West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1907-12-05

Chinese adding machine. When n card
IL removed from the faro box by the
dealer, the "hearse driver" moves a
button opposite n corresponding card
on his little machine In order that tie
players at n glance may tell what
spots have been played or are still I'm
the box. His duties. though simple.
are important, for should he make an
error and should the position OF his
counters not tally with the cards In the
box on the 'last turn" all bets on the
table are declared void. When honest
ly dealt, faro Is the fairest OF all
gambling games. but Il IL intricate and
may hide much knavery. When the
game Is crooked II is fatal. for out OF
the ingenuity OF generations OF card
sharks there have been evolved multi
tude OF devices with which to fleece the
unsuspecting. These are so carefully
masked that none but the initiated may
know them, while the freemasonry OF
the craft is strong and discovery un-
usual
Instead OF using n familiar arrange
ment like the "needle-tell," wherein an
Invisible needle pricks the dealers
thumb, thus signaling the presence OF
certain cards, the Bronco Kid had de-
termined to use the sand tell" In
| other words, he would employ n
straight box" but n deck OF cards,
| certain ones OF which had been rough
ened or snndpapered slightly, so that,
by pressing more heavily on the top
or exposed card. the one beneath would
1 atf,,lr 20 nafsrht.nr Oh u,I
| enable him 10 deal two with one mo-
ton IL the occasion demanded. This
roughness would likewise enable him
| TO detect the hidden presence OF n
marked card by the falntest scratching
sound when he dealt. In this manlpu-
latlon II would be necessary also to
shave the edges of some of the paste
| boards n trlie, 80 that when the deck
was forced firmly against one side OF the
box there would he exposed fraction
| OF the small figure I'm the left hand
| corner OF the concealed cards. Long
| practice In the art OF jugglery lends
such proficiency as 10 bafIle discovery
and rob the game of It's uncertainty as
surely as the player Is robbed of his
money. II Is. OF course, vital that the
| confederate case keeper be able to In
terpret the dealers signs perfectly In
order TO move the sliding ebony disks
TO correspond, else trouble will accrue
at the completion OF the hnnd when
the cases come out wrong.
Having completed his instructions,
the proprietor went forward, and Cher
ry wormed her way toward the roulette
wheel. She wished TO watch Glenister,
| but could not get near him because of
| the crowd. The men would not make
room for her. Every eye was glued
upon the table MS though salvation
| lurkcd In it's rows OF red and black.
| They were packed behind II until the
croupier had barely room to spin the
| ball and although he forced them back,
| they pressed forward again inch by
inch, drawn 10y the song OF the ivory.
drunk with its worship. maddened by
| the breath OF Chance.
| Cherry gathered that Glenlster was
still winning. for glimpse of the
wheel rack between the shoulders OF
| those ahead showed that the checks
We're nearly out of IT,
Plainly 1t was but question OF min
utes. so she backed out and took her
station beside the faro table where the
| Bronco Kid was dealing. His face
wore. its colorless mask of indifference;
his long white hands moved slowly
with the certainty, that betokencd alb.
solute mastery of his art He was
waiting. The eX-crap dealer was keep.
| Ing cases.
The group left the roulette table in a
few moments and surrounded her
| Glenlster among the others He was
not the man she knew. In place OF
the dreary hopelessness with which he
had left her. his face was flushed and
reckless, his collar was open, showing
the base of his great, corded neck,
| while the lust Of the game had coars.
ened him till he was again the violent,
untamed, primitive man of the frontier
| His selfstraint and dignity were gone.
He had tried the new ways. and they
were not for him. He slipped back.
and the past swallowed him.
~ After leaving Cherry he had sought
some mental relief by idly riskng the
silver in his pocket. He had let the
coins lie and double, then double again
and again. He had been Indifferent
| whether he won or lost. so assumed n
reckless disregard for the laws OF prob.
ability, thinking that he would shortly
lose the money lie had won and then
go home. He did not want It. When
his luck remained the same he raised
the stakes. but It did not change-he
could not lose. Before he realized It,
other men were betting with him, ami.
mated purely by greed and craze OF
the sport. First one. then another
Joined I'LL game after game was closed
and each moment the crowd had grown
In size and enthusiasm so that its fever
crept into him, lmperceptlbly at first
but ever increasing TIL the mania mas
tered him.
He paid no attention to Cherry as he
took his seat. He had eyes for moth
ing but the Layout" She cllnched her
hands and prayed for his ruin.
Whats your limit KidT he IN
Iuired
zone hundred and two" the Kid an.
swered, which I'm the vernacular means
that any sum up 90 $500 may be laid
on one card save only on the last turn
when the amount IS lessened by half.
| without more ado they commenced
The Kid handled his cards smoothly,
surely, paying and taking bets with
| machine-like calm. The Onlookers
ceased talking and prepared TO watch.
for now came the crucial test OF the
| evening. Faro Is 20 other games as
war is 10 jnckstraws
For time Glenister won steadily nll
| fNnTn "a
stacks OF chips lay on the deuce. Cher.
ry saw the Kid Clash" 10 the case
keeper and the next moment ne had
pulled two" The deuce lost. It was
his flrst substantial gain. and the play