The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-25
END OF GAMBLERS LUCK
 AND TRAMP'S PARTNERSHIP

door to me. I told him I'd come to make an offer. I'd buy or sell, but wouldn't go on with the partnership. He was neither hurt nor surprised, and we split up the bank roll. which was big, without haggling, though we both thought we were getting the worst of It. didn't want to quarrel, though, when I couldn't prove anything, and I reckon he felt the same way.
 '"rhen we fixed a price on the house and fixtures. think we made 1t s2OO0 Fin ally when it came to the question which should buy we couldn't agree.
 Finally Dick said: I'll tell you what we'll do. Let's each take stack of 5000 and play freezeout, The winner takes the shack Of course agreed to it.
 Mind you we had played together long enough to know that there wasn't trick that was known in poker In those days that we couldn't either of us turn as we'll as 1t could be done by anybody, and neither of us would have hesi- tated to play any trick he could on the other it if wasn't that the other would surely see 1t. It was all a part of the game as we played 1t, and Dick had no more conscience about 1t than had.
 There was another thing about the game that we both knew. If either was caught playing crooked the other would kill him on the spot if he could That was understood by everybody In that part of the world, and 1t made the crookedest players careful. had never killed anybody myself, but I'd seen 1t done twice. and was ready enough.
 "So we began the game with a perfect understanding. The dealer anted in those days, and Dick, winning the first deal, put up a s5 chip and threw out the cards. l can remember everything about that game as if I'd played 1t tonight. It wasn't long.
 T caught a pair of kings, and of course I came in. but Dick raised me and as l didn't think he'd begin bluffing so soon l dropped. Then I dealt and got nothing but ace high, so when Dick came in 1 dropped again.
 That kind of game went on for eight deals with no results, for Dick wouldn't call mo any more than I would him, and at last l decided to rush 1t, so I put up $50 for an ante. and when Dick came in with his $1O0 looked at my cards and found three sevens.
 Tt was good enough for raise, so l made it S100 man. but 1t wasn't good enough to go broke on, so I called when he came back at me with $10o more, and won the first pot that amounted to any thing. It wasn't exactly body blow, but somehow felt that Dick didn't take 1t well, and I watched him more closely than ever when he took the deck
 Then he sprang a trick on me that I had never seen before. It's common enough nowadays, but he was the first man l ever knew to play it. I reckon he'd studied 1t out himself, for he was monstrous clever at sleight of hand, and it takes a clever man to do 1t. If I hadn't studied such things myself l never would have caught him.
 He handed me the deck to cut and I cut as usual, but in picking up the two packets he hid them both and substi- tuted another deck. So as he started to deal I drew my bowie from tho back of my neck, where I always carried 1t, and gave him one lunge.
 "As did 1t I let go of the knife, for I knew 1t had gone home all right, and l drew back so that l shouldn't get any bloodstains A man thinks quick at such time, and l knew I couldn't afford to be known as the man who killed him, un- der the circumstances.
 Well, l got no stains, and when I saw that he was dead I drew out my knife and wiped 1t carefully on his coat. Then I went out and went home.
 Nobody saw me, and my nigger was still asleep, so I woke him up and after I'd gone to bed I made him look at my watch and tell me what time 1t was, only I didn't tell him I'd set 1t back an hour Afterward I set 1t right again, but the
 
 called on what time I had come in.
 Next day when they found him stabbed to tho heart they came and told me of course the first thing, but I was as much surprised as anybody else, and offered no suggestions, letting other people prove my alibi for me.
 Well, I never had any luck after that I kept my half of tho roll all right, and took possession of the shack, for felt that I had won that in the freezeout, but I sent Dicks half of the roll to his folks. Somehow I couldn't keep that though I might have done 1t easily enough. but I reckon 1t hoo dooed me-
 Anyhow, things went against me from that on. People wouldn't play in the house any more, and finally I sold 1t for a song and went back on the river, but was a loser right along and gave that up after a while. Now I'm down and out for good"
 After telling this, according to tho tramp's account, George Parks died, comforted somewhat by the spurious absolution his partner offered him; and the tramp, needing liquor badly. thought himself well paid when the newspaper man to whom he told the story gave him q dollar.
 --.s.-
 Saving Time.