The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1921-10-27

game was draw poker and he held
four kings. On the last time around
he promptly laid his hand down. l
thought had made a mistake in Civ
ing him the $40 if he knew no more
about playing poker than that. Then
the cards we're shown and one man
held four aces, another foul queens
and another four jacks. Without a
doubt my friend had known where
every big card in the deck a The
instant the fourth ace vas dealt he
knew it and laid down his hand. He
was not in the same class with the
poker players we had, for they play
ed on the square. l said nothing
for l knew nothing about the strang-
er or what he was doing. He left the
game with $720 in his pocket, paid
what he owed and l never saw
him again. I never even learned his
name.
"Was it common to lend money to
entire strangers? 1t was with gamb-
lers in the early days, or for that
matter with any one, and the loaner
seldom lost by putting confidence in
his associates. A mans debt then
was secured by his honor. 1t was all
we had and a debt was a sacred
thing. If a man owed you money
and didn't see you for years he would
remember it and pay it when he got
a chance. They remembered then.
OF course they remember now, but
they depend on legal rights or any
kind of excuse to get out Of paying.
Look Him i'm the Eye
ANY stranger that looked right
could get $40 as easy as you could
borrow a postage stamp now. A
scratch of the pen was seldom made
to record a debt. If a man got up
against it he would just come up to
some fellow that looked like he had
money and ask for $40. The one
asked would start to going right
down in his pocket while he looked
the man in the eye. If he looked
he got the money.
There was lots of loaning done
with no security and no interest.
Some of the men with the gambling
instinct strong in them would work
in the mines or the shelters until
they got a check. They would gam
Die that away and then borrow what
hey wanted and gamble that away.
Then they would have to go back
% work and when they got a check
hey would pay their debts, pay for
BOARD and room and gamble as long
Is they had a cent. They kept this
Up as long as they lived or as long
Is a gambling house was to be found.
Their credit was good then because
hey played on the square,"
Superstitions were quite as much
part of the gamblers equipment as
Wit and endurance, Young solemnly
-sserted. Not only was and is the
,amb1er's superstition inseparable
rom the gamblers mental scheme,
tut everybody in the world has
vhims which are no more nor less
han superstitions, he believes.
All Were Superstitious
Eyes, gamblers were consistently
uperstitious," he said. II was SUI
erstitious, too. l had a particular
yay of getting into bed and If | re-
rendered after l got into bed that
had not done it that way / would
ct up, dress and not try to sleep
hat night. Every man who followed
ames of chance had his particular
Tays of doing things and if he had
ad luck he would blame it on some
of these rules.
Gamblers held firmly to such be-
efs as one that a man standing be-
ind a particular player would bring
i'm bad luck. If you rested your
,ot on a gamblers chair he was sure
} tell you to remove it. He believed
unlucky. Many more talismans,
hich might consist of a bit Of jew
Try or a coin to bring them luck.
hey would believe that the loss of
would be followed by dire results
do not recall a gambler that did not
ave his whims. French Levy, who
ad an interest in the DAILY saloon,
Ould never allow a clock in the sa-'