The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-05-25

IE9@-&k-U Nellie DalnLryS parents
that evening, in their
home in Helena, on the banks of the Missis-
sippi. Jimmy Burke had spoken for her"
only the night before, but the engagement
was not yet announced, and she did not
care to have old man Catlin the first to
learn of it, so she answered evasively:
= ooh, I see him at Sunday-school occasion
ally" picking at her dress to hide the blush.
Sunday-school, ehl" exclaimed the old
man. "That's something new for Jimmy.
Should have thought trying to swim the Mis-
7sissippi River again, like he did last fall when
! you tried to coax him not to do it; or going
higher up ricketty hagpoles than any other
lad, would be more in Jimmy's line. SO he
tends Sunday-school does he7"
"Yes, Mr.. Catlin. He has the class next
mine" she answered softly.
swell, WE'LL" laughed the old man, throw
ing back his head. "They do say those dare
devils turn out all right sometimes. kind
of recollect when Jimmy used to keep all the
ssothef boys busy studying up something that
Jimmy would be afraid to do, but they never
hit it, so far as know"
II believe Jimmy is inclined to be little
venturesome," Nellie admitted, looking not
at all displeased.
"Venturesome!" the old man almost
shouted. "Why, bless my SOUL He's the
greatest daredevil ever heard tell of.
Didn't he walk right into the barn up at the
grocery when that barrel of naphtha was al
most ahre and throw sand on it, and every one
else in town was making for the levec2"
>. 81 think heard something about that
3oonce," remarked Nellie demurely. She had
not only heard it, but had told it at least
hundred times.
We'll" the old man went on, Jimmy's
young man now. Must be nigh on twenty
two; but he hasn't lost his dislike for not tax
ing dare. heard only last night that he
was thinking of tackling that cattle mems
poker gafna>
ooh, am sure he would never do such q
thingA aswthatl" exclaimed Nellie quickly.
",Jinnny plays cards occasionally, but he
never mixes with regular gamblers"
"Maybel" observed the old man, medita-
lively. All know about it is that some Of
the boys in the village were saying they didn't
believe he had the nerve to tackle that game,
and all Jimmy did was to ask for more par
ticulars about 1t, and how to get In it, and
when it was due down the river again--Hellol
Here comes Annie and your mother, so cal
eculate Wen have to be starting for home"
and the old man stood up and shuf1ed toward
the other end of the porch.
Alone in her room that night, and all the
next day, there was only one thought in Mel
, lies mind. Jimmy was engaged to her now,
but he was actually thinking of venturing into
the cattle mems poker game!
- Al -
had not heard men talk in whispers about
that game. Having always lived on the
banks of the Mississippi and being familiar
with the folk lore of all the famous boats that
passed her home and with stories of many
that had piled the stream in the old days, it
seemed to her that the cattle mems poker
game was to the Mississippi River pretty
much what the Lorelei was to the Rhine.
= It was more than twenty years, her father
had told her once, since that game was
started by some men. from Texas who trav-
eled up and down the river several times a
year, They called themselves cattle men,
although people said they were nothing but
gamblers. They played for big money, and
they played continuously from one end of the
journey to the other They seemed to well
come any one who wished to join them, but
somehow or other, they always won his
money; never he theirs.
Many gambler had sat in that game with
them, but none, of them was ever heard to
boast OF having beaten it. 1t was sometimes
whispered that men had been known to GO
on board boat and win the cattle mems
money and never been heard of again. Old
card-sharpers grew strangely silent when that
game was mentioned, and Mike Hopper, one
OF the cleverest of the old river-sports, used al
ways to place his right hand over his left, so as
to hide an ugly looking scar, whenever the
conversation turned to the cattle men and
their poker game. Although he would never
admit 1t, 1t was said that the scar on Mike:
hand was made by bowie-knife in the hand:
OF cattle man that caught him putting the
wrong half Of the pack on the top after the
cards were cut
-" So the boys have been daring Jimmy t.
try his luck in that camel" thought Nellie
:" OF course it was only talk" she told herself
Jimmy was not gambler, although he PLAYED
billiards and pool with the bows and occasion
ally sat in the little ten-cent-lmit game at tn,
hotel on Saturday nights. To dare him t.
play poker with those dreadful. cattle mer
would be like asking a man who could bardI,
manage horse and buggy, to drive fire en-
sgine through the streets at midnight.
The next time she saw Jimmy Burke. sh