The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1904-07-29
MADE A BAD BREAK.
Whist Fiend ON a Train Goes Too Far
I'm Trying to Get One More
Player.

imagination to lead him into striking
blind man." said treasury special
agent who is on the road good deal,
relates the Washington Star. '"The
story went that he was standing at a
street car transfer station with young
woman, waiting for car, when he no
ticed a man standing a short dis
tance away staring, or appearing to
stare, pretty hard at the girl. There
was, besides, sort Of half-smile on the
starer's face. The impetuous young
fellow took the starer for a masher,
and he walked over and, without a
word, smashed him in the face. Then
he found out that the man he had hit
was totally blind---his attendant had
left him for a moment to get something
in the corner drug store can imagine
how that young chap must, If his in
stincts were right, have hated himself
for that blow-how he must, indeed,
have felt like thrusting the fist that
struck the blow into the furnace, as
young college fellow that | once knew
did after striking a wrongful blow
'But on Pennsylvania train, out of
Philadelphia for the west saw, few
weeks ago, an incident of the same gem
eral sort that impressed me as pain
fully as 1t did everyone else who wit
messed 1t. AS for the man whose loose
ness Of speech caused him to make the
sad mistake, there was really nothing
to do but to feel sorry for him.
HE was clean, snappy, clipper
built man verging on middle age, and
an hour or so after the train left Phila-
delphia--it was during the afternoon
he started through the smoking COM
partments of the chair cars and sleep
ers to get up whist quartette.
There we're not many male passen-
gers on the train, and Of these few not
many appeared to know how to play
whist. Most of them met his invita-
tion with courteous nod, negativing
the proposition on the ground that they
didn't understand the game
"But when whist fiend makes up his
mind to assemble party on board
train he never gives up trying until he
has succeeded or rendered good many
travellers nervous, and that was the
case with this solid-looking but snappy
Philadelphia.
After herculean exertions, involv-
ing many excited and beseeching tours
through several cars, he finally got hold
of two men who announced their will
ingness to take hand. Then, of course,
he became more strenuous than ever in
his effort to get the final player
HE appeared for the fourth success
sive time In the smoking compartment,
In which ! sat, and begged each of us
once again to fill up the four Most
of the men in the compartment, includ-
ling myself didn't kR0w~the game of
whist. sft We succeeded in convincing
the snappv-ooking man that we we're
telling ~ ruth about 1t.
"The lnct man that he tackled for the
fourth successive time was fine-lool-
ing fellow Of 80 or so, whose face had
look Of trouble In 1t, although he replied
courteously enough to the whist flend's
invitations. Each time he said, in a low
tone, that he did not feel like taking a
hand
"On this last time around the whist
fend said to him.
You'll make the fourth, I'm sure.
Come ahead Tables all ready and the
games waiting
No. was the reply of the man with
the troubled expression. 4 don't feel
like joining In. should like to oblige,
but and his voice broke a trlfle at
that, and some of us in the compartment
could see that the man was under a
strain. But the whist field didn't see it.
You play, don't your he persisted
Yes, | play, was the reply, still a
little hoarse--and then he turned and
gazed out OF the window.
Hull can't understand a man
knowing how to play whist and not
wanting to play it--blamed i'll can, i'm
patiently mumbled the whist fend as he
started to 60 out of the car and he
muttered something, too, as he reached
the door, that sounded a good deal like
lobster
The man with the troubled look
turned his head about quickly from the
window, and he had gone bit pale, a.
we could see He didn't rise from his
seat but he stretched forth long arm,
grasped the whist flend by the sleeve of
his coat, and pulled him into seat,
My friend, he said to the startled
whist lend-and there was a wan and
gray look around his mouth as he spoke
you should restrain your impatienee
and your tongue. am not lobster.
There Is no law compelling me to tell
you why do not elect to join your game
of whist, but shall tell you, not because
you have any right to question or lm-
pugn the motives of a stranger, but be-
cause your deficiency IN tact will stanf
correction. am not joining your whist
party because the easket containing the
body of my wife is on the baggage car
attached to this train
Then the man with the troubled look
gazed once more out OF the window, nor
did he turn his head again The express
sion that appeared In the face of the
whist field was so absolutely pitiful, in
It's eloquence OF the mans mental self
denunclation, that we couldn't help but
sympathize with him.
"A thousand pardons, old man. he
said, in choked tone. I've been cad.'
and he went out with the alertnesa