Show T Poker aye at LaCrosse L When fn i used to travel almost amo t con constantly some Rome th d y years ars ago aco agor r thu u h what is hi now not n rw called al I believe e ethe the middle west Id d the 4 J f yOung man tine the general drift or of things thin was 8 very Nry nr different from what 1 understand un h it to be arI I Existence on this side Ide of the Alle AlJe ghani a was wu unquestionably larger free fIef and lens lees e t orderly rd riy ly than tha In the cities of or the lire Atlantic A tte roast feast and one lar symptom tom of ot this was Wall th openness 1 with which gambling was waa u carried on onI onI I 2 dont to 10 Kay aay iy that tote e was wu any ny mOT mor gambling gam ling done out oat here than ther theT WWI was there hut there was lese lees concealment or j of concealment As A I J remember r it tt there were e two twp games game that tha t were played play 1 to any greet t extent In n the ordinary Rambling gambling hour hou at that time Faro und and poker potter W were r the maple tap And the poker wee was times time of a kind to take your h away a way even if you were wj re only looking on There was one game that I saw ilia at atLa Ja La rouse Will WIs WI that I never forgot It way war for big bill money but that want what hat fixed It in my memory r I 1 never r played poker pok r there theN myself for i J had a wholesome Ime dread of the professional prOf gambler am and I knew enough of cards Garde oven even then to see Mee that there bent t was waR a lot of If crooked play going on un Rut Hut I used to t hip in a few dollars doHan s at II t faro fa JO whenever I was wee in La Oman just to tl pay my footing fOlting and then sit lilt around and watch the play pia If you kept pt your mouth dosed nobody would object abject and there theft was WitS generally some something j thing worth t or th seeing fleeing 8 ln going on I The Game at La Irv Crosse Crone CrosseA CroneA A lip big Ii man nam d rl Ben Willis wee was th tb the i proprietor of the place They said Mid the landlord of the hotel was his h il partner but If he was he never n ver Interfered and dom entered the room so eo far as I know Anyhow Willis ran the place I had gone to La Crosse Cro se on this oc 00 occasion occasion casion allon that I speak of or with the ex exI I fOetal ion of nf selling a tolerably big bill blU of or goods gond to a merchant m named flamed Its D more inore who had recently r set ap up In husi bu and who was wal rated at to te a fair capital then thea for a mer merchant merchant chant in a place of ot that abe atae I bad had only seen him h one on but had been boen quite favorably impressed d with his hi appear appearance ante ance and I knew that his isle reputation va was aM more mono than fair fa T TIt It was therefore considerable of a surprise et f to me when I J entered the gam eam Ming g room after arriving on a late train and anti found Dinsmore playing poker with four tour anon juen 1 n two to of whom I recognized at one once as If professionals prot It vas nothing eurl ina to 0 know that anybody played t poker Joker in this part of 4 1 the th country in these days but it struck rue ore tint for tor a business bu man who ho was trying to hr establish himself In n R new community Dinsmore was w u ax not going abou it very sensibly Mn I learned afterward that he had been beena a It heavy helt vy poker player previously pr and had Milt it for a tinge but had keen been pretty r tty heavily fora Ia week weak before etore I I T s It w him that night nl h and had bad lost boat con bl money I IYo Yo 1 To o Sign of Recognition I He saw sa me ue when I L entered the room moat but mt he hI made no sign nigh of or recognition i nd an as a matter of f course I 1 Jd not note F e t eak Pa k to Mm him m while white he M waa 11 was playing n I t IH H oli II d over to one of the faro tables tab I xin N 1 r rl d ought bought t t a If ft stack ek and began D bet het tm hog as all i was in the habit of doing 1 I n a t a ime imer r It U happened that three or 01 four other Tren were ne playing at the tile same me table l one m of them very heavily What Thai Is ta he heMas r was Mas letting betting fifty or a hundred on every enry turn t urn and ht h was loan IOSia nearly neT entry her bet beta a Moro More In a s of mischief than man anything b ing else I eJ I began beau alt all It his bets As I expected ex td I won on right rl bt along but It was as not long lone before I could fOUld see that he was annoyed and I instantly stopp stopped d If It had bad been only the dealer dealt r 1 i hart had to consider I would have kept ke t It nn but 1 I wanted no quarrel So 80 I bet bett be bea t a It at t l random ra r after that till I lost my I k and then walked over toward the poker r table What I saw w there thre was aa more ing Uan an the lile fleet first sight of Dinsmore Calvin and Foster the two profession professionals professional prot a al als I mentioned were playing the other three m old n s for tor sockets s more openly p l boldly than thu I X ever saw W a skin akin akl game played lland before It i t Ft m Incredible that men 1 wh who It knew new enough about the game came to Play it at all aU should he Ite unable to detect the t hf crooked work but those e three I Played cl on en with no DO apparent suspicion What hat I f afterward al learned about one oue tf f thE hP three made me suspect that two were