Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1910-07-16

uon 10 his cOmpantOnS glass.
Kirby? That's an old and honored
name In Plaquemine. sub" replied
Mr.. Randall, opening his coat and
! fauning infiamed cheeks with his huge
slouch bat Kirby was my neighbor.
sub, and knew his folks wen. I had
the honor 20 be Of some slight assist
F, ance when he went under during
q; the panic years. Crops failed. banks
| went 70 smash, but yoh remember.
I reckon. We'll. sub. Mr.. Kirby's
son, Eugene. came home from school
70 end his ooh father dead and a
I bankrupt - everything swept away.
1 That was a hard homecoming. sub.
! Very sad case. I have often wondered
what became Of the boy. fob he had
all his fathers pride and refused 20
/ let me exert my privilege OF an old
neighbor and friend. That was TWEEN
" years ago. and since then I have
| heard In a roundabout way that be
bad become wild. drifted in with bad
companions and taken 20 the river for
a livelihood. In fact. become a com
mon gambler But OF co'se I don't be
ieve IT, for no Kirby could ever do
that. suh-fan so low. Yet the name
is uncommon. Have YOU ever met
this gentleman Of whom you Spoken
Not socially. sub" replied the other
| dryly. Il calculate he is no relative
OF the folks you mentioned. ION his
reputation. sub IS the worst on the
/ river; known from New Orleans TO st.
| Louis and back again. lie aud his
| side partner. suh-a dam carpetbag-
/ Cing Yankee 10y the name OF Bunce-
/ are the most reckless characters on
the river. II is scum like them. sub.
| who give our fair Mississippi her evil
name. Noh speak OF no man dealing
on the bottom OF the pack. Why.
| sub, / assure yoh on my honor they're
| so crooked they have 90 sleep I'm a
roundhouse. / merely mentioned Kir-
! by's name because Of the fact that.
| man OF the world as YOU are. sub. Won
would never pick him fob a profession
| al gambler. Never wore diamond I'm
his life. The cameo IS his favoritc
stone foh they say it once saved his
worthless life. and from It he gets OFT,
name sub. But shall we continue the
game? ! am stu five hrXdred vch
master, and we have fob hours 10 ,ni
befoh we make yoh landing"
Randall accepted the cards with un
steady hands. Il assure you. sub. vob
are betting against "a f0regone coucIu
sion.' be said. "foh there is no stem
ming the turn in the eide I'm bet Won
nvc hundred on this showdown. and
then wen pun stakes. sub. all square.
loh further play would be sheer rob
berry. You can't beat the Randall luck
when once b. has turned"
Fl never believed in luck" repllcd
I Morcau, "foh life has demonstrated to
me that there is mo- such abstract
Fob instance. n q coin falls head ten
times out OF ten 10 Is still an even bet
foh heads or tails on the next tos.
| Ihat Is the law, sub. and all the su
perstition in the world cannot revoke
or change g."
"AIy dear Suh" replied the planter
waving au impatient hand. that is AL
nonsense. Tor hold that our entire
existence is greatly controlled bv luck
and not law. / believe i'm Supreme
Being, sub. and ] attend church regu.
larry. but DO not believe. sub. that
our poh mundane affairs are reculat.
ed 10y "a celestial corporation. especial
" such affairs as card games. Yob
know yohself. colonel. that the best
playing I'm the world can't stand against
run OF blind luck. and as a man OF
the world I've seen mob fortunes lost
on high honds-foh barmaids topped
by fob kings every trip-just because
their holders hadn't sense enough To-
realize that the tide had set in against
them And 7 give yoh my word. sub
be finished. humping the table. "that
when ! ON fob card inside straight
the Randall luck Is sitting into the
game right with me. and yoh simply
can't win. Oh. yoh may get one OF
two little pots. but yohu finish dead
broke. Can 20 what yoh Mke-luck or
the shutting OF the devil"
Now. sub. yoh're bucking right
against my pet hobby" replied Mo
reau. leaning across the table and
growing as earnest as his companion.
+. "Of co'se ] accept yoh word foh past
experiences. but 1t is the old case OF
the coin. Though yoh may have turn
Va AAftiNAo 81 ANAlNANu AAlNtN III success
sion. as ! said. the chance OF it being
tails is stil an even bet Yoh mck
may have changed. but I'm willing 90
lay ten thousand that ! hold the best
hands In two ont Of three. There's
a sporting offer. sub. that viii test
yoh theory"
Randall blinked az his glass. Again
he was momentarily sobered.
"No. sub" he said decidedly. pluck
ing at his frillcd shirt Those are
high stakes. colonel. for. as wealth
goes nowadays. ! am not a very rich
man. and / cannot afford 10 jeopar.
oize the welfare Of my children for
the sake Of proving my point Again.
sun, ! consider it would be taking an
unfair advantage Of yOh"-
Come Yoh statements don't agree.
Mr.. Randall" laughed the other.
What do yoh jeopardize. sub. If yoh
consider the advantage entirely with
yohseifT However" be finished. with
some cOldness; This is but a game.
sub. and ! had no idea that yoh were