The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-06

by. to its present glory ne a manufacturing
| centre and prosperous community. Among
these who were quick to see the signs Of its
| coming importance, and who realized that
| there was likely to he much money In cir
| much industry, were number of gentlemen
| of the same profession which Mr.. Quinn
! adorned
One Of these was man named Crawford
| who had an establishment. POSSIBLY mile
away from the canal. which was well pat
ronized by the sporting element Of the
neighborhood. and was not unknown to
travellers. Doubtless it has been discon-
tinued now, for il was notorious even in
those days as a particularly lawless place.
| even for outlaws. But il was in full blast
| when Mr. Quinn arrived at the South in
search Of MIR, Newton.
He made himself at home with Craw-
ford for two or three days before Newton
| arrived, but when that happened he man.
| aged to evade the newcomer till he saw
him seated at a poker table in Crawford's
place, in company with two army officers
and a contractor who was putting up build
ings on the lake front. Then he walked
up to the table and asked, quietly, if he
| might take a hand.
| had already expressed wish that some
| one would take fifth hand, hut az it was
early in the evening there happened to be
| no desirable person in the room. so there
was no objection. More than that, New
ton looked up with smile Of welcome,
and said. Hello. George"
| Mr.. Quinn. however, did not respond.
| He looked mildly surprised instead, and
said pleasantly enough you've made
a mistake this time. My name is not George"
| Newton smiled with what he thought
was an instant comprehension OF Quinns
intent. II a gentleman Of his profession
| chose to deny his identity, il was doubtless
for good reasons. and the freemasonry
| OF the craft dictated that his wish should
be respected.
A moment later. however, his COM
placency vanished suddenly. for Quinn
| went on to say:
MY name is Osborne. Henry Osborne
Of Detroit"
As he spoke he looked at Newton with
eyes so full of malignity ard fierce resolve
| that the latter betrayed his consciousness
before he could recover from his surprise.
It was plain enough even to Quinn, that
he had never suspected the identity Of
Mr.. Osborne, but II was also plain to New
ton that his ignorance in that particular
was not going to serve an any excuse for
what ne had done.
All this. however, was lost on the others.
who were already lingering their chips
impatiently. and Newton, who held the
| cards, began to deal, while Quinn, or Osborne.
| as he WAS for the time, bought his chips
| from the house attendant.
II was table stake. game, each man
putting In 500 to start. and ordinarily
| the two professionals would have had easy
work dividing the money Of the other three,
| for they had played together often enough
to have a perfect understanding. But on
this occasion they were rather at a dis
advantage, each paying more attention
TO the other than he did to the game, and
neither daring to exercise any OF the skill
he had in the manipulation of the cards
for fear Of the others denunciation.
Just what Osborne's object was In play
ing poker under such circumstances New
ton was at loss to conjecture. but, after
thinking it over as well as he could while
the game was going on, he decided that
Osborne intended fastening a quarrel on
him but. did not with to have it appear that
II was a quarrel about a woman. And
this, indeed, was the case.
Newton was put sufficiently on his guard
by this reasoning to make him avoid giving
any occasion for an outbreak, but he knew
it was not to be avoided, nor. to do him
justice, was he especially anxious to avoid
it. He knew Quinn's prowess. but he also
had pride in his own, and il Quinn chose
to fight about such thing, why. he was not
the man to shirk the fray,
And the outbreak came There was
a jackpot which one of the army officers
opened on Newton's deal. Quinn and the
other officer passed out. but the contractor
and Newton stayed, Newton raising 1t ten
dollars.
The officer raised back. and the con-
tractor dropped, but Newton stayed On
the draw the officer stood pat and Newton
took one card.
The officer bet white chip, and Newton,
after looking at his cards. raised it twenty
dollars, whereupon the other called and
showed king high flush. but Newton
turned over an ace full and raked in the pot
Hard luck" said the officer, rather
discontentedly, az was natural enough.
But he picked up the deck and was about
to deal without further comment. Nothing
more would have been said if it had not been
for Quinn He said very slowly and sig
nificantly:
4 don't see any hard luck about that"
you don't exclaimed the officer. Don't
you call it hard luck to hold pat flush
and have another man draw out against
your"
NO. not when the other man DEALS
said Quinn. as slowly as before.
There was moments silence. II was
impossible TO mistake his meaning, and
they looked first at him and then at Newton,
who was listening intently, but who seemed
as cool as did Quinn. He saw that Quinn g
hand was under the table, but he did not
hesitate.
AS was the dealer. Mr.. Osborne Of De-
troit,' he said. as deliberately as the other
had spoken, Il must ask you to explain
yourself little better" And his own hand
dropped out Of sight.
Il mean" said Quinn, that there's a
good deal more skill than luck about filing
a full house when you deal a card off the
bottom of the deck"
There was only one possible answer to
this and Newton made it. Before hiR own
hand was above the edge of the table, how
ever, Quinn had fired underneath and his
bullet, though it did not kill instantly, in
ficted mortal wound. Newton was the
better marksman, though he shot an in
slant later. for Quinn fell dead on the spot.
As it was only an ordinary oardroom fight,
and nobody was particularly interested in
either nan, it came about that Mrs. Osborne
never knew whether she had been forsaken
or widowed.
Out OF tho Great North Woods.
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