I 3
THE COURIER.
11
I
r
TWENTY 1 HOUSAND OF DUST, five
ty."
The Story of a Game of Poker.
Having pronounced theso words in a
tone of cool resolution, he Bat down at
the table and began to shuffle the cards,
looking at me the while in quiet mock
ery. I stood leaning on the back of a
chair and tried to think. It was true
what he had said. The halt of 820,003
was nothing; in a lump sum it might
pass. Nothing better could be done. I
knew the game to the bottom. It was
one of ray lucky nights. I sat down,
and we cut for deal.
It sounds almost too ridiculous to
tell. My cousin, Faul Clifford, and I
had come back from the West with
820,000 in gold dust between us. Then,
as the devil would have it, wo had both
fallen in love with Mies Flossy Camp
bell, whom we had known in childhood.
We spoks to her father, for wo prided
ourselves on being gentlemen. He was
kind, inquired inti the state of our
finances, stipulated for a capital of
"Thirty." "Thirty-five." "For
He teemed to hesitate for a mo
ment, and the suspicion shot through
my mind that he bad been "bluffing.''
If so he was about to pay dearly for it.
that I can claim the pot.
But I'm no struck me, and I fairly laughed with de
light. It was so aimole, and if the cold
weather continued, as was probable,
there would be no danger of any smol!
for months.
So. having completed the circuit of
the garden, I returned to the house and
seemed to be racing past me. "A
straight, ten to aco. And yours?" "A
straight flush." I whispered, and put
ting out my hand, I raked in the enor
mous pile of checkp, JIo stared at mo
hog and I have a good enough hand to
trust to. Let it stand at fifteen. Show!'
I threw down my four six's. He
stared at them for a moment, and then,
Slowly ho put down the ten additional with a wild cry of triumph, held before
chips. "Forty five." "Fifty," I an- my eyes four kings. I had lost.
swtred. Jle raised no more, but put Ked tire teemed to bubble up in my the room. Coming in from the fresh
out the five chirs necessary to equalize brain. Regardless of the intervening morning air, the fumes of tobacco and
our bets. Half the capital of each lay table I sprang at hi throat like a whiskey and foul air almost sickened
in two little piles of whita d'sc between maniac. The table was overthrown, me. and another odor, more sickening-
us. I dared not go higher "Show your and we rolled on the floor together, than all. The body sat where I had left
hand," I ejaculated in a voice that striking, grappling and cursing. He was it. The blood had coased trickling, but
B)u ruled cracked and old. My ejes stronger than I, but supernatural force the back and sides of tho chair were
buint with red flames, and the room Beemcd to have been lent me for the soaked and sodded. However, that difli-
occasion. I struck him twico ou the culty could be got rid of. There were
forehead with my clenched fist, and tho more important matters which must
steaming blood spurted out into my come first.
face, and even between my hair opened No one appenrcd to bo up. I went to
lips. I recollect its salt taste even now. the wood houe and found a hammer, u
Tor a moment with a cureo. "Never His grip relaxed, and seizirg a billet of large chisel an 1 some nails. Furnished
mind," he said, ''my luck will come wood that lay beside the fireplace, I with these toole, I returned to the rcom,
later." dealt him a tfiird and more crushing locked myself in and sot to work. It
It would tako far too long to detail blow across the temples. He straight- was but a matter of a few minutes to
the events of that night. We won and ened out and lay sti'l. I rose and ttood turn the carpet back from a corner ot
Io3t by turns. But, on the whole, I beside him. of the room, exposing tho bare boards,
found my pile sinking. My nerves, al- Y.u would have thought that ho was thick maple plank?, fifty years old.
S2CC0 and dismissed us. That was ready weakenc.l by two nigbti' revels, dead as no lay there, pale and bleeding. Then, using the chisel as a crowbar, I
what led up to Hub affair. Twenty began to play me fal-e. I dropped the on the blue carpet, but Lknew well that was able, with some difficulty, to raise
thousand was not twenty-five, but by cards when I tried to shuttle, and the he was only temporarily Btuntud, so I one of tbeno and turn it aside.
judicious speculation might be Jrans- room seemed to be whirling past me raised him aud placed him in the great It was as I had expected. There was
formed to that sum. As for swelling with lightnirg speed. A roaring sound- velvet easy-chair where he had been a space quite two feot deep beneath
$10,000 to the required amount, it was ed ir my eais. Mo?t things appeared sitting. Then 1 got a revolver from the the beams on which the floor was laid.
