The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-01-07
FOUR ACES MEANT DEATH.
Gambler Was Wise and Threw Down
Winning Hand.
washington Post.)

the raise. There were delicate and de-
batable points as to the reasons why
some had gone into the discard and the
exclamation of the cause OF others de-
pended upon the final analysis of the
characters of the players pitted against
each other The congressman from the
west told OF game which he had once
seen i'm Silver City and which he stated
had always remained with him an I'M
solved problem. He asked the opinion
of the other men of the party as to
whether or not "Blondy" LeGrave had,
on that occasion, shown the white
feather.
He said in telling the story that,
viewed from any standpoint. il was a
most unusual game of poker that was
played q. the Nugget saloon that night
Not twice in lifetime would four aces
be Iegitimately dealt to player Sec
ond time in a single sitting and when.
on this occasion, they came each time
to "Blondy' LeGrave upon his own
deal the evidence of stacked cards
showed strong. But viewed from the
opposite standpoint. II might be asked
if any man would have the audacity to
sit in this company, where cheating at
cards justified any rash act, and de-
liberately show such evidence of
crooked work.
For many hours. the story ran. the
III n
clothed table i'm the small back room.
silent save the occasional bursts of song
from the cowboy or a suppressed oath
from the half-breed.
Flora, Who sang popular songs in a
cracked voice and displayed rather
shapely calves to the COSMOPOLITAN
public. descended from her platform
with the professor" who played her
accomplishments and mingled with the
IxN.r ~1,o
frlness by encouraging them to buy
drinks, and gave many rough from
tiersman his only opportunity for fe-
male association.
The medley of sound affected no
member of the quartette at the poker
game. but the cowboy. who, while ex-
pending the savings OF a year on the
range, had rot yet become immune to
the thrills Of a narrower sphere Of
vision. Warren. who worked his own
claim up the gulch, played poker as a
man would play chess-for the love OF
the game and scientifically.
Pedro. the half-breed, by fair means
or foul. played passionately for the
money, which, after a winning. he as
abjectly laid In the lap of Flora. He
was alert and watchful OF every advan-
tage of the game and there were tales
afloat about the camp in which less
4
surrendered jackpots rather than face
the fury and incur the hatred of the
dark-visaged habitue of the back room.
Not so LeGrave. He played always
in questionable company, for in that
company was ever the element of dan
ger which was as breath to his nos
trils Youthful. slender and fmmacu-
late, he toyed with deck of cards as
O musician would handle his instrument
these rough men as one would play
with fire. fascinated by the game, but
" hen the fame leapeG up, "Blondy"
LeGrave, calm and debonair. was be-
forehand with his ivory-handied .3S
caliber six-shooter. the smallest and
the deadliest in the camp.
Twice had the half-breed been NIT
by the phenomenal hands held by the
youthful, slim fingered and silent gam
bler-once having q full house and a
second time a flush against the repeated
four-ace hand. On the last occasion
Flora had come into the room and
| looked over the shoulder Of the gringo
and with a hearty, bully for you.
Kid" had seemed to rejoice at the
losses Of Pedro. The miner had passed
the heavy bets and the cowboy had lost
but slightly.
Then, after another hours play, Le-
Grave again dealt. and Pedro, betting
q few chips was called by him. and the
others passed out. Pedro drew one
card. indicating that he might fill a
| flush or possibly have tours. "Blondy"
drew two cars, indicating that his hand
was probably threes and might fill to
tours. TO the sorrow OF the half-breed.
Pedro bet as heavily as the prece-
dents of the game would justify. and
was promptly. silently raised double
that amount by the Americana He
saw the bet and raised correspond
| ing amount, which LeGrave met, and
deity sizing his chips TO the measure
of Pedro's stacks which meant ali the
half-breed's worldly possessions and
consequently the favors or Flora,
pushed the chips into the pot.
The half-breed remembered the two
| four-ace hands already held and the
strong probability of them having been
unfairly dealt. He recognized the stake
upon the table his whole possession,
and he remembered the 1eerS OF tlora
| and her apparent delight at the win
ming of the Americana. The rage Of the
wronged and the Jealous burned be-
meath his swarthy skin.
With the parther glare or the savage
In his eve he showed his last chip into
| the pot and called his rival. AS he did
so. he drew his glittering gold and sill
ver-trimmed six-shooter from It's hoi-
ster and laid it beside his chips.
"Eef you gotta four acres me keel
you.' Missed the balf-breed, aboii with
| the pent-up rage OF the wrongs OF a
! " hole evening. With his hand upon
the weapon and teeth gnashing In a
passion he watched his adversary and
spread four sizes upon the table.
"Rlondy" never looked up from his
cards. but in the manner of the profess
sional. skinned" his hand by turning
lust the bare edge of each card into the
| line of vision. After deliberate con-
sideration of the cards he looked with
steelv gray eyes a moment straight into
the coal black ones OF PEDRO and
| smiled.
| If he held the winning hand and
showed il he stood face TO face with a
death gYapple with the half-breed. and
inc odds stood strong against him. foE
the Mexican clutched the handle OF his
sun and glared at his adversary as
would a Wild beast driven TO his last
stand If the gambler held the win
ming hand he must needs be quick II,
action when he showed 1t.
He may have held four aces which