The Cairo bulletin., 1907-06-17
WHEN Ed BROKE
the BANK


over the southwest. and 1t begins to
look like the only bank they VIII let
operate now is the Kind where the
cashier lays awake nights scheming
how to grab off more than the direc-
| tors" grlmhled Col u.
ITS different from the good old
| days when the faro banks were as
| thick as flies around molasses. Guess
the country is prosperous, but money
don't seem to circulate as freely as
when the Indians we're paid biannually
and the joints were running wide open.
Speaking OF gambling and banks,
reminds me Of the time Ed Martin
broke 'Sheeny Joe at the Fort, where
they even stop the street cars on Sun
day now 1t was the biggest game
ever pulled off there, and while it last
ed 1t made the stakes at Hot Springs
look like four-card flush.
ED was on the ground first. He had
three places which were adorned by
green shades, and the table covers
were Of the same color Guess 1t was
Kid d hoggish of him 70 want a mo-
nopoly of all the COW punchers dough,
but it's human nature 10 own trust
Did you ever buck bank game
with Il foolish determination TO break
II? No. well. guess you got money
then That's what Ed did. and he got
away with it. He didn't invite Joe to
come into his parlor to be bit; he went
10 Joes miniature Monte Carlo.
Joe was dealing the game when Ed
walked in. Ed sat down opposite him.
Words were superfuous, They under
stood each other just as well as if Ed
had said Joe, this is to be a finish.
Either You or must leave this burg.
There amt room enough for both
The few pikers at the table side
stepped when Ed carelessly took the
band off his bank roll and displayed
layers Of yellow backs to dozen hun
cry eyes. Joe looked kind o nervous,
but he shufled the cards with his ac-
customed skill and slapped them in
the little silver box, ready for the new
deal.
That's the way 1t began. It ended
many hours later. but I'm going too
fast. II was square game The eyes
of the two rival gamblers met on the |
first wager Joe understood the fash |
from Eds keen orbits Deal EN- on |
he level or it's a pine box for you, lie |
might have said but it wasn't neces- /
sary
Joe won at first, then his luck
hanged, Il seessawed this way
throughout the afternoon and far into--
he night, when Ed began to stack up
,lue chips in front Of him Each was
worth $50 No two generals, trained
u strategy ever figured closer than
lid those two card sharks.
Greek met Greek but the Celtic
n Ed began to tell Joe was breaking
nder the strain. Ed saw it, pushed
is advantage and the stampede soon
ollowed With a recklessness born of
esparation, -Joe turned the cards
aster and faster Little beads of per-
piration began to pop from his fore
cad AS Ioe's temperature jumped,
as GOODNESS his unrelenting play al
lost struck terror to your heart
1t recalled tragedies. You inadver-
antly remembered the stag you had
riven to bay and had shot as 1t stood /
laring at you in all its majesty. The
'nsion couldn't last; it had to break
: think we all would have died in
lr tracks The end was as unexpect-
! as II was terrible.
"Joe's face was OF an ashen hue.
is eyes seemed as if they would
lrst from their sockets. We eazed
him. fascinated, thrilled, frightened
d alone was self-possessed, He was !
veritable demon in those last min
es Faster and faster the play went,
I'd then
Joes head struck the layout with
ash. My God, I'm broke. we heard
M say. He had died with the loss
his idol Gold Ed gazed Mt him, Y
so in contempt then in pity He
iried him in regal style aud the Z
reath he placed on his grave bore \
g epi-aph. lie was no gutter Z
After tho funeral I'D claimed Joes e
INT 71l A1 roll 3 contested II
S ri. ics in Mo- ofk now, and
Cue. III . l.et taste in Wall street
what he gave joe. Those days have ,
ssed in the southwest when men
d sell their souls TO break a faro I
nix. ] guess the modern kind is the ,
st after all"