Year: 1876

Mississippi During The War.


There were, says the New York
Sun, sitting around the table in a
Fifteenth ward faro bank, that is
temporarily closed through some mis-
understanding with the police, and
having tired Of short cards they fell
to telling stories. you may have
heard this one, said square-ja -jawed
firm faced, gray whiskered man. for
it was printed briefly at the time; but
! was there


In the latter part of 'Gi | made u
trip down the river. There came on
board at Cairo young paymaster
who was on his way to pay n brigade
of troops somewhere in the neighbor.
hood of Vicksburg. 1t was very qnet
on the boat, and on the first night
below Cairo the paymaster spent u
good deal OF his time after supper
walking up and down the saloon.-
There was also walking mp and down
the saloon trim, square shoullered
man, who seemed to be suffering
from the same tediousncss; AMI when
they had met few times the stran-
ger smiled little at the paymaster
and said:


"Dun."


d dull, said the paymastor


Suppose we have little game
OF draw, said the stranger.


Good idea said the paymaster,
and they sat down and went at it.


Both Of them were playing mere.
ly to pass time, at least the paymas.
ter was, and the other man seemed
to be. They had it one way and the
other for au hour or two, playing
about SO for a top bet, and neither
OF them winning or losing much, but
still getting more and more Interest,"
cd. Finally each seemed to get n
big hand, and they began betting
heavy in the most natural sort Of way
The fire had been smoldering, you
see, and it broke ont apparently
without their knowing it.


Neither of them seemed dis
posed to lay dow, and they kept on
raising till they were making bets Of
two, three, five hundred dollars, and
they got tho pot up to about seven
thousand. Then the stranger rested
his eye on the paymaster for mo-
ment, and mado an estimate of the
amount of his pluck and the proba-
BILE size of his pile, and the result of
his observations seemed to be be-
lief that he could bluff him or freeze
him out, for he threw his hand down
on the table, aud leaned over and
pulled bowie knife ont of his boot,
and drove the point down through
the cards into the table. Then he
took a big wallet out Of his breast
pocket, and counted out twenty-five
five hundred dollar notes. lie saw
the paymaster's last bet of five hum
dred, and then hauled revolver of
his hip, pushed the twenty other bills
into the pot, aud said


"'I raise you ten thousand dol
lars


"The paymaster looked at the
gambler about two seconds. Then
he beckoned to his colored boy,
bright, young follow who had taken
the thing in from the start, and who
would have given his master the
wink il he had ever happened to
look in his direction, which ho hadn't.
But he frightened up when he heard
the word, aud walked right straight
off for the paymasters state room,
He disappeared moment, and then
showed up again, backing through
the door dragging trunk after him;
and he came down the saloon rolling
that trunk along on its end, just as
handy as though he had smashed
baggage on through line all his
life. The paymaster took key out
Of his vest pocket, threw up the lid
Of the trunk, aud took Off a sheet of
sole leather that seemed to serve as
asort Of binder for the bundles of
bills underneath. He took two big
PACKAGES out OF the end and laid
them upon ono aide Of the table. -
Then be began taking ont tho other
bundles and stacking them upou the
tabls d, front q HIN. ue kept tax.
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