The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-10
Our Daily Sport Story

never played but he liked to watch the games and to meet the fellows who gathered there. I used to go pretty regularly-yes by George, and play as hard>Nas my income would stand. harder. by George. most of the time.
 one night Courtney came in and stood watching poker game that was pretty stiff. Several Senators were playing and two persons whom you might call lobbyists, one of them fellow named Brown, from the west n fellow with scads of money who was here to get some sort of land bill through. They had been playing for i, some time at a gait very strong in those days. Brown had been winning heavily and had pile of chips in front of him which represented something like fifteen thousand dollars. Just as a hand was being dealt he was called to the door to see a man on a matter of importance.
 Sit in Courtney and play my hand" he said. T won't be gone ten minutes. I'll give you half you make and stand losses myself.
 Courtney had done this before under similar conditions and the very fact that he never played himself served as a reason for the players to force him in as a sort of joke. Then he was ultra careful and perfectly safe not to lose anything to speak of, In fact, 1t frightened him so to be playing some other fellows money that his entire purpose seemed to be concentrated on keping out of taking any risk. So Courtney sat down and picked up the cards. I happened not to be playing and stood on the opposite side of the table watching the game. As he | sat down I caught his eye and there was in 1t an expression of determina- tion such as I have never seen before or since-and by George. I saw some wicked eyes in the sixties. sir. The play went around and Courtney stayed and when one of the Senators bet a hundred, tried to call 1t but got whip | sawed and dropped out. throwing down his cards. He had queens up and the Senator who won the pot did 1t on a pair of kings, as he showed Courtney in great glee.
 "T knew it,, replied Courtney, blush ing painfully. but I can't help 1t. They didn't look worth two hundred to me.
 Everybody laughed and the cards were dealt There were six in the game and Courtney was next to the last man before the dealer. The first fellow put in his ante of a dollar, the second followed, Courtney. who had shut his hand together with a snap after
 
 bling fingers and rut in hundred dol lar chip and a dollar one. The next player calmly raised 1t five hundred and the next one who was the other lobbyist calmly raised that a thou sand. The other three dropped out and Courtney, without hesitation, showed ir fifteen hundred and another thousand on that. The Senator next dropped out The lobbyist put in a thousand the cards were drawn. Courtney drew two The lobbyist stood pat. Courtney look ed at him anxiously and grabbed up his two cards eagerly A child-like smile overspread his face. It was his bet He threw in a thousand. The lobbyist raised 1t $5,000. Courtney bent eagerly forward and swept Browns entire pile into the center of the table. A GrasI of surprise went around the table There was over s25.OOO on the table The lobbyist looked at Courtney witt cold, gray eyes Courtney's face was twitching violently.
 ""Table stakes he cried. That's all the chips I have
 '"rhe lobbyist turned a sickly pale and dropped his hand.
 Not for me-" he said.
 Courtney reached forward convul- sively and gathered in the chips. A the same time he threw down his cards In his haste they slipped and turned right side up. Everybody bent for ward to see them.
 There was not a count in his hanc I-not even a pair.
 With d groan the lobbyist rose anc