Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1909-08-21
Ills NARROW ESCAPE.
By John c. ARMSTRONG.

passed II crisis in my life ut which [
~ years ago. For two hours | was
suspended, so to speak, between II life
OF comfort and II prison, aud the two
hours ended with live minutes between
life and death.
This Is how it happened:
When the Union Pacific railroad was
building | was taken up by one of its
most influential directors with view
TO prefermcnt, The only position he
could secure Tor me at first was pay.
master but promised If proved
worthy to do better later on My work
was TO go over the line as far as COM
pieted in pay car and pa! off the en-
ployees. Well, on one of these trips |
reached Julesburg, then the terminal.
though Laramie was to be made the
terminal in IL few days. | paid of ut
Juleshurs, having between $1,000 and
$4,000 left for the force at Laramie
ana ! was to go there the next morn
ing.
TO kill time went over to a hotel
near the station. where found Il num-
Der OF men playing poker. sat down
TO watch the game aud had not done
so very long before | observed that
none of the players seemed to know
very much about the game. | had n
hundred dollars of my own i'm my peck
ct besides the money | was to pay OF
with at Laramie. | had played poker
Il good deal for small stakes with my
friends and wdS considered by them us
an adept at the game. II occurred to
mo that might as well take some of
III" money that was passing to aud fro
between these men, and well, | fool
iShly took IL hand.
! was what they were playing for,
and they continued to play for me tin
they had got my hundred dollars. Then
came the temptation to rccoup with
the companyS money, IL yielding. and
the loss OF nearly all of il. | knew by
this time that the men were card
shnrpcrs and were cheating me. But
l knew also that to accuse any one of
them would bring on Il row that would
their own weapons, cheating if | did
so ard WAS detected | would get Il
bullet IN my brain.
terrible situation like this doesn't
usually affect one ut the time as lt |
docs after it has passed. Though | |,
have for years looked upon it with hor- |
ror, at the time my feelings did not !
get the better Of my equanimity. | |
presume this was because | rea lized |
that to keep my head was my only |
There was $1,000 in the pot. or Just
the amount had lost. On the pro
vious hand | had picked up several
cards that had fallen on the floor and
slipped one OF them up my sleeve.
was so desperate that | resolved to
cheat and if did not win the big pot
on the table let the others see that
was cheating and get bullet in my
brain. When my hand was dealt me
there were two kings in it. | drew
Lhree cards, one Of them being a king.
The card | had picked up off the floor
was king | had given up an ace,
so no one could hold four aces. The
only hand to beat four kings was
royal flush, pretty hard hand for
my one to purposcly make up while
being watched. If | could get In nv
four kings | could save myself But
what would do with the extra card?
was desperate, as | have said. and re-
solved to trust to luck to get rid of
[ without detection. A device oc-
'urred to me. Drinks were coming on
md, seeing some sandwiches on a
COUNTER waiting to be sent out to an
'ther party, | called for one of them.
rs soon as | had secured it | uttered
m exclamation and looked fiXcdly
trough the open doorway Every
nan turned his head. and | slipped my
Ntra card into the sandwich. When
he men turned | was eating bread.
neat and card altogether
| won the pot. but one of the party,
'okinS at me flXcdly. said. Stranger
'hatd you see when you sang out
D suddenly just now?"
My success gave me confidence, and
Kept my GOODNESS, but l could think
I nothing probable for Il reply. II
lought | saw Il friend of mine" re-
lied, "out there whom ! supposed to
III CnlcaSO.
Are YOU sure you amt got deck
p your sleeve or somewhere"
what do you mean?' I replied. bris-
ing. Rising. shook my sleeves and
lrned my pockets inside out. showing
mt no card could be concealed on my
nrson. Then. scOoping up the pot, |
lid:
"Gcntlemen. | have been accused of
heating, and l will play no more.
m loser by about ST5, so that have
perfect right to quit" !
Though ! knew my life hung in the
llhnce, nothing could equal the re-
IF felt as | turned squarely away
nj walked out of the house. They '
'ubtless felt sure had purposely di- J
cted their attention from myself >
hilc | cheated, but | had not been :
'tected, and the difference was the
florence between life and death.
II would be impossible to describe
Y feelings as | walked to my car.
orror relief and SO many other emo ,
ms were mingled that | didn't know !
neither walked. staggered or flew. !,
hen ! reached my car | threw my.
If on my bunk and shook like a leaf u
the wind.
y l-tG