Bridgeton pioneer., 1914-10-01

u.
almost come into her eyes when she
thanked me for doin' of it. and wish
ed | had some excuse to give her q
lot more.
"Waal. after spell climbed down
and got inside the coach. The old
coachin' days in the east back in the
forties might "a been sociable, but 1
reckon a feller seldom had a coach all
to hisself with purity gal. And meb-
be there want nothin' to start q love
affair on one O. them Illinois or Ale
gheny mounting rides. In my case
there was a mighty big favor to start
one. A gal us has jist been saved
from walkin' on an alkali plain In the
hot sun and transferred to the leather
seat of a stagecoach is in a mighty
good condition to be made love to by
the man as done it.
"She told the pitifulest story Of that
stepmother o. hers ever heered. 1t
almost made me weep. l couldn't un-
derstand how the gal could "a stood
1t, or, rather, would "a stood it, seein'
that she want no measly, bony little
thing, but real strappin', strong girl
"Suddint it occurred to me that this
was a good chance for me to reform
and settle down. tole the girl about
myself and offered If she'd marry a
galoot I'd quit gamblin'. put the mon
ey had in my pocket into stockin' a
store and we'd be as happy as two
turtledoves. She said it was awful
suddint. but seein' she. didn't know
what on airth she was goin' to do
here she covered her face with her
handkerchief and blubbered-she reck-
oned she'd better take up with me
even If | was stranger. kissed her
and promised to make her good hus-
band. Then she cried a leetle more.
and said such generous man deserv-
ed a wife that would be kind to him,
and she'd devote the hull of her life
to me.
There's somepin heered about "a
rulin' passion and l reckon / had
one on 'em in them days. l got tired
o. lovemakin' after awhile, jist as.
some married pursons want to come
home and stop loaf1n' before the hon
eymOon has come to an end. Happen
in to put my hand in my coat pocket,
1 felt pack of keerds and. takin' 'ems
out, asked the gal if she knowed any
game. She said she'd never seen any
keerdS before. | allowed I'd teach her
a leetle poker, and, she sittin' on the
back seat and on the front, we made
table o the middle one. l loaned
her some money to begin on.
"She was so stupid about it and play
ed so bad, bettin' when she hadn't
nothin' and layin' down full hand,
that soon won all I'd lent her. She
said if I'd try it agin she thort she
could do better, so | loaned her some
more money. and we went on with the
game. This time she did better. al
though she was mighty stupid.
"'How much is one king wo'th? she
asked
"'Nothin'.' | answered.
1.-TWO kings?
"'Not very much
"'Five kings?'
"'There amt no sich thing
"'Well. she said. I'm goin' to bluff
this time
IT thort I'd show her that it didn't
pay to. tell she was goin' to bluff. and.
havin' three aces. | went for her.
After she'd exhausted what I'd loaned
her she borryed some more and raised
me and KEEP borryin' and raisin' till.
there was a big pot on the table.
When thort I'd done enough to- give
her good lesson l called her.
Dye know. that gal held four kings
and cleaned me outen $400. l larfeda
and thort I'd show her how easy it
would be to win it all back. and L
started in In an hour she had my
pile in her bag.
MY dear said, 'seein' tuck YOU
into this yere coach out o. the broilin'
sun and paid yer fare and considerin'
that lent you the fust stake, reckon
you'll not refuse to lend me somepin to
start in with to get revenge?
"'No.' she said. I better not Seem
you're goin' to be my husband and@
I've got to reform you. I'd better hold
on to any cash that comes into my
Jul pdoSlOH LUZ SdluUlln
mought git the better o. yer in spite O.
all yer good resolutions
Il don't like to spile yer idee O. this
yer stagecoach romance by tellin' the.
rest O. 1t. cause it degenerated from a
love affair to a draw. not draw In
game o poker, but draw after a.
game O. poker, the difference bein' that
the article drawed wasn't a keerd but
a weepon. / was so gol darned dis
gusted with the gal that / tole her
wouldn't trouble her to keep my cash
as my sweetheart or my wife nuther
and she could jist turn over the win
nin's.
"She answered that the days when
wimmen hnuckled down to men was.
over and she proposed to stand for her
rights. With that she TUX her hand
from under jacket she wore, and be-
fore could say Jack Robinson she
had me covered.