Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1909-11-25
A CASE OF - ).
o. PREMON|T|ON
BY GEORGE V. WILLIAMS.

luElon tdlklng ABOUT HE an What IL
the sixties We're called "the plainS.",
when the natural state was struggling
against civilizations when theSsavagc
MSS not yet extinct there and when
I'll" bulalo was bucking agaipSUIne.
locomotive. There was Tom Shcrikle.
Dave Boggs Tom Durham tpd mytl
self We had all lived beyond the
Missouri river I'm those halcyon DAYS.
some of Us had been worse than we,
should have been, but we maCte fairt
average sample OF the population One
OF our number had reached thd1U uityl
States senate. another was a. ppte.
sentative, while third was a biz
land dealer I'm the region ~ which We
were speaking. The fourth. rom pNls
ham. was a prominent clergy nan
-Do any OF you remember sIsheeees
RuskT' asked Sherikle. "who.-tept "a
boarding house first at Julcsburg. then
ut Laramie. following the Union Pa
cific rs il made new terminals?"
All owned TO n remembrance of her
except the Rev. Mr.. Durham. who
maintained silence.
The biggest piece OF blind mciS |
ever heard Of" Sherlkle continued.
"shc furnished. You know how she
used to play poker with the BOYS?
she made money regularly at tavern
keeping. but she made moro by poker
She was n Jolly. good naturch. good
hearted woman whom everybody
liked and was considered perfectly
straight i'm every respect she could
spot a regular gambler and would new
or play with airy OF them
We'll this is the story heard about
her great stroke OF luck. aud got it
from one OF the men Mt the table. who
had no interest in lying about It. A
number OF her bOarders sat down to
play one night in her parlor aud asked
her TO join them. She said she'd rath.
or not. She didn't want To- win their
money and somehow she felt that
she'd be awfully lucky She could al
ways tell, she said, when she was go
ing 20 win big. But the boys pcrsuad-
cd her. and she took n hand
Talk as you please, there's q lot in
these feelings that some people have
about something that's going to hap
was developing my claim at Deadwood
I knew the day before ! struck the
vein that made me rich that was m
for n strike There was no indication
OF it any more than there ha0 been
when / began TO work with my pick
Nevertheless 1 knew Il. mention
this to show you just how Phoebe
Rusk felt.
"Therc were half a dozen of them In
the party a youngstcr OF eighteen,
tenderfoOt from the east, wanted u
take hand but phoebe wouldn't 30
I'm unless he stayed out. 50 the banker
wouldn't give him any CHIPS The
cards had been dealt five or Elk times
when the game was opened with n
jackpot. II happened 10 be one OF
those occasions when everybody had
a good hand. The pile on the table
kept growing till Mt last Phoebe called
IA halt She said she didn't want her
house to get the reputation OF running
such big game. One man drew two
cards. end the rest, all except Phoebe,
stood pat. Phoebe said:
of Tdon't draw the card TO Oh my
hand Is worth nothing If I do III
win theAbot IT'S nothing more or less
than showdown, so I don't mind let
ting you see my hand
"She laid her cards face up o. the tn
BILE. There were the eight. nine. ten
and jack OF spades and the king OF
diamonds. Throwing ont the king, she
said to the dealer: Give me either
the seven or queen OF spades, which
ever you like I'm dead sure your
give me one or the other
"The dealer dealt her the top card
on the pack. She turned It over. and
It was the seven OF spades. She had
n straight flush and won the pot.
THAT broke up the game. None or
them would play longer against wo-
man who knew she would win and
did win"
Those who heard the story we're
quite sure that there are people so
delicately organized In certain respects
that they can feel such presentiments
as the one given. The Rev. Mr.. DlIr
ham alone made no comment.
What do you think. parsonT asked
sherikle do you believe in such
fOresight|
"Not I'm that case"
"Why notT
The clergyman hesitated and ut last
said
I'VE are all old plaiusmen. and
know no one Of us would do anything
to iniure the other. so ! don't mind
giving you my confidence. Besides, 7
make no secret that 7 was mn IN
righteous man before my conversion
though ! don't like after thirty years
in the ministry. 90 refer 10 special I'm
stances en- that life I have since held
~ horror ] was. ms you know. at
that time n professional GAMBLER and
was member ~ the poker parfE ~
Phoebe Rusk's. though ! wasnT kn1yyt
there as gambler. Phoebe Also was
crooked on cards and her boarding
house was really n gambling house