double but the cards; they were clear drawer ot the sideboard, and sat down This suited my purpose exactly, and in
and plain. I grew to know and love opposite him to wait for his revival. less time than it takes to tell it I had
them the nnjestic King of Spades, He was a long time in coming to. At the body tumbled in. along with '.he re-
looking on me, as I thought, benignly; last I thought of throwing a tumbler of volver and the bloodstained wooden
the King of Diamonds, half turned whiskey and water iu his face, though I billet. The plank was then nailed down
aside as if to assist my rival; I cursed daresay he would have preferred it and the carpet renlaced. and 1 breathed
At this he slowly re- more freelv. I richted the table, nickmi
simply preposterous. Neither of us had
any talent for work; the roulette table
was the only hope, and there the odds
were too heavily against us. Yes, Clif
ford had hit on the best means of set
tling it. once for all.
Ieotthedeal. and hold alow straicht, him under my breath; the adorable down his throat.
three to seven, and did not discard, yueen or Hearts and the devil-may-care vivea, cougnmg and gasping, and at last up the scattered cards and set the room
Clifford took three cards, and I saw his Jacks I formed an acquaintance with be opened his eyes and looked at me. in order generally,
eyes brighten. But I had confidence, them all, and fancied that each one "How do you feel now, Cliff?" I in- By thB time I heard a stirring about,
"A hundred," he said, putting down a greeted me with a look of friendship as quired kindly. "You put" up a good caused no doubt by our old houeekeep
chip. "Two," I replied. 'Three.' t appeared in my hand. Even the tight, but I got the better of ou fcr er and ganeral superintendent. I went
"Four," I responded, placing the ivory, spotted diamonds and spades appeared once. Better luck next time, perhaps, out to the kitchen and found that this
"Five." I dared not go higher. "I see 1 twinkle with a friendly light. I had By the way, as for theee things," denot- surmise was correct,
you," I answered. '-Show your hand." sense enough to know that my head inc the chips scattered arsund the floor. "Mrs. Adams," I said, "my cdusm has
He threw down bis own cards, and was qu:er, and kept myself screwed up "I suppose we had better c insider . gone west again on the early train this
buret into a hot laugh. "Four queens, to the pitch with whiskey, but the But never mind; Wjj -wilLepeak of that morning.,. It was rather a sudden
by Jove!" Five hundred gone, and lost strain was terrific. again. Dojou want to say anything, move," I added, lamely. I was conscious
on a certain hand! I ground down I counted my chips. I had twenty- '"ItfT? Would jou care for a Bup of how feeble it must sound, but the old
curses into my teeth. five eacn representing 81C0. I had now whiskey? No? Very well, then. I bear lady seemed quite satisfied.
While he was shuffling, I took a long lost three-fourths of my original capital, you no grudge, Cliff, but it's for Twenty "Oh yes, and, xMrs. Adams," I said,
drink of John Dewar's Bco'ch whisky and was compelled to play more cau- Thou, and Lady Flossy. For dear Lady suddenly turning buck as if by an after
which revived me, and I lighted a cigar tisus'y. Then it happened that at the Flossy, Cliff? Don't forget that, old thought, "will you kindly see if you can
with an affectation of careleesness. Clif- very next deal I had a flush. boy." clean one of the large armchairs in the
ford was nervous; I could see bis hand Now, a flush always looks more than And with that I pulled the trigger, blue room. Clifford bad a severe attack
or bleeding at the nose, last night, and
it got badly spoiled."
"There is one good act performed,'' I
told mjself. "Sho has evidently no sus
picions whatever, ani the damning evi-
shaking. Success, as I knew, always it really is, on account of the glitter of and shot him through the heart
It must have killed him at once, for
his head merely fell over on his left
shoulder, and hi6 body seemed instantly
to grow as limp as a bit of string. A
thin driblet ot blood began to trickle dence ot all that blood will presentlybe
down his waistcoat. removed."
Next 1 had to think about the disposal That was a bu6y day with me. Tho
excited him. With me, unfortunately, the unirorm color of the cards. But as
it was the other way. 1 nau naa the devil's own luck for a
I had no hand this time and would time, the phenomenal hands of the be
not go. He threw down his cards with a ginning having quite disappeared, I de-
smotheted oath, and I saw that he had cided to risk it. So I ran it up toSl.000,
held three sevens, which confirmed me Cliff simply sseing my bets, and then
in my resolution to play cautiously till called. To my horror he put down a
his run or luck should be past. tun, taKice the pot and reducing me to ot the body. -U,UUU or dust J. deposited in the bank.
