Evening star., 1912-09-15

" leve that man playing opposite
you in poker game has got cold
feet when he hasn't got anything of the
sort" remarked the Notwithstanding
man in the smoker. Il sat in a -FOUR
handed game in "a hotel room IN St
Louis one night a few years ago. 1
knew two of the players, but the other
one was a stranger TO all three of us.
We'd been introduced to him by some-
body or other in the corridor of the hotel.
and when We said We We're going upstairs
to have a little draw fun he asked to be
allowed to butt in. He was guileless
sort Of young fellow. and was the man.
ager of a big wholesale grocery in st.
Louis.
For all his guilelessness he was an
almighty good poker player. and he had
all of on the run from the first jump.
He went right into the lead, and won
steadily. We hadn't started the game
until after midnight. and before We knew
ii the light of dawn began to sneak in at
the window, and the young man who
manages the wholesale grocery had stuck
each of us for something like Sovo. When
he saw daylight creeping In he announced
that it was pretty nearly all off so far as
he was concerned, but We jollied him out
of that notion, and he played on, winning
right along. At p o'clock in the morning
he gave a quiet look at his watch, pushed
back his chair, and said he guessed he'd
cash.
quite without justification, We all three
set up the cold feet wall.
You won't do We said to him. You're
a quarter horse, and you don't go the
route. Can't you interview your chiropo-
dist about those cold feet of yours later
in the day? Here 1t is just"
The young man gazed at us helplessly,
and then he broke out with
!" D it ALL I'm going to be married
at IL O'Clock this morning, and I've got
to go home and jump into my togs,
haven't -
"Of course we had to apologize for
accusing him of being a victim of frigid
lower extremities, and / guess he started
to keep house with that money he took
away from u.s.
''On another occasion | felt resentment
in my soul over the desire OF a man to
quit a wholesale winner, and was about
TO suggest the hot water cure for his
pola ric pedals when / was tipped off to
the situation in the nick of time. l got
into a little game with a sheriff l knew in
a little town in southwestern Colorado,
and after ne We're well under way dark
skinned chap with lot OF Mexican IN
him. stuck his head in at the door of the
sherff's office inside the Jail, where we
were playing.
Come on in. Jim.' said the sheriff.
Want to butt into this?
and he went out for minute and return-
ed carving a sack filled with gold coins.
He bought 800 worth of chips, ana the
cards began TO filter his way from the
drop of the flag. | was sorry the sheriff
had invited the chap in, before an hour
was over for he had more than 500 or
my pieces of eight, and It didn't look like
Jim knew how to lose at poker, anyway.
He got into the sheriff just as hard as n.
did me. and the longer we PLAYED the
more Jim won
Along about , O'Clock In the morning.
Jim looked up at the clock and salo tllat
he guessed he'd pass out-that he had
few letters to write. | felt Ike pelhs
real rude to Jim. and | was about to ten
him that > o'clock was a pretty untoWafd
hour for man 20 pry himself loose rom
a game in which he was such Dig WIN
ner when the sheriff gave me KICK on
the leg under the table. So l didn't say
anything while Jim cashed in. and Wheh
he took me by the hand ana pane ihf
good bye with a whole lot more fervor than
seemed to be called for under the circum-
stances / wondered a heap just what
kind of proposition Jim was anyhow:
He packed his winnings into the bag ne
brought into the room and went out.
Huh said / to my friend, the sheriH
You took that good and easy. didn you!
It's a wonder you wouldn't let out one
roar, anyhow, over that Fellow hiking
away with so much Of your GOOD aoue"
in his gunnysack at this early hour.
NV friend the sheriff, spat contempia-
lively at the stove.
".Well. maybe | would ha' called MN
some. he replied. but you see M eoih
to hang Jim at 1:3o this mornln. ano I
guess he wants L git ready fr MS niue
parade across the border. -
Jim was hanged on schedule time All
right. and he swung into the circuli
ambient / couldn't help but feel sort Vi
guilty for thinking that he'd mad cold ieet
when he drew out OF that game