The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-01-14
A HAND AT POKER.
By James Johnson.

| things Tommy did in the course of two | years would make a small volume of statistics. He got drunk. he bet, on horses. he played poker. he fell in love | with his laundress, he got into jail, he ran himself and his father into debt to the tune of thousands. As wind | up he fell in love with chorus girl at | New York theatre, went on a drunk | lasting two weeks, and was disgrace fully expelled from college. His old man stopped building the Colorado Mid land long enough to come East and bribe the chorus girl to let go, pay up Tommy's debts, talk to him in vigorous English, and then take him West to fill some unimportant position where he could keep an eye on him.
 Tommy's ha1cyon days were over. I He had to knuckle down and be good. l Tn the course of two years he became | so good and so sensible that he was l permitted to go East and marry the daughter of locomotive builder, with whom he had become acquainted while she was making a tour of the West. It | was conceded on all sides that Tommy was no longer soft" He had become interested in his fathers work. been given partnership, and he was looked upon as coming man in the business | of constructing and outftting rail- | roads.
 Tommy and his bride were to do" the East and then bring up in their l future home in Denver, and every thing went according to program until they headed for the West. Then Tom my received word to bring along sum of money from Wall Street. The fact 1 that he had $50,000 buttoned up be- 1 hind his coat caused a relapse from virtue on Tommys part. He became soft" again. He drank and swag- |, gered and told everybody what big man he was in the Colorado Midland. and soon after leaving Ashley on his home coming he fell into the hands of i the Phillistines. Three thieves and a gambler had spotted him and were after his money. They didn't care how l they got hold of it, but after awhile | found that the game of poker would be the easiest way. When Tommy be- gan drinking he became obstinate, and l leaving his fearful bride in the parlor car he took hand in the game and started elsewhere for his particular benefit.
 Then the chorus girl made her en- | trance. She had let go of Tommy for good She had never cared for him in a sentimental way. She had drifted from the chorus in New York to tho vaudeville in al Western town of hard repute, and was on her return from a trip to Chicago, when she ran across l Tommy and his wife. Her first emo- tions were thost of jealousy to think that he had married, and she thirsted for revenge against the child-faced bride Then she reasoned that she new CT intended to marry Tommy anyway. and that he and his papa had treated her very liberally, and she gave over her idea of revenge. Tommy didn't recognize her during the long day that she occupied a seat directly across the | aisle but she saw that he had some thing on his mind and was drinking l himself up to it. The gamblers were l going to make up a game for the night, and he wanted to be counted in and ar- rive in Denver with few extra hum dred dollars in his pocket, The pro- l testing bride was ordered to the state room and Tommy went in search of the game. He soon found it. The ex- chorus girl had sized up the newly married couple and the situation, and | she reasoned them out as follows
 Tommy the soft is not as big a l fool as he was, but he Is fool enough to be taken in by those card sharps. From his swagger, he has evidently got a lot of money with him. He has 1 gone and forgotten me and got mar ried, instead of pining along in single l against him. That wife of his Is a little innocent. She may have seen a | circus once or twice in her life, but l her knowledge of the world stops there. If she would take Tommy by the car, as I used to do, instead of playing the baby, she could bring him to the mark. But she hasn't the pluck. Tommy will gamble, lose his money, and there will be a scene when he faces h FoNh T dn the helpless infants"
 The game was going on in the smoker. There were only two or three | passengers in the car, and 1t may have been that the conductor stood in with the blacklegs. At any rate, when the ex-chorus girl made her appearance in the car he politely hlnted that she had make a mistake.
 Not is the court knows herself" was Der reply. q came in here to get a smell of this smoke and watch the game, and I don't think there is any | rule to bar me out"
 Tommy was drinking with one hand and playing poker with the other. He
 also kept his mouth going as to what a great man he was in connection with the Colorado Midland. The line would have never been thought of nor sur veyed nor constructed but for him. He ndQ pIdyeu pOheT SluC0 ne was lU years old He was no chicken. He had the money, and money talked. From her nearby seat the woman listened to his vaporings and saw the gamblers heec- ing him at every hand, and she said
 to herself:
 'I used to get about a hundred dol lars a day out of Tommy when he was struck on me. but these sharpers are doing a heap better. If he was born
 without brains it's not my fault and yet I feel sorry for that little wife of
 his. This Is all new on her. She Is in
 her stateroom crying her eyes out , when wife of spunk would be in here
 raising old Ned. It's none of my busi- for her. It's no use to go and speak to her. for she's one of the weeping help less sort What is wanted is some thing to give Tommy jar"
 ! few minutes later the porter of the sleeping car came into the smoker and whispered to Tommy that his wife , wanted to see him. At that the gam blers sneered and Tommy swore. He sent back word that he would come when he got ready and continued his play. The ex-chorus girl went back in his place, and when the stateroom door
 opened at her knock she said to the anxious and weeping bride:
 Your husband is drinking and gam , bling In the car ahead. Are you woman , enough to walk in there and fetch hin
 out?'
 Mercy, no!" gasped the wife
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