Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1911-02-08
YANKEE Versus
SOUTHERNER
By HARRY VAN AMBURG
Copyright, 1910, by American Press
Association.

A steamer on the Mississippi river
half century and more ago would
be a curious sight to a traveller today.
ne-third, the ladies cabin, was used
Exclusively by women and children;
the other two-thirds constituted a gi-
gantic gambling stablishment-not an
establishment run by bank, but used
by gentlemen and SharperS, the former
for amusement, the latter for swim
ding. AT mealtimes one, long table
extended through the mems cabin. and
when dinner was served the captain of
the boat would enter the ladies' cabin,
offer his arm to one of the ladies and
escort her to the table. the rest follow
ing. AS soon as they were seated the
bell was rung and a waiting crowd
cropped into their seats.
Southern gentlemen travelled on these
steamers. men of the olden time. whose
word was as good as their bond"
One day Colonel st. Leger of Canton,
Miss, and Major Carter of Baton
Rouge were enjoying social glass be-
fore the little Punch and Judy affair
in the bow of the boat that served for
n bar when the colonel said:
"Majah. do you see those sharpes
ovah tha fleeing that Yankee? He
will go back to Connecticut or whar-
evan he comes from and repo't that we
a all Swindie's down heah. Now, if |
were to tell him that these men are
ho dr. holi
There must be some way of saving
MIN from them. colonel, if we could
only hit on it,
| at doesn't Occu' to me. sub"
Now, every gentleman in the south
at that period played poker. and these.
! two were both experts st the game.
! They finally agreed that the best way
| to save the Yankee would be to get
him into stateroOm by himself. win
| his money and at the end of his jour
ney hand it back to him with lee
ture on the folly of playing cards for
money on a Mississippi river steam
boat AS soon as the small tables
were united in long ono for dinner
Colonel st. Leger approached the Yam
|
him and after the meal invited him
| into his stateroom to sample some fine
old Kentucky bourbon he had there.
The Yankee accepted. and Major Car
ter joined the party. After Sampllng
the whisky the three sat down to a
friendly game of poker.
Since the Yankee played very poor
| ~, an
were among the best poker players in
the south it was not long before the
Yankees money was transferred to
their ownership But just as they
thought they had him broke" he pull
ed out fat roll Of new twenty dol
lar bills. with which he began to play
reckleSSly. The colonel looked at the
major and the major at the colonel
The colonel's look said, BY Jcve
: what a haul this would have been for
the sharpers.'' and the majors look
: replied. Yes. and we must take it out
of him fer his own good"
! One by one the twenty dollar bills
passed into the hands of the Yankees
benefactors till at last all but one ha(
J opened a jack pot with it. raised ant
kept on raising the confederates unit
t there was something like a thouSan(
dollars in the pot. In the showdown
he exhibited four aces against TIL
!, colonel's four queens and the major
- full of tens.
5 Again the colonel and the major eX
oho ,rlo FL, IF ;1L
: ment. But they kept on their benevo
t lent effort. Presently the Yankee said
l Guess we'd better raise the limit
You fellerS have taken $1,000 out
6 me. and want to get it back
The southern gentlemen would hav
! ! considered it reproach to them to re
d fuse under the circumstances an
! ! agreed. From that time forward tn
; hands the Yankee held were phenou
email. 1t seemed that all the cour
cards in the pack fell into his hands
. and. singularly enough. the confedeI
q ates held large hands. too. but Away
!, a trife smaller than his Then whe
e the former had recovered his losses b
h pushed back his chair and said:
d Gentlemen. you thought you had i
/ me greenhorn whose money 70
could easily win. I'm regarded tn
, best poker player in Hartford don
n wish to punish you for trying to swim
die me. SO decline to play an
y longer"
n Again the confederates looked a
q each other. this time in dismay. The
d Colonel st. Leger. stammering and re-
: as a boiled lobster, told his story. TIL
i Yankee put out a hand to each of hi
: intended benefactors, saying:
f ''Is there anything more HONORABLE
s as well as guileless than the tru
r southern gentleman"
! When they settled up the Yanke
: generously turned over to his friend
= :, the new bills he had brought out. tax
:. ing the worn ones himself At Ney
n Orleans the three parted with expires
s sions Of mutual regard. the southern
Y ers going to the same hotel An hou