The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-10-04

threw them out face up on the board
There were only four tens in the lay
out. He relieved himself by making
a few observations in the liquid Kama
ka language, but / don't believe he
was invoking the Goddess Pele of the
volcanoes or any of the truly good
spirits at that.
Gwen this horrible experience did
not drive King Dave out of the game,
for nobody was ever more willing to
go the full cup distance at a poker
seance than he. But it wasn't till we
were about ready to break up at 4 in
the morning that Dave oiled mis- guns
for final play.
81 was the dealer beginning the
final two rounds of jackpots and each
man skated $50 to the center. Kala-
kaua picked up the corners of MS pa
pers as l sifted them over to him,
and never took them into his hands at
all before cracking the pot. He broke
it for hundred
mr. Along, next man, tilted it, and
none of the rest of us had the least
thing to make it worth while for us to
stick around at fitting match. So we
dropped out in turn.
Dave danced back at the Chinaman
for $500, and Mr. Along was right
there with a $1,000 push along. Dave
boosted the Chinaman another thou
sand, which was seen, and then I was
ready to hand them some papers.
"Kalakaua hadn't taken his cards
from the table yet, having only pulled
up the corners of them as they lay face
downward and peeked at the margins
of them. So when l asked him how
many cards he wanted he pushed a
stack of twenty $40 chips to the center
to indicate that he was pretty well fix
ed as to papers as it stood.
"Mr Along didn't think he need
ed any either He didn't say so out
loud, but, instead of fooling around
with chips, he said A thousand bet
ter and then, seeing that there was
going to be doings, got out pencil
and began to keep tab on the chipless
raisers back and forth.
what was in the center and what
was represented on my penciled sched-
ule of back and forth bets represented
nearly $4,000, when, upon lending mis-
ears to Dawes first $1,000 boost, Mr..
Along gazed out of the open win
dow at the whipping blue sea, with the
early morning sunlight dancing upon
it, and said:
That's good, Dave
Let's call it a night as it stands,
suggested one of the party then, and
as we were all tagged the suggestion
went.
"'Dave,' said Mr. Along then, lean
ing back in his chair with his hands
back of his head, the ordinary man /
hasn't any right II he wants to be
popular to show a hand that he has
used to bluff somebody out Of a poker
pot But that privilege ought to be-
long to kings, especially when they
don't do it voluntarily or gloatfully,
but upon request. Dave, what did you
have then? How good were your
"Kalakaua pondered for a minute,
evidently wondering whether he would
be doing the right thing to show his
cards in the circumstances. Then. not
having yet picked them up to throw
into the discard, he slowly turned his
papers over
"He had pair Of mines. Mr.. Along
had already faced his pack full.
That's worth a gift-it wasn't so
badly done, sad Mr. Along, with
his winning Chinese. smile, and he un-
fastened a huge emerald brooch which
he wore at his throat and pinned 1t to
the pleated band of Kalakauas soft
traw hal ThiCr was lying on a table
alongs1e him.
Dave didn't want to take the huge
and immensely valuable jewel from
the Chinaman, but Mr.. Along was
man with a manner that even kings
could respect, and when he rendered a
gift he meant it and his obvious in
J0nllOh hluCh. anu tAdldhd wore ina
emerald pinned on the scarf of his
straw hat, just as the Chinaman had
put it there, till he took to his bed in
Califo mia to die.
"But this isn't unraveling 1t how a
Dave-beat my four
queens.
"The same people were in that
game, and there was one locker on-a
person of whom you may have heard,
Robert Louis Stevenson by name He
had propped into Honolulu harbor on
his schooner yacht few days before.
lie was an old friend and pal of Kala-
laua, and he liked to look upon large
although he only play
ID a small game himself and preferred
.ribbage, at which he was powerful.
"The game took place on the lanai
hats what we call veranda in Ka-
laka-of my house in WAIKIKI, a SUI
jurb of Honolulu. We sat in at 10
,'clock at night and played along til :