The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-09


after her an jackson had their fallln' out,
she were on the river again. This time
she come up I'm New Orleans, an there
was a sport I'm there that had about as
bad name az any on EN- for crooked
play an for bein' bad fighter, that come
up on the same trip.
Feared they'd meet in New Orleans,
an this Teller, his name was Dieter, or
that's what he called hisself, had fell In
love with her, desperate. She didn't have
no use for him, on'y as q pal, but he were
a good player, an they'd made IL up to
play together on the boat II they cd got
into a game that WAS worth while,
Dieter, reckon, was countin' on marryin
her sooner or later, an whether he mought
ha' did it or not, IL things had fell out differ
ent, don't p'tend to say, bat twa'nt no
secret that she'd said no to him more II
once.
There were game, all right. goin'
full blast afore we come 10 Baton Rouge,
an I'm that time till it broke up, there
was some on en- playin' all the time Now
an again, one on EN- a drop out Tor an
hour or two. but the game went right on
into the fourth day
"There was six in the game, an on'y
Dieter an this here Kate Carr was be-
knownst to me as professionals, the others
bein' strangers on the boat that l never
seen afore nor since, but RIM the way they
played sized em up for gamblers, all
four on EN-. afore they'd played twenty
four hours.
"They all 'peared to be Northerners, an
they held out they was down South on
some railroad business o some sort-that
il three on EN- did-but my notion Is they
was all sports that was tryln' the river
game to see what there was in 1t.
@They started playin' five-dcllar limit,
but that didn't last long, The limit were
set aside the first day, an there didn't
seem to be no end to the money they had,
l seen as high as thousand dollars change
hands in one deal, an they didn't none
on EN- pear to think that was nothin'
extraordinary.
II don't reckon Dieter an Kate d ha'
lasted long time In that size game II 1t
had run against EN- long, but they'd done
pretty well I'm the start, / didn't see no
outrageous show o crooked play, but
cd see they played for one another, now
an again, as you can do in poker II you
want to.
But them Nor,herners did a good deal
the same sort o. thing oncet IN while,
so that was even up Feared like Kate
an her partner was too slick TO get caught
that way though, an they didn't get nipped
very bad no time, but they turned the
screws on desp'rate hard three or four
times on the Northerners, so they was
well head o the game when jackson he
come aboard the boat
whether he knowed Kate was aboard
can't say, but if he didn't know it afOre,
no found Il out mighty quick after he got
aboard, for pretty nigh everyt ody ON
the boat had got Interested in that game
by that time, an all them that could was
standin' round, looking on al the play,
Nobody hadn't offered to set in, bein'
as twas bigger game thar, most folks
wanted to play them times, an there WASH I
no show o the players bein anxious for
another one in.
But this here jackson, he want no
WAYS bashful, an l reckon 1t must ha
made his mouth water TO see all that money
in circulation without him havin no show
to corral any on il. Anyhow, he hadn t
he made break to get in. He did 1t polite
enough, too, for he waited till the cards
was bein'shufiled an he saws
Would there be any objection TO me
takin' hand in the gameY
well, they all looked up, o course. an
there was a minutes pause. like, afore
anybody spoke. cd see, for l were
loosin' on, too just then, that Kate hadn't
seed him afore. an he didn't look AT her
when he spoke. but them devilish eyes
o bern give a spiteful snap that you G d
almost hear, an Dieter seen she didn
want him in, so he spoke up quiet enough,
but pretty sarcastic, an he says:
II reckon there don't none on us care
to make this seven-handed. ! object, for
one An then the Others didn't say
nothin'.
jackson was bilin' They said there d
been bad blood atween them two years
afore, but there hadn't been no open
quarrel since I'd knowed EN-, an | reckon
Dieter wouldn't ha' made no kick If il
hadn't been for Kate, for 'twa' mt just
the thing to object to anybody that wanted
- Nl,.r s.NN lat ,Drt ~ AM tNaTnt
jackson took it for insult, rs was natural
enough, an he says, very nasty;
al didn't know you was SO particular
who you played with, Dieter
Dieter was ready for him, an he leaned
back an says, with n drawl, oh, well
jackson, you know you have To draw the
line somewheres. draw il on you
An jackson sort o choked, an he says:
You'll answer to me for that
An Deter smiles, an he says Ger
tainly. Any time and place you like.
0n'y you cant expect me to quit game o
poker to fight you. You'll have to wait
till the game breaks up
well, jackson he choked again, an he
were ust goin' to speak again, but he
'peared to have a second thought, so he
just bowed You'd ha thought most
any man, after gettin that kind Of a thing
slung at him, would ha' gone away, but
he didn't He just stood an KEEP watchin'
the game like nothin' had happened.
Come Dieters deal just little while
after that, an whether twas t he We're a
bit nervous, or what, / can't say, but
seen just little tumble o. the cards that
showed me lie were stackin' EN-. I'd
been watchin' jackson, too, pretty close,
thinkin' thered be more comm pretty
soon, an ! seen that he seen it, too, but
he didn't say nothin'. He ony edged
round little till no was most near enough
to seq Dieter's hand, s'posin' o cours q
that Dieter was fool enough to hold his
cards 40 they cd be seen.
There was two o the Northerners on
Dieter's left, an two on his right, an Kate
first one pass, an the second open, an
Kate stay, an the other two pass, an Dieter
raised, / says to myself that he'd likely
give the Northerner good hand an Kate
better one, an was just stayin' hisself
TO help her in the bettin'. '1wa'n't no
ways likely t he'd give hisself the wnnin
hand.
well, the Northerner raised back, like
I'd looked 10 see him do, maxim il a hundred
in ALL to draw cards, an Kate offended
to study little, but she stayed, an 30
did Dieter.
"On the draw, the Norherncr stood
pat an Kate took two cards, an then
Dieter offended to study, like he were
tryin' to make out he was bluffin' an he
says;
II reckon I'll play these!
well the Northerner had king full, hut
Just naturally Kate got her fourth ten
The Northerner bet hundred, Kate made
it two, an Dieter made il three, an then il
were all as plain to me as the nose on your
Tnnn rl., 10,