Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-06-14
WARMINGA
SERPENT
BY F. A. Mitchell

pie were UOTe prone lO SdHD4S thoNA
now, and these steamers were used by
professional "blacklegs," who reaped
a rich harvest from confiding persons
who were enticed by various schemes
to play.
One morning several young men from
st. Louis were standing about table
at which sat professional gambler
and rawboned countryman from the
interior of Missouri. The onlookers
were friends and had often played a
friendly gentlemen's game of poker to-
gether at each others home and prid-
skillful thereat. They noticed that the
gambler was purposely losing his mon
ey to the greenhorn, evidently with the
intention of drawing him on to play
for higher stakes, when he would take
all the cash his opponent possessed.
Presently the two were notified that
the tables must be set for dinner, and
they were obliged to cease playing, the
gambler exacting promise that he
would be given a chance for revenge
during the afternoon.
The party Of st. Louisans knew well
that the countryman would be cleaned
out and regretted to see him made a
victim. One Of them was deputed to
go to him and explain the gamblers
game. The countryman was not con-
vinced. At any rate, he declared that
he had passed the word of a Mis-
sourian to give the man whose money
he had won his revenge and he would
keep the promise.
Then his would be benefactors con-
cluded that they would ask him to play
a small game with them before sitting
down with the gambler designing to
win his money and hand it back to
him, exacting his promise not to risk
it again to any one during the trip.
He said that he had promised to play
with the man whose money he had
won during the morning, but had not
promised to play with any one else
before doing so; therefore he felt that
it would be honorable for him to ac-
cept the invitation.
AS soon as the dinner dishes were
cleared away the st. Louisans and the
countryman sat down at a table and
began their game. While they were
at it the gambler came along and, see
ing that his victim had been taken
from him, berated him soundly. The
cOuntryman excused himself on the
ground that he would give the gambler
his revenge before the afternoon had
passed, and the st. Louisans volunteer
ed to give him up at o'clock p. m.
This did not allay the gamblers ire,
and for time it was feared that there
would be fight between him and the
M1ssourian. However. the gambler
finally quieted and left the party, say.
ing that he should expect his revenge
from the other at o'clock
The st. Louisans did not proceed to
win the greenhorn's money all at once,
fearing to frighten him off before thev
had saved it all for him. They per-
mitted him to win several pots, then
glanced at one another the signal to
begin operations at once They intend
ed to play fair game, believing that
they could by skill accomplish their
object.
But about the time they were ready
to win the mans money he became
possessed of several remarkable hands.
With tens full on aces he Won a Dot of
500, the next highest hand being full
sevens on queens. Then he took a
large jack pot with four deuces. Be
fore the st. LouisanS were aware of
how the game was going he had taken
over 5000 from them. From this their
loss ran up to $500, and the country
man was still winning.
The men who had taken pity on the
countryman began to feel that they
had warmed serpent in their bos
oms. Where the mans splendid hands
came from they could not divine. But
he did not always need good hands to
win. Whenever he bet high even if
he held low cards, he always overtop.
ped the others.
Soon after he sat down TO NAV q
man who looked like one of the pas
sengers loitered by and stopped to have
look at the game. AS it progressed
he seemed to be more and more inter-
'ested in it and maintained his position,
which was always behind one of the
st. Louisans, never behind the coun-
tryman. Suddenly one of the former
threw down his hand, saying:
Il reckon we've had enough of this
boys. I'm going to quit"
From his manner his friends We're
satisfied that he had discovered some.
thing wrong, and all rose from the ta.
BILE, leaving the countryman some ST.
900 winner. When they were out of
hearing of their intended beneficiary
the man who had cried enough was
asked what had caused him to do So
'That fellow who stood over ne and
was so interested in the game had a
mirror under his coat, and when he
wished to show our opponent the hand
Of any of us he would move his coat
lapel just enough to do so. His sue.
do