The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-08-29
The Result Of a
Friendly Game
By EDWARD ]. STEWART

One night a number of men In
mining camp sat around a table play
ing cards for money. A man in a white
cravat and other clerical indications
entered and said:
"My friends. you're making a great
mistake"
"How do you make that out parsonF
drop your game for few minutes
and I viii tell you"
The players /assented. and the clergy
man told the following story:
sDo you see this white necktie? Well.
the reason I'm wearing 1t is because OF
playing for money with friend What
occurred turned my attention to using
what gifts possess to fighting evil
young fellows from eighteen to
twenty-one are apt to play these little
games with each other to pass the
time. At that age they have to learn
by experience that since no one OF them
wishes to quit loser the game Is emo.
less. When they get older they nnd
it doesn't pay and usually give It up.
when / was twenty years old
was one of set of young fellows VINO
played poker in one another's rooms
At first none OF us was ever out more
than a few dollars at sitting. But
our sittings grew longer and longer
There was always some one OF the
gang that was loser, and he would III
variably oppose breaking up, no mat
ter how late the hour. Not only dio
our sittings grow longer. but our
stakes. our winnings. our losings grew
larger.
"On one occasion we came together
at 8 o'clock in the evening, and at In
the morning we adjourned till 8 o'clock
the same evening. One Of the party.
Dick Collins, was out $50. He seemed
quite upset over the loss, for he was
bank clerk on a thousand dollars
year, and his mother needed most OF
his salary. was the principal win
ner and readily assented to giving him
q chance to recoup as soon as the day
was done. We played all the next
night, and. though I gave Dick every
chance to get even, my cards ran so
strong and he bet so high that instead
Of winning he lost At o'clock In the
morning he owed me about 5000
IT didn't want his money, and ]
didn't wish to spend my nights giving
him a chance to win 1t back. offered
to give back all / had won. This
made him very angry, and he asked
me If I thought him a child to make
such a proposition. So consented
that after one nights sleep l you'd
continue the game. was getting anx-
ious to have him regain what he had
lost, for he seemed to be very badly
shaken up. So I made up my mind
when we came together again to bet
high on my low hands and low on my
high hands.
"The next time we sat down to play
the rest of the party had dropped out
They seemed to think that the game
was getting too stiff for them. Dick
produced lot of bills and insisted on
playing for cash instead of on tab, as
we had been playing thus far. I was
DIlSCut Uut ud0 ChOuBh AhOhCJ W
start in with, so assented. Somehow
the cash on the table seemed more tan
gible than I o us, and, though I
didn't try to win. didn't try to lose.
The luck continued with me, and Dick
was so anxious to win that whenever
he had fair hand he would bet very
high, and I was sure to overtop him
by one or two points. Once he held
three mines to my three tens. Another
time / held pair of queens on three
tours. he pair of kings on three
deuces.
AT 3 o'clock in the morning l had
won all the cash he had brought with
him. He was the worst broken up
man / ever saw. His nerves were all
on edge.
"'Go home, Dick I said, and go to
sleep. Tomorrow evening Wen dine
together, and Wen fix this matter up
somehow to your satisfaction. l don't
want your money, and only wish to
find out how can return 1t to you
without trying to lose 1t to you through
the cards.
"'Oh, that's what you have been do
,, ing-trying to lose? he said angrily.
If you don't want my money don't
want your generosity
HE was so hot that l feared he
would strike me. endeavored to
soothe him, but failed.
Generosity be hangedr he kept on
bitterly. More likely the reason I've
lost so heavily to you is that you've
been manip'-
"If hadn't been so young 1 suppose
I might have endured the insult that
was coming. l certainly should have
done so without resentment. for he and
l were intimate friends, and it was the
devil speaking through the cards and
not Dick. Ny right arm went out, and
Dick went over.
mo sooner had struck him than |
was sorry for what had done. He
rose and was coming for me like q
fury when l slipped out through a
door behind me and, darling into my
bedroom, locked the door. He follow.
ed me and after calling me coward and
u ofhars ,Nomoc xuant dotun cfotrS cd l