Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1919-10-17


they leaned breathlessly forward to
observe more closely the play. The
Judge sat upright. his attitude strained.
staring down at his hand, his face
white and eyes burning feverishly.
That he had been drinking heavily was
evident, but Kirby fronted him in APP
parent cold indifference, his feelings
completely masked, with the cards he
held punched in his hands and entirely
concealed from view. Between the two
rested stack of gold coin, a roll of
crushed bills and legal paper of
some kind, the exact nature of which
I could not determine. 1t was evident
that fortune already rested on that
table, awaiting the flip of a card. The
silence, 1.-THE breathless attention, con-
WINGED me that the crisis had been
reached-it was the judges move; he
must cover the last bet or throw down
his hand loser.
Precipitation beaded his forehead,
and he .crunched the cards savagely in
his hands. His glance swept past
the crowd as though he saw nothing
of their faces.
another drink, SAM" he called, the
voice trembling. He tossed down the
glass of liquor as though it were so
much water, but made no other effort
to speak. You could hear the strained
breathing of the men.
SWELL" said Kirby sneeringly. his
cold gaze surveying his motiOnless
opponent. "You seem to be taking
your time. Do you cover my bet?"
Someone laughed nervously, and
voice sang out over my shoulder, "You
might as well go the whole hog,
Judge. The niggers won't be no good
without the land ter work 'em on.
Fling 'em into the pot-they're as good
as money" =
Beaucaire looked up, red-eyed, into
the impressive countenance opposite.
His lips twitched yet managed to make
words issue between them.
"How about that, Kirby?" he asked
hOarsely. "Will you accept a bill of
sale?"
Kirby grinned, shutting his hand
carelessly.
"Why not? 'Twon't be the first time
I've played for niggers. They are
worth SO much gold down the river.
What have you got?"
81 can't tell offhand," sullenly.
about twenty field hands"
''And house servants?"
"Three or four"
The gamblers lips set more tightly,
duh CLEAN creeping into his eyes.
"See here, Beaucaire," he Kissed
sharply. ''This is my game, and ]
play square and never squeal. / know
about what you've got, for I've looked
them over; thought we might get
down to this sometime. / can make
pretty fair guess as to what your mig
gers are worth. That's why l 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-feld hands anG
house servants Most of them are old:
/ doubt if altogether they will bring
that amount, but I'll take the risk
Throw in a blanket bill of sale, and
Wen turn up our cards. If you won't
do that the pile is mine as it stands"
Beaucaire again wet his lips, staring
at the uncovered cards in his hands.
He could not lose; with what he held
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 profess
sional gambler. What gave him such
recklessness? Why should he be SO
eager to risk such sum on an in
ferior hand? McAfee, sitting next
him, leaned over managed to gain
swift glimpse at what he held, and
eagerly whispered to him a word of
encouragement. The judge straight
ened up in his chair, grasped filled
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 itv' he
blurted out. "You can't bluff me on
the hand I've got. Give me sheet
of paper, somebody-yes, that will
do"
He scrawled a half-dozen lines,
fairly digging the pen into the sheet
in his fierce eagerness, and then
signed the document, fiinging the pa
per across toward Kirby.
''There, you bloodsucker," he cried
- \ Ialssisl