Year: 1876

"b 'N' ~ ""' P'A"'SN p''Si'y ~ 'hS
time but was there:


"ln the latter par. Of CA / made q
trip down the river. There came on
board at Cairo young paymaster who
was on bis way to pay brigade of troops
somewhere in the neighborhood of vicks.
burg. 1t was very quiet on the boat,
and on the first night below Cairo the
paymaster spent good deal of his time
after supper walking up and down the
saloon. There was also walking up and
down the saloon a trim square~shsaljered
man who seemed to be suffering from tie
tediousness; and when they had met a
few times the stranger smiled little at
the paymaster and said:


Dull"


"D---dull," said the paymaster


Suppose We have little game Of
craw,' said the stranger.


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


Both of them we're playing merely to
pastime, at least the paymaster was, and
the other nah seemed to be. They had
it one way and the other for an hour or
two, playing about s. for top bet. and
neither Of them winning or losing much,
but still getting more interested. Finally
each seemed to get big hand, aud they
began betting heavy in the most natural
sort Of way. The fire had been smoul>
dering, you see, and it broke out appear
emily without their knowing it,


Neither Of them seemed disposed
to lay down, and they kept on raising and
raising till they were making bets Of two,
three, five hundred dollars, ond they got
the pot up to about seven thousand
Then the stranger rested his eye on the
paymaster for moment, and made an
estimate of the amount Of his pluck and
the probable size Of his pile, and the re-
suit of his observations seemed to be o
belief that he could, bluff him or freeze
him out, for he threw his hand down on
the table, and leaned over and pulled a
bowie knife out Of his boot, and drove
the point Of it through the cards into the
table. Then he took big wa allet out OF
his breast pocket, ,and counted out twenty.
one five hundred dollar no.es.-IIe saw
the paymasters's last bet Of FIVE hundred
aud then hauled a revolver off his hip
pushed the twenty other bills into the
pot, and said: g.


"I raise you ten thousand dollars


"The paymaster looked at the gambler
about two seconds. Then he beckoDed
to his colorcd boy, a bright young fellow
who had taken the thing in from The
start, and who would have given his
master the wink if he had ever happened
to look in bis direction, which be hadn't
But he frightened up when be heard ths
word, aud walked right straight off fol
the paymaster's state-room. He disap
peared moment, and then showed W
again, backing through the door, dragging
a trunk after him: anj he come dowr
the saloon rolling that trunk along on it
eud. just as handy as though he baC
smashed baggage on through line al
his life. The paymaster took key ou
Of his vest pocket, threw up the lid of tht
trunk. and took off sh eet of sole leather
that seemed to serve as sort of binder
for the bundles of bills underneath. HI
took two big packages out of the enc
and laid them upon the table in front o
him. He kept taking out and stacking
up till he had built big triangular
shaped rile, Ike two pairs Of stair
meetisg at the top and filed in solid
underneath.
|


Then be threw bis hand down on III,
table and palled bowie knife out of hi.
boot and spiked it down through tht
cards, al while the handle was still
shiveriug he handed the two bundles into
the middle of the table, and said: 4 see
your ten thousand dollars' here be braced
himself back against the pile and began
showing it up on the table, continuing tc
talk all the time-'and l raise you hun
dred and seventy-6ve thousauir' and
then hs did it so quick that I couldn',
see how it was done be had pistol Of
Of each hip aud was resting an elbow
about half way up on each side Of .ht
greenback stairs, both shooters covering
the gambler. and holding them yer,
straight and steady, too.


"Nov. the gambler was an old man
aud ofmuch more experience than th,
paymsster, and under any sort Of ordinary
circumstances ha conld bava handled hin