The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-05-12

i III,
cast on the table. Five, four. three. 81,
I'll shake you for the cigars"
will, give me tbat thing at once COM
manded Maria,i in tone that admitted
no argument y, THAT'S the devils best
tOOl-box. Give, it to me. Don't let me
ever hear of yoalr ~ much as touching an
other one. You know entirely too much
about them already, Give it to me. I'll
throw it., in they stove"
Shorty meekly surrendered the box to
Maria, who took is as if she was pick
ing up rattlesnake. -.
81 grinned and gave Shorty furtive
wink as the latter went spooking around
after other finds.
Here's lot of chips, too" he said
gleefully. Genuine ivory. too, they seem.
No papier-maehe imitation. These fellows
seem to be hgh-rollers. l suppose that
the whites are % cents, the reds 80 cents.
and the blues ST."
Nav! They're not playing penny-ante
nowadays. with all this money afloat,"
commented 81 scornfully. More likely the
whites are at least so cents. the reds 81
officers quit putting white chips at % cents
before we left Atlanta"
What in the world are you boys talk
ing about?" asked Maria. walking over
to them, dice-box still in her hand. "What
are those things? she continued curiously,
cycling the round tablets.
''Chips," answered Shorty.
Chips? OF what?" inquired his wife
Chips of poker. of course. Not the
poker that you put in the fire, but the
poker in which you're burnt yourself Of
tener than not" answered Shorty.
why, believe that with all this riga
marole, you're talking about some more
gambling"
"I've heard poker called that, some
timaa" said Shorty. dryly
''Is it possible that awful man played
poker, too?'
There's certainly room for suspicion
that he did that, as we'll as shook the box"
answered Shorty with solemnity. 81 never
dreamed that a man who kept company
with you would touch card"
"Well, you and 81 know a heap more
about cards and gambling than l ever
imagined you did snapped Maria. "If
I'd ever thought that you"--
The continuation of the sentence was
too dreadful for Shorty to listen to, and
he turned away for further investigations
From another table he picked up a book
written out in the teachers well-remem-
bered clear, copy-book hand, and turned
over it's leaves.
"Well, here we have him, written down
in black and white" he announced trium-
phantly. "This seems to be his betting
book. in which he kept a record of every
and lost, as well as of outside bets. He
seems to have generally played in mighty
good luck, for a tallOw-faced maker of pot
hooks"
'rLet me see that book" said Maria, tax
ing it. II declare she said Indignantly,
as she turned over the leaves, and read the
blasting record with her own eyes. "What
a whited sepulcher that man is! To
| think that he should have ever had charge
of innocent young boys and girls. am
more shocked than I ever was in all nv
life. Pm goinR, to put every one of these
wicked things Id the stove. I can at least
do do that ns much z spPress thi: awful
you'll do nothing of the kind. Maria"
said 81. with more irmness than ever
Shorty had DARED display.
"Why won't I?"l she asked with asperi-
ty. isn't it my duty as a Christian WON
an to do everything l can against the soul
destroying vice ofngamblng?"
Certainly. But there's such thing as
being too pernickety good"
"Josiah Klegg, "'isaid Maria in her stern
30. cheese it. Maria" said 81. with con-
temntuons brotheramess. keep all those
mad frills for use!son somebody else.
don't bother about your looking down your
nose / amt married to you. Remember
that you've accepted Capt Pilkington's in
vitatOn to stay all night here. You're in
his house. to all intents and purposes. It's
your little biz to behave as a lady should
in gentleman's home. You've got no
sort of business going round spying into
things, and burning up his property. You
ought to know that"
"These horrid things. these devices of
the devil. his propertv?" she inquired
angrily. indicating the dice-box. the poker
chips and the betting-boOk. "You call
these implements of iniquity property?''
"Certainlv. Maria" ST assured her.
'They don't belong to you. and they do
belong TO Can't. Pilkington. Not being a
Constable. with an attachment or replevin.
you have no business with another mans
propertv."
taminated bv such evil things" said
Maria. angrily, flinging the stuff down..