The sun., 1903-08-30

dealt. and Il looked to me like tho tense
ness about his face was greater than ever
| when he left the room without word. 81.
! He was heavy loser, wasn't heY'
| asked the cowman, who had remained IN
the game
| Lost an even thousand. said the re-
| tired capitalist who had banked the game,
and 1t seemed to hurt him, too
Il was exactly 5000 to the good for
about seven hours play when l left the room
| and started to the Office Of the hotel TO
deposit my money. The elevator had
stopped running and most OF the lights were
out went down a flight of stairs and
turned tho corner in the dark corridor.
| where l stumbled into some one
Hello came a soft voice out OF tho
semi-darkness of the corridor. Game
broke up?'
Yes and as I answered I recognized
the little losAr.
Great play you got on that hand, he
remarked.
" You bet Greatest play ever had
Queer that there should be so many
big hands out and yours the best, wasn't III?
That's what it was Just one OF those
freaks Of a poker game
1T wasn't any freak said the little
| man, and in the half light it looked like
all the lines We're gone out Of his face, and
II was flushed like the face of n winner.
What was It, If il was MT freak?'
"a cold deck.
Where did the cold-decking come imp
asked, amazed.
al did il. You were the only man in
the game who had not peetled me and
wanted to get even When left the room
few minutes | fixed UP that hand in an
other deck, stuck it in my bosom o get it as
warm as could and when the time came
for me to deal, dropped some cards on the
floor out of the deck we were using, stopped
to pick them up, left the old deck down there
with some we had discarded. took the cold
deck from my bosom and went OH with the
deal The lawyer was a big winner. and was
very careless about cutting. figured the
whole play out to cent, and down to the
smallest card. There were three aushes
and four sets of fours out.
why did you do it--just to get even
wit those who had been beating you. and
hep me because l had helped you?'
When you saved a few pots for me, !saw
you had kind heart and when you got your
money where you could make killing IL you
could come ont with the best hand, worked
of the cold deal, knowing that when told
you, you would split your winnings with me-
But Ill do nothing of the sort That
were swindled that way III give them back
their money
-" Not all of II. Poker is game in which
all kinds of tricks are worked IL man has
no one to catch him. You owe me half that
money. and want it. You may do as you
! choose with the remainder You observed
Tint "capitalist' and the lawyer "cross-
lifting didn't you? I did; they robbed me
out OF my money, and I had a perfect
| right to get even this way.
But I'm not going TO divide the money
! with you, cried, eKasperated.
with that the little mar pulled si1-
shooter from his hip that looked as big as
cannon, He threw it down in my face, and
In the calmest. coolest tones ever heard
he remarked: You were lucky in that
game, and, although you were lucky You
were robbed. and would have been fleeced
right II hadn't saved your bacon as did.
That retired capitalist is nothing moro
than a professional gambler who makes
his money cheating poor devils like you
and me- He knows more about cards In a
minute than you will know In lifetime
figured out that you would clean up good
50 900 on that play Now count out 81 500
to me, and you may go on
But I won't do It.
You have fooled long enough about
this. Half that money is mine Give It to
mo. There are six bullets In this gun. I
will put three through your heart and take
Il counted out the money!