The Savannah morning news., 1903-05-15

One of my most interesting acquain-
tances is a fine old gentleman of rare
culture and broad charity. who lives
alone in simple apartments at a quiet
family hotel in Manhattan, says the
Brooklyn Eagle Thirty, forty, fifty
years ago he was a man of large af-
fairs in New York, but now that he is
upward of so years old, with enough of
this worlds goods to see him through
and some TO spare for transformations
philanthropies, he is taking his ease
among his books and memories.
/ called on him a few evenings ago,
and as l entered his sitting-room 1 saw
cards and poker chips on small CEN
ter table.
"Ah," l said "a game on tonight"
Eyes" he answered with half sad,
but wholly sweet, smile. Il was hav-
ing a little game with some of my old
friends"
My face must have expressed my re-
greet at having interrupted the play,
for before I could speak an apology he
told me not to be disturbed, that the
game could wait, that his friends had
plenty of time-"all the time there is"
he said: they are dead
Then knew the meaning of the very
small table and the absence of chairs
round it.
Yes" my aged friend explained.
sometimes when l am alone of an
evening 1 take it into my head to call
the old crowd together again."
And you play all the hands"
Yes, but | play them as nearly as
possible as the boys themselves would
play them. 1 know every fellows game
like a book"
l was interested to see how he man
aged it with only memories of his old
time antagonists to contend with, so 1
prevailed on him to play a hand out
just as he would do it if l were not
there.
Smiling tolerantly on my curiosity,
he dealt seven hands. having first put
up an ante of one white chip from the
neatly piled stack of the imaginary
player sitting next to his left.
Its Joe IS age" he explained,
land he never made it more than one
call be two. He liked to coax every
body in and then, if he had anything,
raise it before the draw"
He took up the hand of the second
player and said: This is Judge -"
He tapped with his finger-tips on the
table. The judge, you see, has a pair
of sevens, but he played a very close
game. He argued that it was poor polk
er to come in unless you were prepared
to stand a raise"
Finding jacks and skies in the next
hand, he said: George - comes in
He would raise it, but he doesn't want
to drive the rest of us out"
So he went the round, giving me a
clear insight to the poker Characters
tics of six men whose names were all
familiar to me, as they would be also
to any of you whose memory goes back
quarter of a century One was
United States Senator, one a retired
major general of the United States
Amy, two were millionaire merchants
Then there were the judge Che after
ward sat on the Supreme bench of this
state), an an editor whose fame was
worldwide.
One of the merchants had a four
flush and raised it the limit. HE al
ways commended" my friend explained,
that drawing to straights and flushes
is foolish unless you are sitting in good
luck. But he maintained that if a
bobtail was worth anything it was
worth the limit. You see, he figures
it now that if he gets his flush it will
probably be the winning hand, so he is
building up the pot as far as possible"
By this time the aged dealers eye
was sparkling. He was talking as If
his friends were really there. He
seemed almost to have forgotten that
he was merely showing me how he did
it. He was actually playing the game
with his old cronies. 1t was a keen Joy
to watch him.
After the hand was played out he fell
into gossip about the nights they had
played together and the fun they had
had. I'VE used to have some desper-
ate battles" he said, in the course of
these "reminiscences.
In view of the enormous wealth rep
resented by the players, said: 1T must
have been a pretty swift game 1 sup
pose a good deal of money changed
| hands sometimes. What was your Gus
tomary limit?''
Five cents" he answered. "We
never went above that"