The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-12-11
HOW COLONEL SINCLAIR
WON A SLAVE.


or time that would have otherwise
hung heavily on my hands. overlook
Ing the different tables where the
games. mostly seven up aud poker
We're played.
There was a very intelligent negro
boy employed aboard the boat who
had been hired out by bis master 70
do odd Jobs for fees. bis master peck.
citing round sum annually, The boy
Bob was his name-had made n
great many friends among the people
who were IN the habit Of travelling on
the river, Most OF them knew that
anything they gave him would 30 10
bis master, and all wished that he
might be FREQ and have something for
himself. But time wen, on, and Bob
continued 10 navigate the Mississippi.
gathering IN funds Tor the man who
owned him.
On this particular trip Larklna. the
boys master, was aboard the boat.
There was also n Colonel Sinclair
aboard. who had long taken a great In.
terest in Bob aud whom the negro fair.
iy worshlped I overheard Sinclair and
Larkins. sitting on the guard with
their feet on tho rail, talking about
Bob. Sinclair valnly trying TO induce
Larkins 20 name price be would
take for the boy. LarkIns declared
that bis property paid him an interest
on $4,000. and he would not sell him
for less This OF course stopped any
further dlckerlng.
A day or two later. when We were
approaching New Orleans on passing
through the mems cabin ! saw Lar
kins. Sinclair. a horse dealer and
liquor dealer sitting AZ poker They
were Just beginning TO play when ]
stopped TO overlook the game. A few
minutes later Bob passed by. and SIN
clair called 20 him 10 bring juleps for
the party. Bob went 10 the bar. lit
lie boxlike affair at the forward end
OF the cabin, and soon returned with
four large tumblers containing the
Juleps. Bob set tho Juleps down and
was about TO withdraw when Sinclair.
tossing him a dollar. said:
stay where 20 are, Bob. Wen want
another julep directly"
Bob stationed himself behind the
colonel's chair. watching the game
with a keen intersection he had seen
many a game and could have played
a poker hand himself-now and again
going to fetch refreshments and such
other articles as the party needed
My eyes happening 10 fall on the
coIonel's hands while he was dealing.
] detected him drawing the cards that
fell to Larkins from the bottom OF the
pack. was aware that on the Missis-
sippi this was considered legitimate
between professional gamblers and
only inexcusable and often dangerous
among others when discovered.
therefore said nothing; but. Siding
round behind the colonel. looked at
bis hand. He held three kings. an ace
and a seven spot. He opened jack
pot with $500. The horse dealer went
in, the liquor dealer passed out. aud
the colonel raised the amount $1,000
Larkins threw up his ace and seven
spot, drawing two cards. one OF which
gave him another King. making four.
The horse dealer passed out, and the
colonel drew one card. He drew a
long pocketbook. from which he took
So 900 and put 1t on the pile.
The only hand in poker that could |
beat Larkins' four kings was four aces
or a straight flush. Since he had held |
an ace the first could not be held by
any one. and the only way he could be
beaten was by a straight fush The /
colonel had drawn to this and might /
have filed, but there is no better
chance for bluff than drawing one |
card for flush, and every one at the
table believed that Sinclair was bluff.
Ing. Larkins saw the colonel's $1,000
and raised him $1,000. At that mo
ment saw the colonel look at Bob,
who was standing behind the liquor
man. Bob edged himself behind the
colonel and on seeing his hand ut
tered an involuntary "Goshw then
ooked very much frightened at what
he had done. The colonel turned and
gave him scowl. Then disappointed
ook settled on his face, as though
Bob's betrayal Of his hand had pre-
rented his winning untold thousands,
Taking out his pocketbook, he laid an
enormous package of bills on the table.
rhey were not counted, nor did Larkins
are to count them. He had heard
3ob's exclamation and seen the look on
lis face, indicating that the colonel
leld wonderful hand, which must
urely be flush. He threw down his
land, and the colonel raked in the
leap.
Larkins on taking out his pocketbook
ound that be had little or nothing left.
lie had dropped $500.
'I'll tell yo' what I'll do said the
olonel to the man who had been hard
III am buy Bob with my winnings
II give yo' the pile for him."
Larkins struggled between his de-
Ire I'd keep his revenue In Bob and his
eed of ready money. The ready
money prevailed, and, a bill Of sale
aying been made and signed, the colo
eli pushed his winnings over to Lar
ins and rose from the table. Il
The colonel offered to make Bob free.
ut Bob Insisted on remaining the colo
els slave and did SO till the war made
i'm free. But during his slavery Sin
lair would never take cent of his
arnings.
had seen plainly that Sinclair had
lid plan with Bob to get him out of