The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1911-06-29
TO PAY AN OLD SCORE.
Lively Ending to a Poker Game in
Which Luck Had Been SeeSaWing.

WHICH, LUCK I1du hceu SctSdWlHS.
After man has played poker all
over the west," said red haired
sporting man, ''he isn't likely to be
very much surprised at anything that
may happen in a full grown mans
game"
"Mebbe not" said the bartender,
''but I played all night on Missis-
sippi river boat once and got up Win
ner when the darkies came in to set
the table for breakfast. I was lit
tie surprised"
"You needn't have been," said the
other coolly, unless you were the
only tenderfoot in the game, and if
you had been it wouldn't have hap
pened, so that bears out what said.
"You do see queer things, though,
when you are playing or even look
ing on he went on hastily, while
the bartender was trying to puzzle
out his last saying. "And it's only
because you get used to seeing almost
anything that you don't get surpris-
ed. I thought I'd seen pretty near
everything that was liable to happen,
but there was a guy from New Or
leans sprung new one on me last
night right here in New York.
"Straight flush against fours?"
asked the painfully young fellow with
great interest.
Il said it was a new one," said the
red haired sport somewhat scornful-
ly. "It wasn't very bad game, al
though there were two or three of the
players who are liable to put up all
they have on anything that looks
good to them. The cards were not
running particularly we'll, though,
and l reckon they were all afraid of
one another.
"Anyhow, the luck seesawed all
the time and nobody went broke for
a long while, though it was table
stakes and they only bought hun
dred a piece for starter. You know
the kind of game that is, just
enough to keep you looking on in the
hope that somebody will drop out and
leave a seat for you, but not enough
to get anybody excited.
Zone thing that made me look for
excitement was that Wiley was in the
game, and this New Orleans guy was
waiting, as 1 was, for a seat at the
table. He calls himself Dunning
now, but when l first ran across him
in the South his name was Foster,
and he and Wiley had been sworn
foes.
"How it was they never came to-
gether I don't know, but they had
threatened to shoot at sight, and
though the shooting didn't happen I
knew enough of the original quarrel
to believe that no actual peace had
been declared. More than that, I
had seen the looks they exchanged
when they met at Bonfeld's last night
and though I didn't expect to see any
shooting here ! felt sure there'd be
some fun if they got together across
the poker table.
"Both had the reputation of being
particularly slick in handling the
cards, but wasn't looking for any
crooked dealing from either of them
in that game. There were others at
the table as slick as either of them
ever dared to be, and Bonfield him
self was playing. Nobody is going to
try any funny business in Bonfeld's
when he's in the game. knew that,
and there wasn't man in the room
that didn't know it.
"Well, poker game may go on
long time, as this one did, without
anything happening that's worth
while, especially when every man at
the table is an expert. But it won't
go on that way forever. The cards
will come some time. So I was great
ly cheered when after they had made
a jackpot and Bonfield himself had
dealt, Wiley opened it for the size of
it and there was a scramble to get in.
A man named Allen had first say af-
ter the deal, but he passed blind, and
Wiley sat next.
"After Wiley opened the next man
threw down his cards, but Hopper
came in and Jack Smith trailed. Then
the next man dropped and Bonield
trailed.
'"That made four already in when
Allen looked at his cards, and as Wi
ley had opened for the size of the pot
there was s35 in it, 50 Allen boosted
$35. 1t looked as if he wanted to get
the others out, but Wiley looked