Amador ledger., 1906-02-02
A Ghostly Game
[Original.]

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[Original]
DevereuX told me this story one even
ing when 1 asked him to join a poker
party of my intimate friends. ] don't
expect any one to believe it, though.
Knowing Devereux as do, believe 1t
myself:
Il never gamble, and if 1 did gamble
it would not be with my associates.
Gambling excites the most beastlike
passion there is in human beings-cu-
pidity. would rather play with pro-
fessional gambler than friend, for in
the former case it becomes a transac-
ton between two persons who it is un-
derstood are trying to get the better of
each other, while in the latter it is not
so understood, and yet such is the fact.
1.-TWO years ago there were half a
dozen of us who used to play in my
rooms. There were Tom Atherton, Billy
Sanford and myself, who were regular
attendants, and several others who
would drop in occasionally. We began
with penny ante, ten cent limit, but
the second week we raised the limit to
a quarter and in the third week
raised the ante to cents. We only
played for enjoyment, and only three
of us We're well to do. These were Tom
Atherton, Billy Sanford and 1. One
night we three and several others were
playing little heavier game than usu-
al. First one, then the other of these
others dropped out. Tom Atherton pro.
posed that for once we should have a
more exciting game, and we raised the
stake and the limit. 1t wasn't long be-
fore Tom began to be q winner. l
stood about even, while Billy lost. 1
soon noticed look in Toms face 1
didn't like, the look Of q huntsman
mercilessly running down deer. The
more Billy lost the more coyetous Of
his money seemed Tom. We played all
night, OF, rather, Tom and Billy did,
for toward morning I withdrew from
the game and went to sleep on @
lounge. The other two broke off Just
before breakfast time and agreed to
renew the game the same evening.
"They played all the next night and
the next day. 1 begged them to stop,
but they would not listen to me. Final
ly about o'clock in the afternoon Bill
ly got up from the table, white as a
sheet, and went out.
You've got everything 1 own,' 1
heard him say to Tom, but I'll get
even with you. You be here at 10 to-
night. 1 know where 1 can get a
stake
"Of course 1 didn't want this thing
going on in my rooms, but what could
| do? Tom was on hand at the ap-
pointed hour, but at 10 o'clock Billy
hadn't come, and begged Tom not to
wait for him. Tom was about to COM
ply when there was ring at the tele-
phone, which was in the room we occu-
pied. l took down the receiver, and
Billy spoke to me.
can't come tonight, but 1 want
you to play for me for awhile by tele-
phone
Il tried to beg off, but it was no use,
and to satisfy him 1 agreed to play
for little while
Il lived in suburban town and had
my own private wire. We carried the
card table into another room, 1 took
$40 from my pocket at Billy's request
to start him, and the game began. 1
reported Billy's- hands to him, and he
told me how to bet. The process was
necessarily slow, and Tom, who lost
from the first, proposed an unlimited
game, to which proposition Billy as
sented. The hands ran high, and it
sometimes required but a single hand
to change several hundred dollars
from one player to the other.
''It seemed to me that the cards were
bewitched. Such hands I never saw
before and never expect to see again.
Occasionally Tom would win on three
of kind, but at the next deal he
would hold a full hand, and Billy
would overtop him with four, or Tom
would hold four queens while Billy
would hold four kings. Not only was
the strength Of the hands remarkable,
but that two large hands should come
so often together, and in nine cases in
ten Billy held the larger hand.
"One by one the 1. o. us Billy had
given passed from Tom back to Billy,
or, rather, into my pocket for Billy's
account. Then Toms money was heap
ed up before me and lastly his !. o. us
filled my vest pocket, but during the
two hours we played, in the last half
hOur seven -tenthS of Toms fortune
passed into Billy's possession, the other
three-tenths having been lost in the
first hour and a half. Tom asked me
to figure up his 1. o. us, and when
in dead faint 1 picked him up, laid
him on the sofa and, going to the tele-
phone room, called to Billy to report
that Tom was not in condition to play
longer. I got no reply to my call. 1
was very much astonished, but hadn't
time to think about it, for 1 had to go
back to Tom. 1 got him together, but
there was a wild, hunted look on his
face that was awfully distressing.
Calling carriage took him home and
put him to bed. Then 1 went home and
went to bed myself
81 awoke about o'clock the next
afternoon. While I was dressing q
servant threw an evening paper, as
usual, into my room. 1 rang for q
meal to be brought up from the restau-
rant below and sat down to look over
the paper. What do you suppose was