The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-06
VNIHERE A WOMAN
w ENTERED IN.
The True Story Of = Poker Fight
IN Which the Casds Only
Seemed to Count.

Those persons who were acquainted WITH
Mr., George Quinn in his professional ca
pacit y--and there were great many such
had no reason to suspect that he was dr.
ferent in any essential particular from
the general run of his profession, he
dressed as the most OF them did. with some
what more Of display than was in strict
accord with the requirements OF GOOD
taste. He wore diamonds in several spots
His hands were better cared for than most
mems hands, and there We're little angles
in the outlines Of one or two Of his finger
nails, almost imperceptible TO casual
glance, but so situated az o be extremely
useful in contingency,
Moreover. he was gifted with much
self-rest RANT in the matter Of useless
speech though he could be hnenty and
forcibly profane when the occasion de-
manded. and when he did speak he spoke
to the point. For the rest, he was peaceable
enough. as a rule, hut devil OF a fighter
when reused. and he could deal cards FAR
more deftly and accurately than the average
citizen.
When Mr.. George Quinn visited Detroit
however. 1t was noticeable that his manner
and appearance were both modified con-
siderably. His diamonds were not in evil
dence and there was an indefnably quieter
air about his clothes, which appeared to be
due to the way he wore them. rather than
to any change in color. cut or texture. He
was less reserved of speech, hut also less
prone to profanity. and he never played
cards in Detroit Cnriously enough, the
people In bet rot. many Of whom knew him
"a neighbor who was much away from
home. never addressed him a. Mr.. Quinn.
In fact, It is more than doubtful that the
name Quinn was at all familiar to pretty
little Mrs. Osborne. who greeted him as
her husband at such times as he found It
convenient to be at home.
And Mr.. Quinn had a great fandnees for
being MIR. Osborne, visiting Detroit at fire.
quent. though irregular. intervals, and
remaining there often for weeks at time.
during which he was an exemplary citizen
and husband At other times he was
travelling for an Eastern house, and not
even Mrs Osborne would know his where
abouts.
He had been away on one Of his trips
for a little over week. in the spring Of
the year in which certain not able game of
poker was played at the Sault ste. Marie.
when he was tormented by feeling OF
disquiet which he could by no means eS-
plain to himself.
Pears like it's a bunch O some sort.
he muttered, as he sat trying to get at an
underst anding Of it; "but I'm blessed il
can tell what 1t about Only he didn't
say blessed. even to himself,
If he could not understand it, neither
could he shake it of, and the longer it
continued the more It troubled him, I'M
til finally he found it was getting on his
with his play and one notable instance OF
this led him to a sudden determination.
There was game OF stud poker in
progress in which he he'd hand. and al
though he was not the only professional
gentleman in the party, it seemed likely
that there would be enough profit to divide
up handsomely. Among the non-Pro-
fessionals who were expected to contribute
were two cattle dealers. who had come
all the way to Chicago to close out an I'M
usually lar e deal rather than sell to agents
and who had carried the deal through so
skilfully that they suffered from that sud-
denly rich feeling. They were both sober,
but ii did not show in their play.
In the course Of the game it CHANGED
that Mr.. Quinn caught aces back to back,
and. making his bet, was greatly disguised
to find that nobody was willing to stay
with him except one of these cattle dealers
who. with a ten showing, gave him raise:
1t was, OF course, barely possible that the
cattleman was making this play on buried
ace, or WAS bluffng outrageously, but the
only reasonable supposition was that he
had pair of tens, and Mr.. Quinn's duty
was plain The old maxim When you have
a pot won, keep it won" was familiar
enough to him, and he knew that all he
had to do was to hist The cattlenan' suf-
ficiently to make him lie down.
The demon Of speculation, however,
was whispering to him. and he chose the
risky path to possible profit: Hestating
a bit, he came in without raising and drew
king to the other mans queen. Again
he bet cautiously. and the other man stayed
Then he got trey % the other mans eight
spot, and bet again, and again the other
stayed.
On the last round he caught third ace
and the cattleman got Jack
Possible straight, said the dealer, and
Mr. Quinn took an observation.
His own three aces were certainly large,
but the cattleman, just al certainly, had an
eight, ten, jack and queen showing. If
his buried card was nine. the three aces
were useless, but on the OF her hand It seemed
Incredible that he should have made his
first raise on a ten, nine Mr.. Quinn there
fore threw ten dollars into the pot. The
game was not very large one,
The cattlemans answer was TO shove in a
hundred and ten, and Mr.. Quinn wavered
He knew well enough what he ought to do.
but that haunting apprehension Of evil that
had been with him for come days was par
ticularly strong at the moment and after
long hesitation he folded his cards.
Then the cattleman scooped the pot with
an il-mannered whoop Of glee. and turned
over his buried card. II was a deuce.
Mr.. Quinn instantly cashed in, and rose
from the table with AZ much dignity as he
could muster.
when any man." he said. can put up a
bluff on me, an play it through as rank as
that was played an I'm sucker enough TO
lay down, it's time for me to quit" And
he left the room.
Further deliberation convinced him Of
the fact that he needed to lie of for while,
and in consequence Mr.. Osborne arrived
in Detroit the next evening, rather late, but
some three weeks before he was expected.
II he had had that implicit confidence in
his own domestic felicity which the out ward
appearance Of his home seemed to Justify
or perhaps. if Mr. Quinn had not been
haunted for some days with what seemed
10 be a prcsentiment Of evil. II is likely that
Mr.. Osborne would have walked boldly I'D
his little gravelled path to the front door
of his pretty cottage, instead OF walking
softly across the grass TO whore he could
peer between the curtains that hung at his
parlor window
A. il was he chose the latter course and
Immediately became so Interested In what
ever II WAS that he saw inside that he stood
for long time motionless. save for a
spasmodic cnching Of his fists, and en-
tirely silent
t..,F