Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-07-29

When wild west" shows first appear
ed they represented what was really
going on between the Missouri river
and the Pacific ocean, or, rather. what
was then dying out. Now the western
half of the continent is dotted with
cities containing mercantile establish
ments, manufactures and dwellings
with every convenience. including lux
uries. The western settler has given
place to the ranchman, the prospector
to the capitalist, the gambler to the
teacher and the Indian to all.
These people Of former times consti-
tute a unique society. They were good
and bad mingled, the good constantly
striving to throw OF the bad, though
the line was not sharply drawn be-
tween them.
The women, though disproportionate-
~ small in numbers. partook OF the
same general characteristics as the
men. There was a type of western
woman. personated on the mimic stage
in eastern cities during the latter part
of the nineteenth century, who was
very popular-a diamond in the rough,
independent, free hearted, free handed
and supposed to be fairly moral. She
could ride, shoot or throw a lariat,
tackle a grizzly or bring down an ante
lope at long range. Some had fought
Indians, and all were fearless.
When a very young man, desiring to
"a 10
much, went to spend a season among
them. The Union Pacific railroad was
being built, and l travelled on a train
to the foot Of the Rocky mountains.
Then 1 went on by stagecoach till
reached a region in which gold had re-
Gently been discovered, and I put up
for awhile at the boarding house of a
woman named Hayward. Madge was
her first name, and she was seldom
| called by any other. Those who ad-
dressed her by the last name usually
prefixed a Mrs, but whether she was
married. single or divorced l didn't
know. No one there cared.
| There was that freedom about her
/ and her house of which l had read.
Certainly nothing was conventional
| And yet there was a line drawn be.
yond which no one ever passed. I saw
one man attempt to pass it, and 1 also
/ saw Madge put him out of her house
with a revolver.
/ was not over nineteen years old al
the time and looked even younger
Madge took me under her protection
The first man who appeared to guy
me for tenderfoot got a dressing
down from her that shut him up In
stanter. and from that time. being con
sidered by the freQuenters of the house
as her pet, was let alone.
Every one in the community gambled
and Madge was no exception to the
rule. Every evening after she hat
washed and put away the supper dishe:
she would sit down with whoever was
ready to play the national game Of
poker. and more or less money would
change hands. But at IL o'clock. NJ
matter who had won or lost. she would
take the cards from the table and pu
them away. She said she didn't pro
pose that the house should get tn,
reputation Of being a gambling den
On one occasion a man who had los
a good deal of money protested at thu
game being summarily closed, where
upon Madge informed him that b,
would not be permitted to play Their
again. Had she been a man Their
would doubtless have been a fracas
but MadGe had the support of ever,
man in the party. though it is question
able If she needed it. / think she coul'
have taken care of herself had the ne
cessity arisen.
l wished to take a hand at some o
these poker parties, but Madge woul'
not consent to my doing so. One even
ing begged so hard that she consent
ed. When | left the table / had los
$50. Madge handed me the money
which l refused to accept from bel
whereupon she forced 1t upon me. /
is needless to say that this was tn
last time 1 played the game In he
house.
or course those who came and wen
to and from Madge Hayward's wer
a floating thrOng. Now and then som
one who played poker there woul
drop out, and / suspected that he ha
been cleaned out, though nothing wa
said about it, and it was generally VI
derstood that any application for
small loan would be honored by tn
, mistress Of the house. Madge wa
. considered an excellent poker player
but | never understood that she wa
much ahead in the long run. She wa
, so liberal that sometimes it looked q
If she must be behind.
, Nevertheless occasionally 1 saw he
+ win large pots. One evening / wa
looking over a game at which she wa
playing with some miners who ha
, come in during the day loaded wit
! dust The miners were anxious IL
. high stakes. and MadGe was continI
ally trying to keep the limit dow
Presently a Jack pot began to gro
upon the table. number of hand
r were dealt. but nobody got the requ
site cards to open the pot. and at ever
new deal the pot was sweetened.
A man by the name OF Piunket wa
dealer when some one got a hand thu
warranted his opening the bettin
:, Every one az the table was in an
a everybody saw the pets that we
made till all were satisfied. Then