Bisbee daily review., 1910-08-27
|MyUncle' sStory By A. B. SEARLE Copyright. 1910. by American Press
 Association
By A B. SEARLE

boat. another by stagecoach and the balance by canal In such convey ances people were thrown together in- dmately. and lifelong friendships were often made. The passenger canalboat was the first to pass out of use. and there are few living who remember it as a method of travel.
 It was in 1S45 that one of these pas Eenger canalbOats was being dragged along by a horse on the towpath. There were no staterooms. only berths something like those on a modern sleeping car. Between these was the cabin. where the passengers iounged during the day and evening. At that time the professional gambler worked in the narrow channels of the period He was on the steamboat. but did not disdain the canalboat On this canal boat a portion of the bow had been curtained or. and in it were card ta- bles. At one of these tables sat a pro fessional gambler feecing a youngster of twenty.
 That youngster was my uncle. and got the story l am about to tell from him.
 He had been deputed to carry some SS,0O0 from Pittsburg to Harrisburg. How the gambler knew that be had the money with him he did not learn My uncle played with the sharper till be had lost all the money that had been given him for his expenses, then began to play with his trust fund He quit at II o'clock at night. having lost half of the Ss.Oo0.
 The next morning was Sunday. A service was held in the cabin conduct ed by a clergyman slightly past mic dle age. My uncle was much Impress ed with his appearance and the fervor with which he spoke. His accent was that of the southerner. My uncle said that the clergyman attacked gambling. telling a number of interesting. many of them pathetic. incidents. In which some foolish person had been robbed of all he possessed. In these stories the speaker showed an intimate knowledge of all forms of swindling at cards. He was looking straight at my uncle while he talked and seemed to be speaking to him personally. | Then my uncle remembered that while playing with the gambler he had seen the clergyman standing among those overlooking the game. Notwithstanding that it was Sunday | my uncle was eager to renew the play. | hoping to win back what he had lost | He argued that to lose any part of | the fund with which he had been in- terested would ruin him the same as If he lost the whole. Therefore Sun day afternoon he proposed 10 the gam | bier that they go to their curtained | space for more play. The gambler. who knew well enough that the youngster would be after him. assent ed. and they were soon at play. Of course my uncle lost steadily. His last thousand dollars was slowly ' melting away when who should walk In but the clergyman. He stood look ing at the game for awhile. then said l to my uncle: Boy. you can't play with this man, He's a professional gambler and is playing with marked | cards"
 Picking up one of the cards lying on ' the table face down. the speaker. rub 1 ping his thumb on it. said. ''The king | of clubs" Then. turning it over. his | prophecy proved correct In the same way he told the value of other cards. | They were all provided with minute | points that could be felt. but not easily seen. Then. turning to the gambler he said. Give the boy the money you have won from him."
 The gambler put up a vigorous buff. | What you got to do with this busi- ness. anyway? You're a parson and don't know any more about cards than q mule You just get out of here or | I'll find q way to put you out"
 How much has he won from you. boy?" asked the clergyman of my un- ! cle
 Seven thousand dollars"
 Give me what you have left The only way l can get your loss back for | you from this man is to win it at his own game There's honor among | thieves. He won't do 1t one way. but he will another"
 My uncle turned over a few hundred dollars he had left. The clergyman sat 1 down. new pack of cards was brought out, and at 1t they went At the end of an hour the clergyman had recovered 5000. At the end of the 1 second hour be had lost $500. At the end of the third hour he had regained all but $500 of my uncle's loss. and fin | half an hour more be had won every | cent the gambler had taken. He shov- !! ed bis winnings over to the boy he had saved from ruin.
 There's only one man that can get the better of me on any game of cards" said the gambler, "and l haven't seen him for eighteen years"
 Warren PhiiiipsT
 Yes"
 That's my name"
 The gambler looked at him in aston ishment
 "Yes; I was one of the professionals in those days. though l never played any but fair game. But I quit 1t and
 now look upon it with horror. I ran for years on the Prairie Belle and won a lot of money. It's all now in church es."
 And that's the way my uncle was saved