Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1919-09-05


cludes every chattel slave legally be-
longing to me-" he said grimly.
THAT is practically what did say"
'Then you can certainly have no
objection to putting 1T in the exact |
words l choose" calmly. Il intend to |
have what is coming to me if L win,
and / know the law"
Beaucaire angrily wrote in the re-
quired extra line.
"NOw what?" he asked.
Let McAfee there sign it as wit |
ness, and then toss it over into the |
pile" He smiled, showing a line of
white teeth beneath his mustache. |
mice little pot, conference.-the judge
must hold some cards to take chance
like that" the words uttered with a
sneer. 'Fours. at least, or maybe he
has had the luck to pick straight
flush"
Beaucaire's face reddened, and his
eyes brew hard.
That's my business" he said terse-
ly. 'Sign it, McAfee, and I'll call this
growing cockerel. You young fool, 1
played poker before you were born.
There now, Kirby, I've covered your
bet"
Perhaps you would prefer to raise
it?"
"You hell-hound-no! That is my
limit, and you know it. Don't crawl
now, or do any more bluffing. Show
your hand-Ive called you"
Eirbv ohco111tolu
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 a 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, he 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.
"Hell! So did Kirby" replied an
other. "They're both of 'em old
hands,"
The sharp exhaust of distant
steam pipe below punctuated the 81
lence, and several glanced about ap-
prehensively. AS this noise ceased
Beaucaire lost all control over his
nerves.
Come on, play your hand" he de-
manded, cor I'll throw my cards in
your face"
The insinuating sneer on Kirby's
lips changed into the semblance of a
smile. Slowly, deliberately, never
once glancing down at the face of his
cards, he turned them up one by one
with his white fingers, his challenging
eyes on the judge; but the others saw
what was revealed-a ten-spot, a
knave, a queen, a king and an ace.
"a straight fush!" someone yelled
excitedly. 'D-d If 1 ever saw one
before!'
For an instant Beaucaire never
moved, never uttered a sound. He
seemed to doubt the evidence of his
own eyes. and to have lost the power
of speech. Then from nerveless
hands his own cards fell face down.
ward, still unrevealed, upon the table.
The next moment he was on his feet.
the chair in which he had been seated
flung crashing behind him on the deck.
"You thief = he roared. "You dirty.
low-down thief; 1 held four aces
where did you get the fifth one?"
Kirby did not so much as move. nor
betray even by a change of expression
his sense of the situation. Perhaps he
anticipated just such an explosion and
was fully prepared to meet it. One
hand still rested easily on the table,
the other remaining hidden.
$50 you claim to have held four
aces" he said coldly. where are
they?"
McAfee swept the discarded hand
face upward and the crowd bent for
ward to look at four aces and a king
"That was the judges han6,p he de
clared soberly. 81 saw it myself be
fore he called you, and told him to
stay"
Kirby laughed-an ugly laugh show.
ing his white teeth.
"The hi you did? Thought yor
knew a good poker hand, 1 reckon
Well, you see knew better one, anC
it strikes me am the one to ask cues
tions," he sneered. Look here, Vol
men; held one ace from the shuttle
Now what l want to know Is where
Beaucaire ever got his four? Pleas
ant little trick of you two-only this
time it failed to work"
Beaucaire uttered one mad oath, ant
endeavored to grasp him but missed
my clutch. The force of his lurchin,
body as he sprang forward upturnet
the table, the stakes jingling to The
deck, but Kirby reached his feet il
,, time to avoid the shock. His hand
which had been hidden, shot out sud
denly, the fingers grasping a revolver
but he did not fire. Before the judg,
had gone half the distance he stopped
, reeled suddenly, clutching at hi
throat, and plunged sideways. Hi
body struck the upturned table, bu
! McAfee and l graped him, lowerinj
5 the stricken man gently to the floor.