The Alaska citizen., 1911-03-06

l the next day in search of his enemy 1 he was met by a committee of two ] from old man Greenlaw's saloon. ! Moreover he was greeted in such | friendly fashion that he was readily i enough induced 10 visit the saloon i in search of the stimulant which ! he may O. may not have felt to be i desirable under the circumstances. i Once there her found the atmos- phere so congenial and hospitable ] that it was matter of no great difficulty to persuade him to par i take several times of old man Green l laws best liquor. II cannot be l said that he was brought to forgo 1 his purpose. but in the course of | the evening he began to realize that ii might be as well to postpone ac- l ion until the following day. and being a man of strong sporting ten dencies he listened favorably to the proposition of game of poker and he was soon engaged in a contest with Winterbottom, Blaisdell and | Pearsall
 | The working out of the old mans plan had been carefully arranged with reference to the exact time ' | pen. and possibly it was on this account that MT Billings won rath- CT steadily for the first hour of the play
 Then when he had convinced him self thoroughly of the likelihood of his quitting greatly ahead of the game there came a hand which reused his hopes to a great height, the more especially as he found before the draw that there were two hands against him which the holders were prepared to back heavily.
 Blaisdell had dealt the cards. and when Blaisdell picked up his he found a straight flush pat, queen high. He was not wholly unsuspi- cious nor was he unacquainted with Blaisdells reputation, but that player assumed such an expression of cv- idcnt disappointment when he pick. ed up his own hand that he was fully convinced that the brilliant dealer had for once made an error This conviction deepened when after Winterbottom had come in and Pearsell had trailed. Blaisdell threw his hand down with a muttered oath which he seemed to be trying 10 suppress.
 Billings therefore raised as much as he thought he could safely do without driving out the others. and he was particularly pleased when | WintcrbottOm saw the raise and Pearsall raised back With this promising start he pushed the game until he had not only all his chips but all the money he had with him in he pot And again Pearsall rais- cd it. 5000 this time. and Billing $ greed inspired him with strong de. sired 10 go further.
 First he tried to put in an l o |. but the others told him re- gretfully that the house rules for. bade that. Then he bethought him. self of his watch and put that in for $100, declaring that he was sorry he could not go further.
 Pearsall then said that he was willing to go to any length and in Guired if the other had anything else of value with him. He would 1 take it at Billings own valuation. And Billings remembered his gun.
 "I paid S3O for that he said, pro ducing it, "an' I wouldn't put it up fo' $5o if want sho' O winnin'."
 Put it in for $50" suggested | Pearsall indifferently, and doing that | Billings called.
 A moment later Winterbottom dropped Whiskey glass Cn the 1 floor It might have been that he started in surprise when Pearsall showed king high straight flush. l. ,Io the players were engrOssed in their game, Joe Bassett had entered the front room in company with MT. Glover. and the two had been greet ed warmly by old man Greenlaw. A pleasant conversation followed, dur | ing the course of which each of the three observed the usual ceremony of goodfellowship, and it was while the third round was being consumed that the tinkling sound of breaking glass came from the back room. 'I heer'd yo' all had some sort of a difficulty with Ham Billings. " 1 observed the old man, as he wiped l his mouth. T reckon 'twa'n't noth- | in serious though Billings is some nasty, they tell me, but he's a valable citizen an yo' an him had nt oughter have no gre't trouble" "
 MT Glover's reply would not look well in print.
 Well, Well, we'll" said the old man. If yo' all is reely wish full fo to meet up with Billings reckon yO' thought do it right now, l but Billings ain't got no gun. Yo' wouldn't shoot onarmed man, would yo?"
 l "'Tain't likely" said MT. Glover, who was well acquainted with the etiquette governing such matters.
 T thought not. B'sides there's a house rule ag'in shootin' on the premises. Billings is in the back room. but. as I was sayin', he ain't armed. Now, what was yo' trouble with him?"
 MT. Glover replied at great length, but the gist of his statement ap- ] peared to be that there had been a disputed account of $100 between the two men and that both losing l their temper ineXcusab'e words had ! been used.
 T thought likely" said the old l man. Now, Billings ain't got no money with him, but s'posin' I sh'd loan him s200 an yo' an him sh'd play a freezeout. Amt that better n wastin' two valable lives into a measly hundred? The winner c'n pay t'other the hundred an still be ahead, an the loser won't be on'y s100 out, an he'd be that any way if yo all was to shoot each 1 other up.