The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-02-07
The Man IN the
White Cravat
By JAMES BRAINARD
Copyright. 1917. Western Newspaper Union )

When was young man / went out
west to seek my fortune. That was
just after the war between the states,
and that region of country was still
very rough The plains We're divided
between Indians, buffalo hunters, card
shafps, desperadoes and a few good
people who We're trying their luck in
a new country.
TOT the want of something to do
evenings | used to 90 into n certain
gambling den and watch the cord
shirps. When there were no "scabs.'
as they called those stupid enough to
be gulled by them, they would trv
their card manipulations upon one an
other. The game was to cheat witbor+
being detected. IL a PLAYER deolt ]
card from the bottom of the NICK ord
his opponent saw him do it the Iottor
had simply to say I'm onto that hot
tom deal" and restitution would he
made at once. 1t was amusing TO me
TO see their featS of legerdemain and
to observe how their opponents caught
them in the act
One evening after supper | went into
this den and was looking at the men
play. They were all sharps except one
man who was greenhorn. I had seen
him there on many an evening and no.
tced that they were gradually taking
his money from him. Presently
young man wearing a white cravat
came in and said
Gents, there will be PRAYER meet
ing over the Alhambra saloon at nine
O'Clock this evening. All those who de-
sire to switch off from the road TO hell
and get aboard the express for heaven
are invited to attend"
he had scarcely finished this Quaint
announcement when a little boy came
In and, going to the greenhorn, said:
Papa, ma wants you TO come home.
She says the baby is in commissions"
The dupe's face wore a look of an
guish. He wanted to go to his child.
but he had just lost a hundred dollars
and wanted to stay and win it back.
'Neighbor," said the man in The
white cravat, give me your seat. I'll
play for you till nine O'Clock; then.
since I'm conductor of the train for
heaven, I'll have to go. l think | can
play this game as well as YOU"
The greenhorn surrendered his seat
and the conductor of the heavenly.
train took up the cards which had been
put before him to deal. 1t was eyi-
dent at once that he was not unfa-
mlllar to them. He shuffled them in
way that would take any ordinary
man long practice to learn, if indeed
he could ever master it. Then III
dealt them. fiinging them into the air
SO that they came down like leaves il
q November wind. and the betting be-
gan. .,-
Please give that card back to the
gentleman on your left-the knave Of
clubs, he said to one of the PLAYERS.
The man addressed threw the knaye
OF clubs on the table, the man on the
left took it up and the game proceed
ed without any further interruption.
Presently the parson. seeing 4 good
~ pile on the table. said Surprising
we make this a jackpot, gents:" All
agreed and the parS0n. whose deal /,
was, opened it. The betting ran high
and 1t was not long before there We're
several hundred dollars on the table
Then some one called"
Gents said the narson, throwing
his cards on the table face M. there
you see a royal flush, the ace. king.
queen. knave and ten of hearts. Since !
there is no hand to beat a royal flush |
IL scoop the pile" And he proceeded |
to rake the money off the table.
After that he held his own till an
other fat pile was gathered on the ia
BILE, when all dropped out except the |
parson and one other They raised /
and raised each other till finally tbe |
parSon showed four aces. His onno- /
nent showed four kings. Again the
parson raked in a goodly sum.
AT that moment the man whose
place he had taken came in.
"HoW's the baby?" asked the par-
son.
All right and asleep"
here?, -o9'
Twelve hundred dollars"
The parson counted ont twelve him.
dfed dollars, then turned it over TO The |
loser and pushed back what was left
to the sharps.
Gents said the parson to the Iot- |
ter "A few years ago l was worse
man than any of you. fell in love
with q good girl and she made . diff
Iefent man OF me. I embra ed her ra-
lision and since then hav, become =
Methodist parson. Ny church thinks
nave a better field among such a.
was ana they have sent me 10 WORT IN
Ihis God-forsaken vineyard. Then
rising ne took each man by The hand
and pledged every one Of them 10 ~.
Lend the meeting TO be he'd above the
Alhambra hail.
The parson then went 10 The hona
u the man whose money he had
saved 70 him, and when til. vifa AMI
mother heard the story ana saw the
money she threw her arms about the
neck and kissed him