The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-12-08


sat oy, this time Frlmple was deahng =
he said no more,
II was noticeable that Jim BInhadeil was
watching him intently while he mahipuA
lated the cards. The hands we're deaf,
n as nobody came In on ~WinterbottOnn's
ante they made y Jackpot.
As IL happened, no n caught openers I'm
tho next two deals and the deck Oame In
due course to Blaisdell. Instead Of riHling
and dealing AZ usual he ran over tho cards
rapidly, facing three or four OF them, and
then called loudly 70 Greenhut:
Give us q new deck, ne said. "a red 0n0.
1 reckon We don't care 70 play with cards Z
you en- tell by the hackR.' And he threw
the old deck on the nOor.
BE they marked, JimP" asked Winter
bottom.
well. mebbe you wouldn't call II marked,
exactly, but somebody pears to We
scratched 'em some CArelese. Not ell ON
EN-, | don't mean. Ony the aces an kings.
Mebbs there hnin't been time to scratch
no more on
had doubted his courage before they did
30 no longer. tie sat unnOved and ~
parently unintereSted and nothing more
was said.
Neither was blatsdelrs deal productive.
SO sometimes t. was. OF startling hands.
Tn pot was Sweetened Onoe more and
BDseett dealt.
For the next half hour the game was like
a tornado, One OF those sudden starts
that come in poker changed the current of
the play entirely. A contest Came on each
deal and threes and streights were beaten
again and again. while fulls were out against
bushes and twice four OF a kind against a
full. In consequence all five Of the players
went repeatedly TO the boneyard and they
were soon betting by hundreds instead Of
tens.
Then came a hull again. In a dozen
deals no one held a hand worth betting on.
but the money was circulating and several
bets were made which earlier in the game
would have been called outrageous bluffs:
4 few OF these passed unchalIenged and
the bettOrs took the pots. but presently
PsaTsalI 9 suspicious we're seemingly aroused
when Irimble het 500. there being only
$40 IN the pot.
OF tens. w~hersupOn PearsaIl Hsshed two
jacks and took the money: II thought
You on'y did that oncet a night he said,
yeeringly. but -Trimble said, Il was men
nonln' queens.' And the explanation was
acCspted as ample.
By this time, however. the growing ex-
eltement OF the game. together with the
failure 70 achieve any decisive result. had
made all the players impatient. Winter
bottom was a c~opsiderabIe winner and
Trimble. for whose benefit or ~Otherwiee
the game was arranged, a won as much
a. ne had lost. and the feeling was that this
was NOT right. And Trimble shared the
feeling.
Under the circumstances, considering
the fact that Trimble was playing a much
stronger game than had been sxpected,
Blatsdell realized that his fellow tOwnamen
were looking for some decisive action on
his part. He had discovered no further
marking OF the cards, and it seemed evident
that Irimble would not try the second time
q trick that had been detected, 20 Blaisdell
dealt with unusual care the next time the
deck came TO him. He saw that Trimble
was Watching, as he watched everything.
Wltn close attenEon' out ne saw also that
NO undue suspicion was aroused and he
felt sure the stranger wotild accept his
cards at their face value.
It was therefore no surprise to him when
Lr1mpie came IN, Bassett having anted
" call $40, ne prensred 10 push the
play along as FAR a. possible.
wInteroottom trailed; feeling that IL
could not De expected on him to raise before
sne others were neard rom n PearsalI
laid down. Then Blaisdell made Il $40
more 70 play, and Bsssett made good.
worth playIn' for; said Trimble, and he
pusned ~ torwar4.
woulun cah MAJ no conslo able stake.
SAID LAX Winteroottom. n he threw
in 300.
Blaisdsll said nothing. but he put s2OO
Bassett looked uncertain; but by some
strange accident ne IeIt q pressure on his
rig1t 10y an1 ne opped
aLAnDseS zee 49, unpassivs. Y ne
MADE goou, ana W~internottom. ueemtng IL
"lSe 70 Tait Ior me Hr@w Also tr1ibed.
ILLmoso; nAvAng the nrsI draw, studied
~ nsnu IOng 2 ceneiuLIy. ~ mad q
NEnS 5uM, y az nnyt nad been tnoroughly
OOnnuens; put Lne COUPE raise ana Sas-
sseIs suuo0n crop made MIN suspl-
C'TIs.
rIn1LEy y p AscArHo nus Al ana called
kOr Swo cAroei %nen ne looked a. them
hinS n 80 noe.nei.Na W. ~ - anu
Ing. IN Lne meanSiEne Wnterb0ttom and
BLaAsdeLl sAch took one, 20 without mis-
gIvIngs ne pusned mis- whole stack for
w@rn. -
SOVeO" 'OnOu ~ hAHl NB8HBthuAAW.