little satisfaction in IT,
go ahead and bet,' said Bassett, az
steady as a clock. You needn't feel sorry,
This Is poker, and if you beat me you beat
me. but ] never saw four Of a KIND beaten
twice in two deals
"Of course there was nothing for Hutchin-
son TO do after that, but put up his money
and he did it. Bassett covered 1t with his
last dollar and exclaimed with an oath.
There! | reckon that hand is good
"He threw his cards down as he spoke,
| and when we saw them we thought OF
course, he had won, but Hutchinson looked
az the hand carefully, and said. i just top
YOU. old man. Then he showed Town his
cards.
II never saw better nerve In my life than
Bassett showed at that moment He
turned a little Nhite even under his farmer
tan, but his voice hadn't the slightest quaver
as he said: Well, that does me up. /
reckon I've played all tho poker hats
comm my way. Good night, boys
and he left the room without another
word. We all thought he'd be playing
with us again as soon as he could raise tho
| money, but lie was right. There was no
| more poker coming his way. for when they
found him in his barn next morning he
| was stone dead. His razor lay beside him
| and nobody ever shaved with 1t afterward. =
INDIA