Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-07-08
Poker Game
By REGINALD D. HAVEN
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.

oe saier tnon In border state They
consisted or man. his wife and two
cnildren, boy and girl. lie had
reached Bowling Green. where he wa,
Obliged to wait for train for Nash.
vile. and was lounging with his hu
man chattels I'm the station when n
man stepped up TO him and began TO
chat with him, ringing In questions
about where he was goiag and whit
ne was going to do with the negroes.
Having learned the facts, the stra niger
asked IL he would Ike to sell them.
Morgan said he would prefer that to
the trouble Of taking them south.
Inc stranger went away. but soon
returned with several men and said:
I'VE don't like to see the nlgcers
going south: we want 'em here. These
gentlemen and would like TO buy
your slaves. but no one of us has
enough money to buy 'em ALL and
were against the principle Of separat-
ing FAMILIES What do you say to
selling US chips to the amount of your
price for EN-? Then Wen play
game Of poker, and the man that even.
tually gets all the chips has the mig
gers.''
Morgan. who was anxious to turn
his negroes into cash, consented. and
the party adjourned to hotel near
the station to carry out the plan.
Iwenty-four hundred dollars was
agreed upon as the value Of the prop
erty. The owner, much pleased TO be
able to get SO high a price-for the
coming struggle had lowered the
market value of negroes-agreed to
take share OF the chips and enter
the game with the rest. AS they were
arranging themselves around the Ia
BILE gentleman wearing a white era
vat stepped up and demonstrated
against the sin Of gambling. When II
was explained TO him that the object
or the party was to keep family Of
negroes from being separated he re-
GREETED that he knew nothing about
the game or. clergyman that he was, he
would take q share and a hand
oh, come In" said one of the party.
"Wc'ii show you how fits done. and
you will soon get used to It."
All begged the clergyman to join
the object OF the game WINS noble one
there would be no sin In taking a
share, allowing some one else to play
his hand. but they wished that he
would do that himself, and, dragging
him down into a seat, they put the
| cards I'm his hands.
For awhile the numerous questions
asked by the clergyman about the val
ue OF the cards or the rules Of the
game delayed the play.
| Nothing but an occasional case OF
blind luck prevented his being frozen
out. Several times when his pile of
chips was reduced to a minimum he
held the whining hand fin a large pot
ana saved himself. On this account,
while one by one the other players
dropped out OF the game, the dominic
kept his place. Morgan also kept a
respectable pile before him, and when
/ all but he and the clergyman had been
1 frozen out II began TO look as IL he
/ would still own the negroes and the
/ SZ,aOO besides. In case this turned out
to be so he could not even be prevented
from selling them separately.
ut all depends upon you, parson,"
. said one of the party.
Gentlemen" said the clergyman.
II protest against the fate of these
poor negroes being left In my hands.
One OF you play for me-"
But Morgan protested, and the cleri-
cal gentleman was obliged to play his
own hand. Despite the blunders he
made he held hands that enabled him
to keep even. Morgan, seeing that his
adversary was having n run Of luck,
ceased 20 bet till that run seemed TO
have ended, then made several appar-
ent BLUFFS with the view OF getting
considerable money In the pot and Tux
Ing It. Singularly enough. every time
he tried this expedient the clergymans
hand laid over his own.
When several OF these hands had
been played $1,000 OF the $500 was
before the clergyman. Morgan began
/ 60 look concerned. IL seemed singular
/ 20 him that man who at the begin
ming OF the game didn't know the value
OF the cards should have remained I'm
the game and hold more than four
/ fifths OF the whole sum invested. lie
/ cast several scrutlnizlng glances at his
adversary's face. but Il showed moth
/ ing other than piety and benevolence.
I But finally each seemed 20 hold n
| hand that warranted high betting
Morgan opened with $50: the clergy
man raised him s.. Morgan raised
/ 800 The parson raised all Morgan
l had left. 500. Morgan had gone too
! far 20 withdraw lie saw" his op-
pOnent and-lOst
The parson scooped up all the money
there was on the table. and Morgan,
cursing his luck. made out n bill OF
salo for the negroes.
What Manner he asked Of the min.
lister.