The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-02-26

. pIdCttCe ldu IIldQG dlHlOSI SeCOnQ ma
ture, and it held a confident look of
poised assurance that was at once the
service of danger on his competitors
| and the evident mark of his profess
sion. He was a young man, with an
old look Immediately dressed. Sit
ting far back In the chair, his arm
stretched at length across the table
so that the thumb and first three
fingers of the left hand carresSed q
pile of blue chips, altering them with
q scarcely perceptible ripple, with his
right leg negiigently crossed over the
left so that the small foot with its pa
tent leather shoe could be seen from
the side, waving slowly with a medita-
tive movement, he made fine pic
ture of alertness under perfect con-
troll. His eyes. hard and very light
blue, shifted around the circle of the
table with an Indifference that was
apparent and n contempt which was
little concealed. Just now, however,
they lighted on the fat man opposite
with bare trace of concern.
The gambler had been playing In
hard luck. For hours he had kept
his seat, waiting with the wonderful
of luck which he was to ride TO the
limit when 1t came TO him. He was
wondering just now whether il had
come or not. The fat man had bet
some ten blue beans al once and the
gambler paused to think OF the values
of the two hands. The situation be-
ing complicated by the fact that the
fat man was drunk and In luck, he
took pause to consider. Several spec
tators who had been playing in a
smaller game, stood about watching
the play. The room hung heavy with
| smoke, the proprietor leaned negli-
gently against the buffet, a quiet negro
waiter stepped for the twentieth time
to the side OF the fat man with the
bottle and glasses The gambler felt
the gaze of the room and took pride
| in his impassiveness. The fat man
| drank deeply and sWore with frank
and cheerful triumph, thickly between
clouds from his cigar
"Ah, cut It out; cut it out" he ex-
claimed to the dapper figure opposite.
Put up or shut up!" And the fat
man laughed boisterously as was his
wont.
The gambler did not move, although
! his light blue eyes paused on the red
i features of the fat man with a malig-
nant notice that caused that gentle-
man to bury his nose again in his
| glass. For second longer the firm
white fingers rippled the stack OF blue
chips like a breeze over a pond, and
| then with a careless decision he
| threw his hand face -downwards TO the
| discards.
! At this movement the fat man
I reached with open arms for the pot
and exploded with almost hysterical
pride and mirth His face expanded
| to astounding proportions of gratified
levity. His small eyes shone from
their beds of rolled fat like blood
shot diamonds. His neighbor on the
right he smote with q. heavy hand of
| ifxy 10 XGyif hq y
fundity.
"Bluffed i'm by --! run i'm! Out
on limb all the time, by -" he
| chortled and turned over his cards,
disclosing four spades and very red
and heated looking ace of hearts, he
having stood pat from the beginning
of the play.
The gamblers lips frightened into a
slightly more cruel twist, his throat
worked and the barest tinge Of color
came into the dead whiteness of his
face. And the fat man, catching again
the passing stab OF the malignant blue
eye, paused in his merriment as one
who has seen a ghost and found much
business in the counting of his chips
/ believe that it is a mistaken notion
common to those who have not truly
contemplated the class that the aver
age professional gambler plays an tIn
fair game. That idea is something
less even, than a half-truth. Detec-
ton ever waits on trickery and in
gambling the result of being caught
is frequently q quick and utterly un-
thinking return TO primal passions and
time punishment. The philosophy
of gambling, out side of the "nerVe"
which Is the common need OF all
work and every game, is the ability
~ m :
bier will sit for hours, inactive, los
ing money, like a cat at mouse
hole waiting under a constant ner-
vous strain and yet as stoltd as
statue for the proper moment TO
strike He can endure hard luck with,
| had almost said, a Christian forti-
tude and he can smell the moment
when the run of the cards has set
his way as plainly as wayfarer can
sniff in the air the passage of a
thunder storm.
Jack Eyrie did not, as q rule, play
other than a fair game. But his luck
had set against him hard and his
stakes were running low. He smiled
at himself grimly Is he sized up the
wad of bills put under his chips. os-
tensibly as his table" stake, really as
his entire capital. And the fat man
had that most dangerous sort of luck
which sometimes engoldens the for
tunes of the very drunk His win
nings spun themselves out in a Won
derful and delighted continuity. And
as he drew in his gains, he drank
and laughed and swore with a bois-
ferrous good nature that was particu-
larly offensive 10 Eyrie, who affected
not only an elegant person but soft
and dulcet voice. Then too. Mr
EyTie had been ratified, for all the
composure of his mein He thought
of the one good hand he had held,
which might have marked the turn
ing of the tide and which he had inn
providently surrendered to his loud
antagonist To be beaten BY a drum
ken giant who couldn't play cards
without removing his collar and pers-
piring in his shirt sleeves was bad
enough, but to be .bluffed" by such
an one was the limit. Mr.. Eyrie
thought Of these things with inner
heat and determined to be revenged