Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1912-12-12


deal OF money already on the tnble.
that after the draw the best hand
should rake II 10. Madge was the last
person to call for card Throwing
her hand on the table face up, she dis
played three aces. % knave aud a deuce
She hesitated some time as to which
OF the two lower cards to discard and
finally threw ont the &naxe. Plunket
dealt her card In its place. IL was
another deuce. which gave her an ace
full. Ii was a winner.
Madge scrsped the money OF the
table, and soon after that q Connect.
cut clock on the nantel wheezed out
the hour OF II. and the game came to
an end through limitation.
The next day left Madge Hay
wards boarding house to pursue my
to the east. I did not 60 back to the
west for a matter Of twenty years
During the interval the region where
Madge Hayward had lived had been
comprised within the limits Of q newly
| admitted state. found all much
changed. visited the capital, and q
friend took me to call upon the gov.
ernor. The latter was a man about
nfty-five years OF age and. though he
dressed In the professional black, bore
marks OF having belonged to the early
times. There was something about him
that seemed familiar to me, and
fancled | might have met him during
my western tour years agone. But /
| couldn't place him. nor could he re-
member having seen me before. He
Invited me to dinner at his home. and
I accepted
The moment | laid eyes on his wife
] noticed In her. too, something IA
miliar. IL had met her during my
previous visit to the region l now be
held her twenty years older than she
was then. The moment she looked at
me | saw by the expression on her
face that there was something about
me that was not strange to her, but
as she received me as a stranger ]
did not claim a previous acquaintance.
The dinner passed of pleasantly, the
governor leaving his wife to do most
OF the entertaining. They both evil
IDENTIFY had been denizens of the coun-
try In its primitive days, but women
take to new conditions easier than
men, and the wife would have passed
for a lady anywhere. Indeed, she had
spent some time with her husband in
Washington while he had represented
his state In congress. heard after
ward that she had been quite prom
inent socially at the capital.
Suddenly look, a motion, q gesture
Il can't tell which-told me that she
was Madge Hayward. was convinc.
ed that she had recognized me from
the nrst. and IL she had wished to be
known AZ her former self she would
have greeted me as her former board.
er. But since she had not thus made
herself known did not feel warrant.
ed In claiming former acquaintance.
Therefore when I took leave or my
hosts did not mention the matter OF
Dygone days But the lady gave me
pressure Of the hand that assured me
] was not only remembered by her.
but remembered favorably. | fancied,
however. that gratitude was mingled
with other sentiments, l not having
given away her previous condition to
her husband.
But In the latter supposition I was
mistaken. While smoking in the hotel
at which ! was stopping q man step
ped mp to me who recognized In the
man Of thirty-nine the youth Of nine
teen. He proved to be one Of the
poker party convened at Madge Hay.
wards the evening before my depar.
ture. ! told him that had dined with
the governor and his wife, bad recog.
niEed the wife a. Madge and the gov
ernor seemed familiar to me. I also
asked him II he remembered how
Madge had dra wn the deuce that had
filled her hand and won q large pot.
He said he did and straightway let
me into a secret.
what ! am going to tell you," he
said, lis confidential am the only
man now about here who was here
then. The record Of the. governor and
bis wife Ii not known. and I wouldn't
make 1t known to any one here Madge
ostensibiy kept a boarding house. but
It was really gambling house. She
had q husband. and the two worked
the, scheme together. Do you remem.
Der q man called Plunket. who dealt
her that deuce? Well, he was her hus-
band and Is now the governor. He
wss very clever a. a dealer and had
dxed her hand for her before Glling It |
with the deuce. didn't know this at
the time. Inferred 1t afterward when
Learned the rest Of the secret. Plunket'
was not his real name. The pair made
no end Of money through their scheme,
and afterward the husband became
prominent In pol.tica Having invested
the money made as a card sharper in
mines, he became very rich, was elect
ed to congress and IL now. as you
know. governor"
II am sorry" I said to my inform
ant, Ito hear this I always liked
Madge, and know that she liked me.
wish you had not told me-"
"You should remember that this
couple were then a part Of their sur
roundings. Would you expect to lind