The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-04

bluff. threw in fifty dollars and Eaton
laid down.
Murray cashed in and went Of to bed
and the rest of us played on a while longer,
! reckon the others all felt as uncomfortable
as I did.
.The next day while was in the pilot
house saw Murray come out on the upper
deck and noticed that he seemed greatly
surprised when he recognized me. He
while was on duty, but that evening he
approached me and asked me to drink. -
While we were standing at the bar, l
could zee that he wantsd 70 talk about the
game OF the preoedin 6 night. but was EVIL
a %h At loss to begin 50 said ,b nitnff XXI
house last nightp"
because, I was perfectly certain you,
had fours,' he said. What did you haver
told him hadn' 7 filed my flush. and
he laughed and said: I guess was nearer
being being Il trouble than ! supposed at t ne
me think that you didn't care what you
drew, and Of course that meant tours.
Then thought l saw glanoes between
you and the dealer, and l get you down
Tor professional. guess I'm not strong
'nc %s fGr t tns r hm tsns was toeraby
safe conclusion for any stranger, and he said
he thought he keep out Of it, don't know
whether he did or not. for never saw him
again, but I've always thought that man
who would lay down like that had the
makings OF good player in him.
Il saw q professional lay down fours
one night when he knew the chances were
a thousand to one against the other man
having anything like as strong hand.
He wasn't any tenderfoot, and there wasn't
any click under the table either. II there
had been reckon Joe Bascom would have
hn his 0,Sr, ott haf0ro tho other fpllOw.
He had been running . card game In
Louisville for some three months when
l dropped In there one night with friend
OF mine who lived in Louisville. We looked
on at the faro game few minutes and
where we met Joe. He had been playing
with four other men, two Of whom were
sitters in the room, and two were marked
for slaughter Joe knew me. and stopped
for greeting on his way to the table.
My friend said casually, Il see Harry
Peyton is playing again.
for month or 30, till tonight
.'No,' said my friend. and it'll be more
than q month before he comes again, If
he loses tonight.
What do YOU mean?' said Joe, looking
at him, sharply.
1'He drew the last thousand dollars from
his fathers estate this afternoon, and l
happen to know that even with that he
hasn't enough in the world to pay his debts
said my friend.
The man who was speaking was so little
likely to gossip about other peoples affairs
com, however, merely looked thoughtful
and resumed his seat at the poker table.
MY friend and followed him and stood
behind the players, looking on. l saw that
Bascom looked very intently. at Peyton
as he waited for his next hand and i also
saw that Peyton appeared to have been
drinking, though he was not by any means
according to the Kentucky
standard.
sBascom said nothing. however, and
passed out on the next two or three deals,
evidently finding nothing in his hand to
his satisfaction. The hands were played,
however, and Peyton lost thirty or forty
dollars in one OF them, and won another
on what looked to me like transparent
bluff :,
.Then came a jackpot that was sweetened
two or three times, SO that there was some
thing like twenty dollars in it when the
deal came to the man on Peyton right.
1Peyton let his cards lie in front Of him
and passed, playing, Of course,
for the chance OF catching good hand and
Fortune favored him to some extent, at
least, for Bascom, who sat next. skinned
his cards down carefully and opened for
the size Of the pot. The two cappers both
came in after the second victim had passed
out, and then Pc, ton looked at his cards
.Bascom didn't flicker. an eyelash, but
a signI to his cappers, for after he had
seen the raise they both dropped out.
.Peyton, sitting first, called for three
cs It va have beater tbay
a pair OF aces, even If he hadn't raised on
a p,lre bluff,
1Bascom took two cards and threw, in a
white chip without looking at his draw:
Peyton looked at him as steadily as he could
for full minute, but l saw, and the others
aThen he lifted one OF his three cards
and chortled aloud. He did it well, too, 80
that, whether it was true or not, he gave
US all the impression that ne had caught
q third ace.
If he really had three aces, Of course,
he was justified in raising, for Bascom
had taken two cards, and 1t was not sur
prising to. see Peyton throw a hundred
dollar bill in the pot.
Then Bas,om studied Tor while, look;
ing intenty At Peyson until the latter hi smiled
and looked at II carefully. What he saw
didn't know till afterward,, but. what he
said, a. he laid his hand on the table again,
was: The pots yours, Mr.. Peyton, and
this game is closed. Ihere II % no more
poker In this house tonight"
AT this Peyton and the other lamb made
vigorous protest, but Bascom's word was
law. As a sort Of palliative Bascom asked
all hands to drink, and there was a general
movement toward the buffet
my friend and l were both a little curious
on the same point, and we fingered mo-
ment, seeing that one Of the servants was
about to gather up the cards and straighten
the room.
Rasoom's hand was still lying where he
laid IT, and as the Niger picked it up, we
both saw that he had four TOURS. After
we had left the house, asked my friend
what he made Of the play.
-'Peyton is young fellow, we'll liked in
Louisville he said, especially among the
sporting class. He's been a good thing
ever since he came into his property, but
aside from that, he is a gallant fellow with
many good traits. II he should 60, down
and out In Bascom's place 1t would be a
great blow to Bascom and he Is sharp enough
to know it.
I reckon he knew that If he won that
thousand dollars from Peyton. when Iey-
ton was drin king. it ID be about the last
thousand he'd ever get in Louisville. lie
has plenty of nerve when it's matter OF
going up against gun, but public sentiment
In a place like Louisville is heap sight
more serious than a gun. call It mighty
good poker for Bascom to lay down those
fours right there"
TIT SIDES.