Mere W ere stool tool pigeons p and stayed in Uw the tame Barre 13 Jr only to confuse Dinsmore A I So co o far gar as I Iw saw aw they be tried no De Hinny t thin s with Ith the cards carda and aDd tak no DO I hi big IK hands ln neither er won on nor lost any aBY i r s t mount t Dinsmore however was waa wasA A in ing heavily hea Ire s to Jupt Jw t a I 1 c the Ine up p behind him hIDI be he ked asked at Willis Willie to rash II another aD cheek check for tor fort t tint lim and Willis nodded Dinsmore DI DIt t thereupon 1 upon wrote his check and Willis handed I him rr Tto amount was Vas startling for I had Md Lot ot ted till the t game was u so eo large i rut lut ut ti tl I y were playing no DO limit and al ai alt 1 t I though the ante was only 1 L I soon saw AW that hat t ha t i t He betting was wall still stiff Th Ti fleet first l deal after arter this check k was ah d i was Dinsmores It was as Gal Oal Ins ving In s ig tae P e Foster Fo ter came 1 the oe other two t I wo dropped rapped d and Dinamore Dinsmore made de It 1 live fin lo to t II play pIa Ga In raised him IUm ten tea and 1111 Foster I ter t Ia Then It ten ir 1 lucre cre md nd they both stayed l On Orr the draw dl th all ail Stool stood pat t t Fos Foster Fost ter t r put cut J I t in a whit chip t and au re e I l ot t n II hundred Anvin I and Foster 1 octer dropped It Ita appeared that dolt had hart a fall full aig A flush nuh I had t city a hundred greatly and a d fifty but it t seemed to elate him I 1 believe the tuck has baa changed he be r 1 said and he looked loo at his next hand eagerly where I stood I could see ee Oal Gal I e 1 vin In stack tak the cards ard and I was wu trot not Bur sur surprised to see ere Dinsmore raise raine it again when it came amp to him I 1 should say fay ay that they were not playing jackpots The TM jackpot was wag not unknown then but it i was vall as not a as commonly played as a now and aDd In many houses t s was ws not played at atall atall all WI It happened that there were ere two or three other good hands handa out ont as II might be bf expected x when the cards were stacked and nd it was 88 boosted back and an anforth forth till there was a over a thousand on on the th table before b the draw Again Dinsmore stood tood pat Foster took two and Galvin GahIn two The other r man in It vas the stool tool pigeons pigeon ate age Foe Fos Foster ter t r again aJ aln bet a white chip and lid Dins Dine Dinsmore Dinsmore more bet t 1000 v Calvin G raised it two thousand the th thAile It age Aile dropped and Foster made mad it two thousand more Dinsmore studied a along along long time but finally made good and then as A I J ted Calvin made it two thousand more Foster Footer went buck back at him and Dins tC J more said Time Tim Then Th n he turned to Willis Willi and anted aked him if It he would ugh cash C another cheek check He Never r Went BackOn Back On Dive a more I A r as surprised ed both by i refusal a ni nd by the reason he gave for or refusing I thought he be l cash the th check heck ev n it he p were doubt doubtful doubtful ful shunt It it for he hf certainly knew Ule what u Was wag as ruing on and knew that Dinsmore Dinamore roul Ul ll t win so 80 he was certain to get pt hs his hi nin a n y hark back and the check with it HII what whal he ht said ald wa wu Sorry Mr M K Ton more but Ivr Ive 1 trot got ot your paper now for lIO and I reckon that about tUlOu u L DInsmore took it well Oh Ola all right rI bt he be said Then I call for a show for Tor my pile and lr he threw three in la the odd chips and money he ht head had bad h ad left kit Do 00 you think it Il strange I J did not i interfere knew knell be what was u going on Well tt it nt the least bk bit strange s tra You Toll nay not know bow what sort eort of a place a bUnI hell was w la JA those ti days d ays I did didWell didWell Well of course course Galvin had his hia J fourth th and DID queen gases full was wa beaten He took It veri very gallantly Without a quiver and with even a smile mOe on hi ht his face fawe fat e he pushed bac cK his chair and quit the game galas without a Word ord I Then he be walked Steadily lino the bar room through the ae open doorway between b tw n the two roams rooms and stepping slipping I up to the bar liar called d for f br r some whisky and a good cigar r As Al iJ he poured out i ithe the vt whisky I heard nI him sty say in a perfectly per perfectly t f Itly even voice vol oe tare have aYe to chalk this thia up Sam And Sam said MJ all 11 right sir air Then he lighted his cigar carefully and stepped outdoors I 1 was u more agitated by a good pod d deal al althan 1 than he be appeared to be and as u soon as ail asI ailI I 1 Could do so without seeming to follow 1 him I stepped out also I saw aw nothing of him however though I J walked as u asfar asfar i far as tUI the brink b ink of the river ryer only a I 1 little distance d tance away array I stood there quite awhile fascinated ta as I always Ii i am m by the sight eight of or the peat great swift i running r Hood flood that like the sea Ha swallows swallows al I 1 lows up so many things and hides so I i many man mysteries I But the next cI day when I called at Dinsmores store he was not there And An when w hen I 1 went to La ha Crosse a t year Utter later and a nd inquired about aboul him they said Bald he hee had not been beeD heard from since shoe I was wa there Chicago |