The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1919-10-09


"And house servants?"
''Three or four"
The gamblers lips set more tightly,
a dull CLEAN creeping into his eyes.
"See here, Beaucaire," he Kissed
sharply. "This Is my game, and i
play square and never saueal. know
about what you've got, for I've looked
them over; thought we might get
down to this sometime. can make a
pretty fair guess as to what your mig
gers are worth. That's why I just
raised you ten thousand and put up
the money. Now If you think this is
bluff, call me-"
'What do you mean?"
"That l will accept your niggers as
covering my bet"
"The field hands?"
Kirby smiled broadly.
"The whole bunch-field hands and
house servants. Most of them are old !;
l doubt If altogether they will bring
that amount, but I'll take the risk
Throw in n blanket bill of sale, and
We'll turn up our cards. If you won't
do that the pile Is mine as 1t stands"
Beaucaire again wet his lips, staring
at the uncovered cards in his hands.
no combination was possible which
would beat him. Yet in spite of this
knowledge the cold, sneering conf
dence OF Kirby brought with 1t a
strange fear. The man was q profess
sional gambler. What gave him such
recklessness? Why should he be so
eager to risk such a sum on an in
ferior hand? McAfee, sitting next
him, leaned over, managed to gain
swift glimpse ut what he held, and
eagerly whispered to him word Of
encouragement. The judge straight
ened up in his chair, grasped filed
glass someone had placed at his elbow,
and gulped down the contents. The
whispered words, coupled with the
fiery liquor, gave him fresh courage.
"By heaven, Kirby, I'll do it," he
blurted out. "You can't bluff me on
the hand I've got. Give me a sheet
Of paper, somebody-yes, that will
do"
He scrawled half-dozen lines,
fairly digging the pen into the sheet
in his fierce eagerness, and then
signed the document, flinging the pa
per across toward Kirby.
"There you bloodsucker." he cried
insolently. as that all right? VIII
that do?"
The imperturbable gambler read T.
over slowly, carefully deciphering each
word, his thin lips tightly compressed.
''You might add the words, This in
cludes every chattel slave legally be-
longing to me-" he said grimly.
"That is practically what I did say"
"Then you can certainly have no
objection to putting 1t in the exact
words I choose" calmly. II intend to
have what is coming to me If win,
and know the law"
Beaucaire angrlly wrote in the re-
quired extra line.
'Now what?" he asked.
''Let McAfee there sign II as a wit
ness, and then toss ii over into the
pile" He smiled, showing a line Of
white teeth beneath his mustache.
"Nice little pot, conference.-the judge
must hold some cards to take chance
like that" the words uttered with a
sheer. "Fours, at least, or maybe he
has had the luck to pick straight
flush."
Beaucaire's face REDEEMED, and his
eyes brew hard.
''That's my business" he said terse-
ly. "Sign 1t, McAfee, and I'll call this
Growing cockerel. You young fool. l
played poker before you were born.
There now, Kirby, I've covered your
bet"
Perhaps you would prefer to raise
it?"
"You hell-hound-nol That Is my
limit, and you know 1t. Don't crawl
now, or do any more bluffing. Show
your hand-I've called you"
Kirby sat absolutely motionless, his
cards lying face down upon the table,
the white fingers Of one hand resting
lightly upon them, the other arm con-
cealed. He never once removed his
gaze from Beaucaire's face, and his
expression did not change, except for
the almost insulting sneer on his lips.
The silence was profound, the deeply
interested men leaning forward, even
holding their breath IN intense eager
ness. Each realized that fortune
lay on the table; knew that the old
judge had madly staked his all on the
value of those five unseen cards
gripped in his fingers. Again, as
though TO bolster up his shaken cour
age. be stared at the face of each, then
lifted his bloodshot eyes to the i'm
passive face opposite.
"Beaucaire drew two kayards,"
whispered an excited voice near me.
"HeIl So did Kirby replied an
other. They're both of 'em old
hands"