The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-10-04

OH I reckon I'd better say yes
replied Kent listlessly. You don't
suppose 1 was blowing out my brains
because I wanted to. I didn't see
anything ahead but a hobo's life, and
didn't care for that But this'll be
better than that, I reckon. If it isn't,
can always do the other"
All right" said McMurray, briskly,
but don't do 1t on my front steps.
Now go to a hotel and sleep twenty
four hours. If you can't sleep get a
druggist TO give you something. Then
come back here and I'll talk to you.
And take this to go on
This" was a piece of green paper,
which Kent put in his pocket, mutter-
ing an ungracious acknowledgment as
he left the room and the house.
After he had gone, McMurray sat for
some minutes in silence. AT length he
rose, saying to himself in a dubious
way: 1T was good I stopped him from
doing it there; but I wish somebody
else had done it. They do say it's
sure-enough hoodoo.'
Mr.. James Kent appeared the next
night, as he had been directed to do, at
McMurray's place, and for some sue
ceeding days was put carefully through
in making him much wiser man.
He had been a poker player all his
life, and had supposed that he was a
fairly good one. In fact, it was his
nerve and judgment in the backing of
his hands that had mostly commended
him to McMurrays liking, though it
had never happened that he had been
considerable winner at the game in
McMurrays house.
Now, however, he had things explain
ed to him that had been, up to this
time, wholly unknown to him. A code
of signals, so simple as to be amazing
| was among the things which helped to
| make it clear to him why he had been
constant loser And he was shown
| how by adapting his play to that of
one other in the game he could make it
practically impossible for any given
| third party to capture any given pot.
| "Of course. I knew all about this in a
general way" said he to McMurray,
one day, after he had been told all
there was to tell, or, at least, all that
McMurray chose to tell, but 1 had no
| idea the thing was SO simple. 1 was
| always on the lookout for crooked
dealing
No first class poker player tries to
| do stunts with the cards any more. .
| said McMurray. There are marked
| cards used sometimes, but the best
players don't even use those
We'll" said Kent, slowly, IT'S too
late to squeal, and I'm not going to
do it, But I can see what I've been
up against"
Eyes, you can," said McMurray
frankly, but you were up against it
with your eyes open. You say your
self you knew it in a general way, but
were not sharp enough to catch the de-
tails. You came here after my money
and I got yours. Now I'm proposing
to help you out by putting you wise
Have you any kick coming?''
'I told you I hadn't" replied Kent
sulIenly and he never renewed the
subject.
Accepting the situation as best he
might he became one of the regular
stters of the house, his duty being tc
help to make up a poker party when
ever his services were required. Or
such occasions he was supplied with
the necessary money to buy chips, and
to do McMurray justice, he received 6
liberal percentage on all the winning:
he made.
These were at times considerable il
amount, and the money that was al
lowed to him was sufficient to enable
him to live comfortably and even, al
times, extravagantly. He was, new.
ertheless, unhappy.
His moral suicide had been complete
even before McMurray had interfereC
with the physical completion of it. bu
he could not shake off the sense of hi
own degradation. 1t showed in hi
manner and in his appearance, so tina
although he wore fine clothes of {
fashionable cut, he came to be known
as Dusty JIM" because of his care
Iessness.
Also he drank more than was gooC
for him, so that McMurray perceived
, that he would never make a first elias
gambler. He served his purpose toll
, erabIy well, however, and his employe
ceased after time to bestow any par
ticular attention to him.
1t would have been better for hin
if he had done so. More especial.
would it have been well for him to in
quire what Dusty Jim was doing il
, those intervals, sometimes two or tire
!, days in duration, when he would dis
appear altogether.
AS it was, he supposed that Dust.
Jim had been on drunk. and as tn
:, latter admitted it readily. enough
= though surlily, when accused. McMur
ray commended him for staying away
T and thought no more about it.
+ Kent was not always drunk. how
!, ever. when he stayed away. He wa
making it his business, for one thing
. to find out as much as possible abou
McMurray's business, and was by n
means unhappy when he learned tina
n the latter was not so wealthy as h
;, was generally supposed to be. but that
in fact, a loss of twenty or twenty fiv
=, thousand dollars would cripple, if no
ruin him.
Also Dusty Jim was making it hi
business to get acquainted with high
rollers, more especially with those VIII
A would not be likely to be troubled wit
: any scruple about getting the best 0
a professional gambler even by ques
VI tionable methods.
Tt took some time for him to find jus
. what he was looking for and all h
was looking for, but finally ne succeed
, | ed and fOr some fOrtV-eight hour