The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-07-01

as this is our last night and this the last
pot till next December, or maybe till after
the next holiday recess, how about making
the limit for this one pot Ave dollaTsr
7 was already In the discard and 30 had
.'curios thing, this telepathy there
must DO something in ~. said Ransom.
Z was just On the pinpoint Of suggesting
= Agreeable said Mansir, and then
two cards he'd drawn, raised Mansir five
Senator Ransom had picked UP the card
he'd drawn and when he caught sight OF
II he leaned back In his chair and seemed
to fall into a Retrospective state as he gazed
whistle a most p~laintive minor air.
Queer thing how those tunes stick In
the mind he observed, breaking OF his
whistling when he saw how expeotant
Senator Vance looked. Now, / first heard
that .air-it's a gondoEer's song--when
was in Venice as a. very young man, and
1t only darts into my mind every W or
three years, or when
aI'd like TO hear you whistle 1t Ill through
with variations, Matt. after we get through
With this lnsJ PCT Sov su sgdS;otsd senator sm to Va YoSr
music, old man, here and elsewhere, even
on the floor Of the Senate. But cards is
cards. Mansir thinks his openers are worth
two dollars and I'm raising him five. I'm
waiting for -
s'Only darts into my mind, that song,
as I was saying put In Ransom, once every
two or three years. and always when I'm
In a particularly lucky streak, or Just about
to begin one. / am seeing those seven
dollars, and it's FIVE dollars more -.
Ohio! What am l up againstf. inquired
pair OF jacks and dropped.
"He couldn't see how both OF the Senators
could be bluffng at the same time, took no
stock in a pair. Of jacks In q pot at best,
and, anyhow, he foresaw more FUN IN a
little battle between Eans9m "a and a. vance ln@
the table to address ourselves to a bit OF
refreshment ON the sideboard.
80 your Venetian air Is the harbinger
Of a lucky streak, eh, MattT said Vance,
banning beam ,g h a~t'so ths, Asv naP % rai sis v oard q.
though, Mr.. Gondolier. Just naturally
And five dollars said Ransom, drum
ming rhythmically on the table to keep time
with the air he had resumed whistling. -,
Vel, y9um l. have .ert to invoke 0bi.t ihe g gSan
that, Matt. this time.' said Vance, boosting
This hour, IL never again, I hold the
magic lamp replied Ransom. seeing Vance
and boosting min the limit. .
ne supreme OulluolCc W soONA
Of them drew Mansir and, me away from
the sideboard. We wanted to have a peek
at their hands to see what made the note
Of triumph 80 resonant in the voice OF both
OF them. They both smilingly. drew the
cards close to their waistcoat buttons as
mot this time, old man. said Vance to
me when 1 leaned over his chair. I'D feel
it was a sort Of proclamation II any, mortal
eyes barring my " viewed this nand
till the d~6nouement.' ,.
"'You can have a good, long look at It
when 1 have the hand framed said RAN
som to Mansir when Mansir made as II to
stoop over and look at his cards, and then
the two Senators resumed their betting.
ut passed back and forth between them
rapidly until there was $ls7 in the pot, and
then Ransom suddenly caught sight OF the
clock on the m~antelpiece. 1t wa lacking
only two minutes Of midnight and Sunday
morning.
"'Zeb,' said Ransom, in q tone Of high
generosity, to his colleague, only a moment
or so remains of this day. We cannot en-
croach upon the day to follow. Do not
think l hurry you to your doom ana ex-
Five more, Matt put in Senator Vance.
What are you going
aThe clock suddenly struck ~ and Sem
ator Ransom rose from the table.
~'Zeb,' he said to his colleague, let the
Qnu Dt DllCCu III hNC . ehe eAAS
You know where I stand in respect to this
'4ss .sealed they'll be, Matt replied Vance.
I'll nave our friend here indicating me
seal my hand, and Mansir can take care OF
yours, How do you like the looks Of thesey'
out in front of me, fan wise, and gave me
a sly and most confident dig in the ribs.
shocking? 1t was h~orrifying!.
@The venerable gentleman had three clubs
and two spades. He'd drawn the two spades
in an effort to All a three card club flush;
And here he was poking me in the ribs and
inviting me to look ecstatic over a ten high
Noble assortment, eh? he said, giving
me another dig in the ribs, and, OF course,
l could do nothing else but exclaim:
Extraordinary! Perfectly e1traordin-
II wasn't lying, either. 1t was e1traor-
in the meantime Mansir was putting
Ransom's five cards away in a long en-
velope. Ransom didn't. invite Mansir to
say anything about the looks Of the hand,
for Ransom wouldn't even talk about cards
on Sunday; but Mansir looked. after gaz;
ing at the cards, as II he had enjoyed
quite an unusual experience in gazing at
them, and, of course, 1t then seemed certain
to me that Ransom had his colleague beaten
to a standstill.
.Mansir gathered the chips in the pot
together and counted them, and we sepa-
rated. arranging to come together on Mon
day evening solely for the purpose OF giving
Ransom and Vance a chance to fight it out
over that last jackpot.
"On Monday / released Vance hand from
the envelope and he spread the worthless
cards out lovingly In front Of him, and
Mansir gave Ransom his cards out of the
envelope and Ransom regarded his papers
with equal pleasure. Then. after Mansir
had placed the chips constituting the pot In
the middle of the table and all was set just
as It had been at the cave off on Saturday
night, Ransom suddenly became serious.
"'Zeb,' he said, this little extra session;
as it were, has been called, it seems to me,
for the manifest purpose OF carrying on a
plain gambling transaction, and to nal
II worse n gambling transaction between
two old friends, n%eighbors and colleagues.
I maintain that it was impossible for our
harmless and cosey little four-handed game,
organized and ca FRIED on for fun, to lapse
over from Saturday to Monday.
Therefore that four-handed friendly
game having ethically and actually come to
a conclusion on Saturday night last, here
are YOU and I met together, with all of the
, paraphernalia and properties assembled in
front Of US, for the promotion and solution
Of a gambling transaction.
SIN Justice to you and to me, to both OF
us, ] ask you is It right that either Of ua
should abide by the outcome Of so deliberate
and sordid and obvious a gambling chance