The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-12-15

frowned.
Not this tine she snorted. II you
want people to bet when you have
anything you must learn TO bet some
times when you have less than 4
straight flush. Take the pot Three
kings openers.
"tOh, oh?' cried Mrs. Stuyvesan-
and / was what you call blufine,
too and she threw down the foar,
sever and nine of clubs, the queen OF
hearts and the ace of spades. L
thought you'd De fooled she went OH
naively, because I'd been so careful
before
Bill confessed to me that he nearly
died Of heart disease right on the
spot. | was watching the human
sharks.
How did you do it?' | whispered
admiringly when the play had Started
again.
Mrs. Bill smiled in her bewitchins
way.
"Oh!' she answered softly. 4
haven't been studying Bill all these
months for nothing
The game grew faster. Mrs. Stuy-
vesanr became a little bolder. She
won on the whole. holding the Leaf
that the jack lad given her. | still
kept even. The sharks Bill
lost.
"At last the night was over. The
dawn paled the yellow lampligh' and
gave a sickly cIlcr to our faces as we
sat about the table. Bill was over
$4,000 behind when they started a
bunch of $50 jacks to close the game.
"The first two slid off evenly enough
into the maws of the hard-faced ma
irons. Then came a brute to open.
I'VE sweetened it until it had a nun
dred and fifty in it flat. Mrs. StuEve'
SAINT cracked IL under the guns for
the size. Bill stayed. So did Shark
No. /. Then 8 boosted it 5000.
II dropped and threw my cards on
the table. Mrs. Stuyvesant stayed.
Bill dropped. The other shark hest
tated and then showed in her little
stack. That made the neat total OF
1880.
Mrs. Stuyvesdnt drew two cards.
So did No l anG her running mate.
81 watched the latter lady closely.
After skinning back her draw size
moved her elbow toward a little stand
by her side, arr with elegant care
lessness swept off on the floor a high
ball that had just been brought to ,1e1.
AT the crash of the glass we all
jumped by instinct. As [ did so L
knocked over q pile of my chips, and
that drew my eyes to the cloth before
me instead OF 70 the floor, where
every one else was looking.
ct was owing to this fact that |
saw a jeWeled finger rest quickly IN
the table and slide one Of h discard
ed cards deity under a lace handker-
chiei. In an instant more the paste
board was sliprcd into the hand OF
Shark No. 2.
MY first instinct was to speak. [
leaned forward but a quick, nervous
little hand caught my arm. l looked
down. 1t was Mrs. S%tuyvesant.
please be STIR she whispered.
What did sne mean? Surely, she
had not seen what l saw. l took out
a caro- and scrubbed IN it as careless
" as | could. size stole from the lis
card Then | slipped it in front of
Mrs. Bill. She nodded, and, borrow
ing my pencil. wrote, I know; it was
my ten Of hearts
Il crumpled the card in my pocket.
What was this innocent UP to, any
how?
"She bet S20C Shark No 1 called.
No. 2 saw and .apidly counted OUT a
pile of yellow chips.
ct raise you $780, she said colby.
Mrs. %Stuyvesant hesitated an IN
slant.
~ see that she answered with a
queer look in her eyes, and | go $l,oOo
better. | am shy that thousand.
Bill gasped like a drowning man.
felt as if were going under fire again
for the first time. No. l threw down
her cards. No 2 laughed a hard little
laugh. She pushed $4,000 worth II
chips before her.
And a thousand she said.
And $4,000. came with a little
tremble of desperation from Mrs.
Bill.
I'VE were all leaning forward, quiv-
ering with eagerness. Bill was the
color of death. The other table he'd
broken up and the players pressed
over our shoulders.
NO. ? drew back her lips until her
teeth showed like an angry cats.
II call, she said. I have four
tens
She threw down her cards and
reached for the chips. Bill sank back
in his chair like a sick a
Not good II in Mrs. ~Stuyvesant
sharply, and sht threw on the table
four queens.
Remarkable, CHI? Yes; but the
uueerest thing is I had myself dis
carded the queen of clubs,'
Colossal Graft.
We see in The Baltimore Sun that
"Fads and Fancies," the sO-called