It was my deal next, and I felt a thrill the last extremity. "I never before fully appieciated the Loter, in the afternoon, I called on Mr.
of exultation strike me. I had felt it Fifteen hundred dollars now consti- evils of civilization," I sjliloquizid, 6tar- Campbell, and showed him the bank
before, and its presence never deceived tuted my capital, and for a long time I ing at the corps, that seemed to return book. He looked surprised,
me. When I looked at my cards I had waited for good cards, which were long my gaze with head on one side and eyes "Twenty-five thousand, I think I
a simple flush, all hearte,-but, by Jove! in coming, fortirying my nerves mean- hair closed. "In Nevada you can shoot raid," he remarked with just an accent
seven, eight, nine, ten and ace. Only while with copious draughts of whisky a man and leave him about anywhere, or saicasm in his tone,
one card wanting to complete the se- and water. Cl.fford evidently thought and nothing said. But here, constables "I am aware of that, Mr. Campbell."
quence. and give me tho king of hands, the game was as good as won, for there and detectives and coroners' juries I responded eagerly, "but there are
a straight Hush. I thought of the prom- was a hellish lig'at of laughter in his Verdict: 'Came to his death at the other circumstances that havo induced
isethatlhad felt, and decided to risk eyes, which almost maddened me, hands of persons unknown.' Damn it me to speak to you again. Twenty
it. Clifford was watching me. I gave though I kept outwardly calm. all! My head is reeling. I'll go outside thousand in cash I have; then there are
him two cards, and slowly drew off one At last my long expected hand lurned and take a walk and think it over." two or three thousand invested in west
for myself. I could have shouted when up three sixes. I discarded two cards So I locked the door and went out. ern mining stocks." This was a lie. but
I saw it It was tho eix or heart, the and drew the other 6ix, making me four It was about 3 o'clock, and ju6t getting I was playing too high to care for trifles,
mistirgcai dot the hand, of a kind. On this band I resolved to light. The trees were full or birds, and I reared that he might ask me ror the
With such a combination it behooved lose all or win Clifford bet 81200. the air was shrill with their chirping, certificates of 6tock. But after a short
me to play cautiously. One,'" I said . "Three," I replied. "Five," was his an- Tlie east was of a pale lemon color, pause, I went on.
'Three," replied my antagonist. "Five," swer. 1 trembled at such confidence growing brighter and more ruddy each "Then there is the house, as well as
I hazarded, in some fear lest he should but felt the necessity or keeping up an- moment. At last the full light Hashed the grounds and stables, worth at least
weak. It was my nerves.
I continued my walk about the gar
1 . h.wI nn t V " ttr hia h i a wl . An .. AA.. ilC - .. TV ..rn .
uecreiu auiuicu oua miun u.uiauouu. iiearuuven. oivcn. aen, no ln-
Buthe eidently had good carJs, and stantly responded. I dated iiot raise,
wb hopeful. He answered with "Six." for I had but fifteen, and contented
"Eight," I responded. 'Ten." I placed myself ith seeing his bet. He at once
twelve cbirs on the table. raised it to twelve. I again followed den. bending all the energies of my mind
We had now 5-2,400 in the pot, and Tor suit, "r if teen," he exclaimed, in tones to the solution or the problem. There
a moment I felt inclined toca.lahalt. of triumph. I placed my last chip on was no deep lake or pool into
But I lefltc'ed that he could not pessi- the board. "And twenty!' he shouted, which the body might be sunk;
bly beat my straight flush, and that this with the voice of a demon, shoving a to burn it was impossible. I
was my opportunity for ending the double handrul or chips toward the cen- had not the materials to chemically de
game. I resolved to follow him as high tre of the table. I sat helpless; I had compose it and dared lot buy them; to
as he would go. no more. bury it was dangerous, but seemed the
"Fiftean," he called, and bis voice web "You can't see it?" shouted mv con- only resource,
harsh and dry. -Twenty." "Twentj- queror. "Then I suppose you 'know But where? At this point, an idea
over the great old house, and seemed to 816 000 one of the finest residences in
stain it red red, like . Bah! I was the sta'e. So that"
your
"Pardon me," interrupted Mr. Camp
bell, with a slight smile, "but if I ?m
not misiaKen, in the last item
cousin has an equal share."
"That was the case," I replied, "but
we have ananged it between up. and I
am to have full possession. Clifford re
turned to Arizona this morning" (in a
thick voice).
Mr. Campbell looked wearied and de
pressed. Evidently all theso monetary
details were distasteful to him. "Well
well," he murmured, "I do not wish to
73WST'!