The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-17

thcr aid in the controversy, threw
down his cards.
IL reckon I can't improve none,"
said Winterbottom when the dealer
asked him how many cards h, would
take In the draw, and he showed down
his four tens with an air of confidence.
Tho stranger looked at them with a
1 smile, struggling his shoulders in a
fashion hat confirmed their belief
that he must be n Frenchnan, and
that also indicated his belief that he
was probably beaten. After he had
called for " cards, however, he
looked at them and smiled again with
"a different expression. Then he showed
do~n four jacks.
Then he reached out after the pot
as a matter of course, but Sam Pear
sail spoke up suddenly.
Hold up" he exclaimed. Pears
like they must he a hellova lot mo-
jacks n usual in the deck. l done
| throwed one in the ~discyard."
The discard was turned over and IL
vas shown to be true that there were
five jacks. There was nothing about
either of the two club jacks to indi-
cate that 1t had been introduced sur.
reptitiously, however. for they seemed
identical in appearance, n the only
thing to do was to declare the deck
foul and divide the pot. This was ac-
cordingly lone without special COM
ment, though Blaisdell looked at the
stranger with perfectly evident sus-
picion.
a new deck was called for and the
game went on. Old man Grccnlaw,
however. after he had taken in the
carN.s and had heard what had hap
pened, went out shaking his head
sravc',.
~ nat kyind of n %critter does yo' all
reckon that Is in yonder?' he asked Of
Mr.. owen Pepper, who sat smoking in
the barroom.
"Oh, l don know" said Mr.. Pep
per. 81 seen him down to New or
leans last winter. an they was some
said he was a furrin actor, but 1 never
seen him act. They lone told me his
name was Robert ID. Abel. or somepin'
like that. but l don't know nothin'
mo- bout him."
well, 1 dunno how able he is" said
the old man. but he sho' does want to
look out To- them teeth o hisp case Of
Il disturbance. II I fetch him "A lick
with the bungstarter I aim to knock
out a couple on 'cm TO the purpose o.
seein' if them stones is real"
Meantime the five in the back room
continued playing as il nothing un-
usual had happened, but at least four
, Of them were unable to understand
how that fifth jack had got into Il new
deck. and they could not forget the
incident. Blaisdell's thought was that
the stranger must have introduced il.
, ! but as he had been unable to see any
, thing out of the way he could say
nothing. The new deck was red, the
, previous one being blue, and he exam
ined it carefully to see that it was
perfect. Then he watched the stranger
!, closely, as did all the others.
/, Nothing happened till the deal am
to Blaisdell again. and this time that
, astute gentleman determined that
nothing Should go wrong II was a
simple matter for him to deal Pearsall
, four aces and give the mi four
, queens and "A king, n he did 1t so
, deftly that no ordinary player would
have suspected anything.
The stranger looked at his cards
, without excitement and without COM
| ment, but when it came TO his turn
! To bet. after Pearsall and Rassctt had
: both come in, he raised il 800. Rlais-
& dell and Winterbottom dropped. Pear
sail made 1t 500 more. and Bassctt
saw that 1t was up to him to do
exactly what he had done before, so
y he boosted with another hundred.
Then the stranger, as before. pushed
4 his whole stack forward. Pearsall saw
him and Bassett dropped. Pearsall
q TODD pat, and the stranger permitted
a look of anxiety to show on his face.
. Slowly he looked through his cards
again n again. as il doubtful
whether to take thI nance of filling
/, "a full house, or drawing boldly t. a
single pair. At least hat was what
, Pearsall was thinking and he grinned
), pleasantly as he nursed his four aces,
- AT last the stranger sal "Geeve me
= one" and discarding one from his
hand. he took what the dealer gave
him and sprang his little joke. showing
down his four queens and reaching
for the pot with one of his brilliant
smiles.
He drew back when Pearsall spread
. his hand on the table, and said, as II
II greatly perpleXed: "There ees again
. some m~eestake. Look at the deescard
once more"
They turned it over n on top OF
it lay a fifth ace. There was no ques-
, ton hat the strange put II there
u though they had seen hip TAKE it from
the original five that Blaisdell gave
to hin.
y, That gentleman, however, was not
VI to be bamboozled. 80 yo' all is the
5 son Of a gun that's foulin' the deck
% is yo'?" he exclaimed and put his hand
'e to his hip pocket. Then he paused.
II The stranger regarded him placidly
D "You look for your peestal. is it not p
y he said. Permit me" and reachini
over he pulled the missing weapon on
% OF Joe Bassett's outside pocket an,
VI offered 1t to Blaisdell with anothe
~ smile.
y II was too much for Bassett n h
vi arose with fury. hastily, but as IN
y rushed toward the stranger that mys
FERROUS person rose in the air wit
&C birdlike agility and shot across tn
i table, landing with both feet on Bas
e sett's broad chest, knocking him low
'e squarely, but landing upright on tn
-, floor beside him, and giving anothe
q exhibition of his teeth as he locke
," pleasantly around.