The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1912-07-04
LUCKY
CARDS
By JOSEPH E. &C lCH

hen | Went out 10 IN. wild Was,
at time when il WAS the wild wast
ana not the civilized country it is now
III seemed to ME that every one gam
oled There were all kinds of games
from the most honest to the most ras
cally.
very soon found that to be like
otner people | must do as they did in
other words. | must gamble had
pia!eo POKER occasionally in the east
with my friends to PASS the time. and
hnding it to be the prevailing game in
my new home. | concluded that since
must play would play the national
game
One evening | won d very large pot
on three mines. When showed my
cards every one at the table exclaimed:
dead mans hand. 10y thunder"
asked what was meant by dead
mans hand. and one of the party told
the following story:
"A few years ago young fellow
came out here to look over some min
ing property. A prosppctor had struck
some first class indications and had
gone east to put the property into
company. He had failed at that. but
had induced this young main to come
out to investigate and. if satisfied. fur.
n1sh the money to open the vein
Johnston that WAS his name had
wife and couple of kids He had
had hard luck in making living and
was Scraping bottom when his wife
received legacy of $lOOm He was
visionary enough to persuade her to
give it to him to make the investiga
ton of the mine with and to use for
development purposes if the case look
ed promising.
Johnston came out here with the
money to make the investigation and
while he was doing it attended to bllsi,
ness. A company was organized. two
thirds of the shares to be his ON pay
ment of the $4,000: Hammond. the
prOSpectOr who had discovered the
vein and owned it, to have the rest
Johnston had made the investigation
and determined to invest the money in
the mine While be was waiting for
the necessary legal steps to form the
.ompany. having nothing to do. one
lay he stepped into place where
some men were having a small game
There was something fascinating to
him in the rattle Of the chips. and
wasn't long before he called for $40 in
worries and sat down at the table
ut was the worst thing be could
done. for the very next day he was to
put up the money for the shares and
to receive contract for them He
won little at first. but not much: then
he began to lose He realized that if
be lost any of the money he was to in
vest he might better have stayed at
home. and this made him nervous He
didn't play with any kind of skill. be
ing timid when be should have been
bold and bold when he should have
been timid The game waS fair enough.
there not being professional gambler
in it, out Il man can get cleaned out at
an honest game as we'll as at a diShOn
est one.
Just as soon as Johnston began to
lose he began to plunge 1T wasn't
long before he had lost S5.WN After
that he insisted ON making all sorts OF
foolish bets His face got red. and his
eyes were wild Some of the men
who were In the game with him tried
to stop it. hut he demanded his re-
venge. and they couldn't we'll get out
About midnight Johnston had lost
all but about 81 900 of his pile Next
hand was jack pot. He opened IL
with 500. and most everybody stayed
in. 1t seemed that all had something
to bet on. for the pot kept growing
bigger and bigger Toward the END OF
the betting 1t was noticed tnat JONI
ston's face instead of being red was
white.
well the money kept piling up on
rho table No one knew now mucn
there was of it because it was heap
of dust and gold and silver and DIS.
At last some O the players. seeing tnat
Johnston was looking kind queer
called a halt Nobody. bet any more.
and as for Johnston. he had pulled MIS-
hat down over his eyes so as TO con-
,.o.I his face When the showdown
WAS called he had his elbows on the
table and his jaws in the palms OF nls
hands.
EVERY man turned his cards over
except Johnston. who sat looking down
at their backs The others tnougnt
that he saw HIMSELF beaten and haont
any stuff left in him to turn them over,
The hands against him weren't large
There were three Fights, three ives
and several double pairs.
".Vake up. Johnston. and look at
ro,,r r.rds some one sang out.
"But Johnston didn't move one OF
his opponents turned his mana over
apd showed three mines. He had Won
over the Fights by one point
".Johnston. you've won!
"Somebody pulled his hat from Oh LIS
forehead and exposed his face There
was stony stare in his. eyes tnat sent
. thrill of horror through all.