Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-04-14

| WITH ne mad CONE
II.
In gambling house a man
Ing faro to motley crowd = 1ea'.
whom possessed some clainou
spectability. while the most o. ~
were roughs. A young cjarn. zen
whose calling was denoted solel. =
white Decktie. entered and annor..-
that services would be held that -. q
ing in the building commonIv 49,
q dance hall and he hoped ths, =, :"
the room would make it point 10 !,
tend NO one paid any attentton !.
him. Presently his attention W..
rested by a girl OF twenty who s,.,sl.
the room, walked up to an eIder,v -.
! who sat at one OF the tables wba--
game OF poker was being PLAYED =,
placing her hand on his shoulder -,
persuasively: -
Come away, father"
The clergyman watched her Ioor...
into her face inquiringly. When 4.
spoke he started. Memory seemed !.
| be working within him. Then suds..
ly something was recalled, and his a..
! lighted up.
you go home with your daughter
he said to the man the girl was trv,n.
TO get away, land I'll play your baps
| for you"
Every one at the table looked AZ m.
speaker wonderingly, for a clergyman
to gamble, even for another. was r.
rnarkable. The man he addressed Iook
ed up at him curiously and saw sous.
thing in the resolute face that led him
to obey. He rose from the table and
gave the clergyman his seat. The riy,
too. looked at the latter curiously tbep
took her father by the arm and va.
leading him away when the cIergyma,
asked:
How much have you lostT
"All I had-S1 200"
The father and daughter passed ont
and the game went on. There were
three men at the table besides the one
in the white necktie, and every one OF
the three was a card sharp. There
were old tricks and new tricks prac.
ticed by the sharpers. The clergyman
seemed a bit unfamiliar with the new,
but thoroughly versed in the old How.
ever, he had not played long before all
schemes were alike familiar to him
The game was simply one Of wits
against wits. When a player was de-
tected in cheating he returned his win
nings. He was not abashed, and no
one objected. AS the game went on
number of persons stood about the
table watching it, especially interested
in the clergyman's sleight Of hand
Slowly, but surely, the pile Of bank
bills and gold pieces before him in
creased. 1t was not only his skill in
card manipulating that attracted at
tention. but that one Of his calling
should be so versed in the ways Of
card sharps. At last he called a halt
and counted his winnings. They fe-
ured S1,2G0. Showing the $50 over to
the others. he scooped the rest into bis
handkerchief and, rising from the ta-
bic, said:
Gentlemen, trust you wifi all be at
the services this evening"
What five years before had been
clearing had now grown into town.
True, there was but one street in II.
but the clergyman leaving the gam
bling den. pursuedtha street, stopped
before a house and knocked at the
door. 1t was opened by the girl who
had led her father from the game.
'T have brought you" said the latter.
1.-The sum you told me you had lost 70
those card sharps."
And he emptied his handkerchief Oh
its contents on the table.
Both father and daughter looked az
him with the same continued astonlsn-
ment.
DO you remember some years ago
said the clergyman TO the girl, savine
a mans life from vigilance commit
tee:"
Il do"
He was to repay you By abjunns
his evil ways and trying TO be OF soms
use in the world"
You are that man."
AZ am"
'You are no older looking than tnen.
but you are different looking eise
would have known you.
81 have kept my promise. l hnu
can do most good among the Peop'
with whom | was familiar III th'se
lays. now horrible TO me. when l wa
a card sharp and desperate
70 you l owe my reformation as NC"
rs my life" Then. turning u 'ue
father of the girl. he added: "Ihe ne-
With whom you were playing aN
cheats. You are no match FOR tne.n
What they took from you dishonest
got back honestly. for we all AN
hat il was not cards we were pia'De
,ut sleight of hand with cards /
The fame of the clergyman VINO na-
,eaten card sharps at their own ssns
pread abroad and curiosity 10 see W,
brought him n large assemblase al ~
Meeting he had announced tor
.vening. Many were moved os
ioquence. Before he left the piSee
lad reformed II. and with him u ~
wife and coworker went the siri W.
y reforming him, reformed H
theirs.