Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25
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49, the next room and
pretending to be looking over the DOORS
in the bookcase by iotting DOWN IN
shorthand (strctly verbatim) the remarks
exuded by JUST ONE of the women (and
there were FOUR) in the poker game.
He had difficulty. he says. In following
the conversation of the ONE when all
FOUR of the women, as frequently hap
pened talked at once: but he Is Ste
nographer of long experience and great
experiences. and he got away with It,
Here is his transcription Of the CONVEX
sation of ONLY ONE woman In the
poker game:
well. we'll have a lovely. quiet game.
won't we. folks? Now, no talking, re-
member. 1t makes the men folks in the
women talk a little. They play poker as
if it was some ridiculously solemn reli-
gious ceremony. deed they do. And II
we women aren't just as still as mice:
why. they glare and glover and growi
and mutter. And so We'll have to keep
quiet and not say a single, solitary word,
| spese, just to keep EN- good-humored
Remember. now. girls, not a word!
Well have plenty of time to talk when
we have a recess for lunch.
**
wait a minute, Has everybody
passed? Well. the very idea! You didn't
wait for me at all. and I had open
ers. l had two pairs. Now that's what
l call a perfect shame. I didn't notice
that anybody had passed Nobody said
word about passing and nobody raped
on the table or anything. Well, I don't
call that fair, deed 1 don't. How's that?
/ was talking when everybody passed.
Talking? Wasn't l only telling the other
girls not to talk? Who ever heard of
such a thing? What are we in such q
terrific hurry for. anyhow We're only
playing for amusement. aren't We? Well,
then. I don't see why we should go
galloping along as if
Now pul-lease wait a minute, won't
you? haven't looked at my hand at all
Yet. Maybe I've got something. Wait
till / see. My, how these cards do stick
together. l guess it's because the air is
so humid. Wait till I see wat I've got.
i don't like these cards one bit. Those
that you've got to spread your whole
hand out like a fan to find out what
you've How? Now. can't you just wait
puzzling hand. though? King. queen.
jack. nine and eight thought I had
straight deed 1 did: l love to draw to
straights. specially when they're only in
the middle. My husband says that only
crazy folks draw to straights In the mid
die. but you know what bossy old thing
Jim is when he's playing poker, because.
/ suppose. he thinks he knows more about
the game than I do. Isn't 1t funny that
men-the conceded things!-always imag-
Inc that they're better poker players than
we women? l notice, all the same, no
matter what Jim says about only crazy
people drawing to straights In the mid
die. that I've filled that kind several
times. and once L
ION, I can open it! Now, you see you
came near passing me out again! Deed
think men are the hastiest. impatientest
creatures that ever Oh. wait! No 1
can't open 1t! I thought had a pair Of
jacks. but one is king. I'll take my
money out and How? Well. the very
idea of such a thing! can't take my
money out? Why, pray? The pots got
TO be played for anyhow and when peo-
pie open pot by mistake they've got to
leave their money in and play for IT.?
Well. that's the very worst I ever heard.
deed it is! Why. It's perfectly nonsen-
thing to draw to. 1 don't see why I
should have my money taken away from
me after making perfectly natural mis-
take like that. You don't mean to init
should hope not; How? The rule of the
game? oh. that's what all you men say
wher anything happens. that it's the rule
of the game. You're always talking about
the horrid nasty old rules. What have
the rules got to do with mistakes that
people make. anyhow? What have
How? How many cards do 1 want? Did
somebody else have openers, then? Oh,
well, If you're bound to make me keep
my money in there, even after I've told
you that I opened the pot by mistake.
why But haven't anything to draw TO-,
unless I draw to the king and jack. Nm.
ye-eh. / guess I'll draw to the king and
the jack. 1t would serve you folks right
II got three more kings, row. Just to
thing, Deed I never heard OF such mean
ness in all my life as taking a persons
money just because she happens to make
little mistake. and
ION, wait minute. I've dealt myself
six-no, seven-cards. Now how In the
wide world did I ever do such crazy
thing as that? Have you all got hve!
Yes? Well. you all keep me so Mustered
by the way you interpret your crazy OLD
rules that Oh. well. I can throw two
of them away, can't I? CANT? Who
says l can't? My hand IL dead because
I've looked at my cards? Who ever
that. II I hadn't looked at them. but
had counted them, face down. the mistake
could have been rectided? What's the diff
ference, anyhow? And how could have
known which Of the cards I wanted to
keep II didn't look at EN- all? Hows
that? II I looked at all seven OF the
cards I gave myself and then discarded
two Of the seven that / didn't need. IT
would be giving me an advantage over
the other players. because they only have
five cards to start with? Oh. we'll, don't
see why the rules have to be construed
so strictly as all that, deed don't. We're
only playing little friendly game, aren't
we? Well, then! Do you mean to say
that my hand is dead when I've got
three queens? Oh. well, I wouldn't be
Gisagreeable for worlds. but deed 1 do
think that We hadn't ought to be asked
ma
when we're only
How? II hadn't been talking while
was dealing, I'd Why. Julia Joga