Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-06-21
LAID DOWN FOUR AGES

couldn't tell from the mellow, golden
chuckle that welled up from Jake's
insides whether he was sitting behind
a king full or a kilter.
"He played this particular hand
one night up in Bat Masterson's club.
rooms in Denver. Yes, it's the same
Bat that's now leading the simple life
as deputy marshal after his nervous
career west of everything that ever
hunted cover.
"He and Bob Austin had the swift.
est game in the west; big, handsome
rooms, with half a dozen faro layouts
and a couple Of roulette wheels for the
cheap suckers that trickled in. Back
Of these were poker rooms, some open
for anybody to sit in that had the
price, but a couple Of them were pri.
vate and only entered by a back stair.
way opening in the rear of a big hotel.
"These two were open for the high
class, papa gone to- prayer meeting
sports who wanted to play under the
blanket bank cashiers, pillars Of the
vestry and presidents Of things, that
got tired Of being keyed up 10 concert
pitch and had to be let down a spell,
A big Guinea Niger guarded that
stairway, and IL you didn't belong you
might as well have tried to butt into
the winter palace.
zone night 1 dropped of the Grip
pie Creek train TO see Jake about a
mining deal that meant money; Jake
had every kind that was ever minted.
After an hours hunt / learned that
he had slipped up TO Bats with a lot
Of deacons and business men. / stood
In with the big coon, and pretty soon
he brought me word from Jake to
come up.
al found him and Ave others just
winding up a roOdle.
"a roodlei Why, it's a round of
double ante, jaekpots, each player deal
ing until his pot is opened, and every
time it's sweetened you set in a whole
ante. Yes, it's a mighty lively game
and some juicy, too.
"Out west, when a man gets an ace
full beaten they inject a roodle into
the game 10 give him a chance to make
a killing and get even. OF course, the
beneficiary stands just as much chance
as anybody else TO furnish the raw ma
terial for the massacre and turn up
among the killed and %wOundedi but
after a fellow who's dubbed along for
an hour and a half gets hold Of a full
with boots on, and then gets it beat,
that fellow wants to plunge the eoun'
try into civil war.
"Then it's due for a roodle. II
Gains him down. He either makes good
or gets so high up in the casualty list
that he can't speak above a whisper
the rest OF the season.
"Well Jake asked me to sit down
a moment, as it vas the last deal on
that roodle and he was going TO quit
after that. II Was a fairly stih game
/ gathered; blues out to sir and a
quarter and two-pair bets running along
from s25 10 $50.
"There was about $50 in the pot
when this last hand was dealt. JAKE
squeezed his cards over to me, showing
three big bullets.
''The first man next to the dealer
passed the open. SO did the second
and third. Jake, who was fourth,
cracked il light for some go 70 ron
in the rest on percentage and pump
them hard after the raw.
ossome Of them didn't need muen
eoaxin', though, for the fifth man
iumped in with a $50 raise and the
dealer ehurned ii up for $50 more, al
of which / knew was pleasing to JAKE
though YOU couldn't have detected II
vith an x.rsy. The dealer was pick