The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-01-31

No. Z delayed the railroad com
pany rot only FOR days but for weeks
and the weeks heightened into months
before anything like a satisfactory be-
ginning was made to the work which
was to have been completed before the
snow should fly.
The expense involved was the least
consideration. The company was amply
abe TO build a score of such bridges
without burdening its construction ac-
count unduly The question Of time,
however was important, and in the ef-
Tort to hasten a detail that refused To
De hastened, 500 men had been massed
at q point where 100 were expected TO
remain for only q week or TWO.
&c was fifty miles from town, and
as q measure Of economy temporary
buildings had been erected and a COM
pany store established on the banks of
the fiTer.N In short, a settlement had
grown up, unexpectedly and certain Ia
De ephemeral. Of government there
was nothing but the authority of the
employer, and OF Improvements there
vas no necessity.
Nevertheless. Bridge Seven. as the
settlement came 10 be called. was or
derly enough for a time. The men
there were no WOmen-were Skilled
Workneu, who drank little. and who
cared for their JOBS. Such minor diff
cuiues as arose were easily settled biz
the bosses. with an occasional appeal
to the superintendent, and only twice
nad there been even a. bout at fsticuffs.
II was almost an ideal community.
Red Came Into Camp.
Then, one day, Red came into the
camp, riding one horse and leading an
others 10 ask for a. job. He was q husky
chap and the horses were good ones.
80 he was employed readily enough,
ana entered on the company roll as
george LansOn. Whether that name
vas mere legal fiction. or whether il
really belonged TO him. ne one was in
teFested in finding out. and as for any
use being made Of It as a name while
ne remained in camp, no one saw the
necessity. 1t was generally accepted
IS an indisputable fact, the moment
ne was seen. that Red was all the. name
required. There may have been rea-
sons aside from his personal appear
Hnce FOR calling aim Red, but nobody
after looking at him once ever stopped
20 inquire for any other.
Red took IL gOod-natUTediy. Wheth-
er ne cared or not, it was not his cue
70 make enemies. he worked along
contentedly for two or three days earn
ing the good viii Of the bosses by his
strength and willingness, and OF his
mates by his jOllity and cheerful man
ner- And he paid particular attention
10 the way the men amused them
selves at night
Found Little Card Playing.
As might have been expected. he
IoAfld there was some card PLAYING
Not all the men played, for some
smoked and told stories. while Others
sang ana there were checker players
ana chess players among them. but here
ana there in the big barracks there was
q group Of card players, and with some
Ithese groups the game was draw
poker,
Red accommodated till he had learned
ali the poker parties, and then began
watching them till ne had sized I'D the
game each party played. What he
learned Gid not seem to MI him with
elauon. The heaviest game he saw
any where among the men was q 10
cent limit, with a 25-cent limit consola-
Iion pot at the end Of the evening.
II he had any notion of playing poker
hlmseif this kind Of game did not
seem 10 appeal 10 him. for Ire stood
looking on rather disgustedly the third
night he was in camp, when a small
dark man came up TO his elbow, and
sald, without Introduction: Not much
OF a game, il ite''
ne could locate the speaker. for he was
d tan man himself. Then he said: Il
don Z call it a game. When I play I
want mans sized game"
same here, said the little man"
Table stakes"
Red became interested. Are there
any more like you around here?'' ne
asked.
on. yes, said the little man. 'Onfv.
you know. gambling is the bne thing
they don't allow i'll camp Ten-cent
ilhnlt they don't cali gambling, ard
reckon that's right enough"
But what's the matter with going
our Of camp, them" asked Red
Nothing that I know Of" was the
answer. only there's no place TO GO
Nature IS not the only thing that alb
hors vacuum. Whenever there. Is a
crying need for almost anything in civ
illzation, somebody provides it. Thus
ID Was THAI within three days more
there was q, shack perhaps half q
mile away. in which there were cards,
chiDs. d table, chairs. and Red.
IhiJher the little dark man. whose
name proved to be sam Withers.
brought Jimmy Powers, Dave Black
wood and Harry Quinn Had he been
paid FOR camping the game, he could not
have been mere eager. And he il was
who spoke first in nearly assent when !
Hed observed that fnere'd have 20 be
a kitty 10 reimburse him for the ex-
pense Of providing and running the
place.
The Game Began.
Matters being satisfactorily adjusted 4
the game began, each man taking So for.
a starter Il looked Ike a modest. easy
division Tor while and Red was fig 4
uring on getting most Of his profits 4
n-se
should develop, when suddenly things 4
began 10 happen.
He looked at his cards on Powers /
zeal and was somewhat startled 10 find /
p pat straight flush. nine hlgh. II was
Jackpot. and he was third man To 4
speak. BlackwoOd passed and Quinn
opened u Tor the size Of tha pot. which 4
was Sl.2s- Red hesitafed. There was a }
chance for keeping two men out if he 1
raised ii. but finally he decided to make /
it Sz-J0 to play, and To his intense joy Z
" ithers and Powers both came in. /
Quinn pushed his whole Pile forward. 4
asid the other three men did the same.
There was some odd change coming to j
WiEhers, whose stack was the taIeSt.
and there was q little side money. but /
the pot was about SIS.
When the draw came each man stood !
pat excepting Withers. ana he took one /
card Everybody being all Ia. il was a 1
showdown, and each man of the four /
displayed a straight flush.
Took Five Dollars More.
After a long pause, during which Red /
looked from one 10 another ia the vain
attempt 10 discover whether there was +
anybody in the party who was rot as 1
t0nishe9. be drew a long breath and
said, sIowiy. and very distinctly.
Il don-L rememher that / aNar sen