The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1906-05-03
An Improbable Game
[Origlnal.]

[Origlnal.]
1t was in the good old days on the
Mississippi. The steamboat rounded in
and tied up beside a woodpile, the
clerk danced over the gangplank with
a measuring rod and, jumping nimbly
on the pile, proceeded to satisfy him
self of the number of cords. Then the
deck hands thronged and began carry
ing the fuel aboard the boat
Meanwhile countryman, with a
green umbrella under his arm and a
carpetbag in one hand, went aboard
and was standing before the captains
office when the clerk came and threw
UP the office window Several gam
blers who had been sitting on the
guards came in to take another look ut
the greenhorn with view to deter
mining if he had enough money about
him to warrant an onslaught in the
shape of small game.
"How much to Natchez?" asked the
countryman.
Ten dollars"
''.All right. Give me the key"
with stateroom it is twelve"
Twelve? BY cracky. Charge eXtry
TO room? Got a good lock on it? Waal,
l reckon I'll hev to pay. Can't set up
all night. Besides. l couldn't keep
track O. my bag. Know anything bout
the banks in Natchez? Sold my farm
Yesterday. Want a safe place to keep
the dollars"
Meanwhile he had paid his fare, tax
en- his key and, turning around, looked
somewhat astonished to see that he
was the center of attraction.
want bank to open an account in
in Natchez?" asked one Of the gam
blers.
NO"
Il thought heard you say you did"
Il want bank to take keer o my
money till want it,
"Oh. that's it? Well, the president
of the strongest bank in the Natchez is
aboard. I'll introduce you to him."
The gambler beckoned to gentle
manly looking person reading Il news
paper, who came up, was introduced
and offered to take charge of the coun-
tryman's funds when they reached
NatcheZ. This led to pleasant con-
verSation, but it Jagged at last, and in
order to kill time game of cards was
proposed. The bank president said he
must be counted out unless the game
was simply "for fun but they finally
induced him to play euchre-the only
game the countryman knew-for a
quarter a corner.
OF course they soon tired of this and
proposed q game with more excite
ment in it. Poker seemed to be the
| favorite, but the countryman didn't
know poker They offered to explain
it to him and played three or four
hands to show him the game. Then
| they started in for ten cent ante with
a fifty cent limit: OF course the coun-
| tryman won and became very hilarious
.'Gol darn my stockin's!' he eXclaim-
ed. Who'd "a thought could a licked
| you fellers at game l didn't know
nothin' about? Pair O jacks this time
What! Don't jacks beat queens?
forgot that. Deal 'em ag'in."
| The limit had been raised, and he
had won $500 when the tables We're
cleared for supper. He carried his
| winnings away to his statefoom in
triumph, hardly able to wait till sup
| per was over to recommence the game.
Reckon I'll hev heap mo- TO you
BANK he said to the president, when
l git to Natchez. What game poker
is, by gum!'
| 1t had been arranged to commence
| operations on the other side after sup
| per, and the gamblers, instead of let
| ting the greenhorn win. slowly drew
| back 500 of what they had lost.
| Whereupon the eager expression on the
losers face vanished, and he reckoned
he wouldn't play any more. He said
he had calculated on adding $1,000 to
the money he had for the bank, but he
didn't intend to lose what he'd made.
Zone more hand" said one of the
gamblers, and, the countryman con-
senting, they let him win jack pot
about stopping, and they passed the
word to let him win within $50 Of his
$1,000. This kept him Interested, and
when the next hand after he had won
the sum they had agreed on came
round they got up a jack pot with s., 500
in it. The countryman bet $500 more.
The bank president raised him $1,000.
That set him wild, and, going to his
stateroom, he brought forth his carpet
bag, took out a package Of crisp bills
to the amount of $4,000 and slapped it
on the table. The others came in,
making in all about $4,000 in the pot.
The first man to show down had a full
of tens, the second four kings and an
ace, while, wonderful to relate, the
countryman showed four aces and a
king
You rascal" Numbered the bank
president
What d'y' mean?" replied the coun-
tryman, drawing a bowie knife from
the back of his neck
| S.rNharo ono ONLY, fn,,, ,oo, .,.l &c.,