Show i POKER OF VARIOUS SORTS I One On flUn Mn Hud Had Liick Another Hid a Jag Jg and ana Still Had Peculiar of D Ne York rk Sun HOW when hen or w wn y he lie had hadJ JUST J me to t S n nobody v it him jelf i it t had been there for thi days a ai h hAll ted med ln in d to sta Ms Alt All that i knor was waa thi he h was one morn ing mg lounging lown iU street with lila ills han ban banwell in iii his hie p ts well i with him bin V and d not notI i bint I the least as ti t surround I ings Brownsville i bul a faa i if f respect lug ing the lily lity of I H I was d a k in favo favol knowing K r V I ng it nan name iia t k l t that w nitre mat 4 ter cf f ut sino nino i 1 times to epe to hull him an ari that U It Ua v as gene Iy hId held th thC a C a t siness i his Iii OWl Therefore the tavern ks ket i r havins karn kerned d his gus t ante rested confer t with ht kaow d end and the townsfolk 1 were Wre equally detent Joe nixby was what h b std said u i hen the was asked end and endi i the tavern keeper having a sense of j reported that the stranger had bed himself lee Joe Bixby where wherefore wherefore fore h same pame to be known as a RiXby by the inhabitants they having no use for middle names name The five dye men who were sitting in Sams bar room playing poker on the third night after arrival were all well acquainted with one another tut the custom of the place pine reed made the game an open UD one and M when Bixby b came into the tha room ream it was lok 1 d as a a perfectly natural thing that ha be should invite himself te to join them thee Neither wee was there the slightest ob oh objection on the part of anybody in the to 0 having a stranger play with them hem I Brownsville was not specially noted for rare skill In poker playing hut but some of Its were able to hold their own under ordinary circum circumstances stances The advent of f a single stranger T therefore was not looked upon as a portent of peril When two name canoe to together together gether and both desired to play in a poker game gerne with the of the place it was wa felt that it behooved the he to be circumspect but no single player was likely to Inspire terror We do be ho table stakes said Stumpy when the stranger asked to come in and he nodded carelessly and What are you buy baying Ing r Being informed that 10 was the en entrance entrance trance fee he Ii peeled an X from fem a comfortable looking roll roH and bought his chips hipe taking his hi seat between Long Mike and Gallagher directly opposite to the man The sixth seat was Fergusons Of the five resident players the one eyed man was far and sway away the most skillful but the distinguishing charge charac characteristic of Long Lang Mikes Icea game came at all eU times was the feet fact that Be ge had bed at In Intervals Intervals the most runs run of lack tek They were w not always a source of ben bee benefit to him for they Were sometimes runs rung of had bad lush luck More often however he would hold hands perhaps a doxen dosen in succession of a sort likely to drive his antagonists to drink Pen who did not know Long Mike Mie sometimes soMetime looked askance at him before the conclusion of one of these runs run especially if one of the par particularly good happened to come cemeon on his own deal Even those who did not know him however were chary of passing any remarks marks i on the subject for Long Mikes Mike was not such as to make the prospect of a personal encounter I enticing he be being well over six feet in height and extremely broad in the shoulders with muscles of ot iron and a forcible way of expressing himself It happened just as Bixby Blaby Bixby sat satin satin in that one of the big mans runs moe began Oa O deal he be caught three queens and opened the Jack pot for lSe 1 there being that amount in inthe inthe the pot oat Bixby Bixby came in haying having a four Hush and Gallagher laid hid down dowa Stumpy trailed on two aces and the man took chances on filling a straight 1 but dropped his hand in the 1 discard That left four men in but gave Long Mike no opportunity to jo raise before 1 the draw as he certainly would have done on three queens had the chene been offered Two of the hands I against him however were incomplete and though Stumpy would have raised anybody else unhesitatingly on ona 4 a pair of ot aces ace he had too much re me respect for Long Mikes luck and too much experience with it to raise him It was at the at step ts of the play that the quality of that luck was wag shown Obviously if nobody should bet better better ter the most that Long Mike could hope for on op tiM his three queens would be a call whether he bet a white chip or a larger suni but the cards when they did mun for him never played him a scurvy trick of that description Fortune came to him in ip gobs when it came ain So it happened that each one of the four bettered The man filled filed his straight which was Jack high and save him undue confidence Long Mike held up a four spot to his queens and caught another four hut bt not Hot being minded to liVe give the She other othe players Any Indication of his hand bend he let the card aM that came in the draw lie face down to in treat front of f him and aad be before fore fre looking at it threw a dollar in Inthe the pot was overjoyed at find ft d ding ing hi 4 four flush rounded out with a fifth Diamond and he raised It H a play that hat set get Stumpy thinking He had c his third ace but as again three draws three aces did di sot not look hk strong troug I do he be Ill win Just 3 on this his t head by staying out Get he said doing Ms his thinking out loud aa i s was ws his frequent habit baWl I dont know how will well you play this game Mr Bixby Blaby fishy Bixby but I reckon you w n raise most likely widest nor two pairs ara an men t ti hear f mm Al Ar how I s e san trouble an Ill VU drop The man wi wr not r FO o caa cau cautious He sH ael HI talked talka the gam but r i into i l and i iwas was up to L Mike a ain Th Thi i gentle in v as e y of rang rasing ha ho without Fug kins at mV his ard ht hi was i i h rough warr d up UJ j ind t he heing k i took b bhe be before fore betting ing t he e had a i full use 1 I fled fied b h ber Tak rt to th i of i iwho t H 1 who i r that r F 5 s 1 nize i a a c cM i indies indica i i 1 M Bixb hy nal Uy enough did i t ui ur nid iid tb tj s swell well To I in it r cati n 1 ot of i ind md li h lia got i nou a d all i pushed Lisi k i it t bein er or I n I fold i 1 and W Y 1 1 its it s ill lh Bix go goit ily boy bou bouin it ag agha ir we h ha s i d I in di hi Ii i pie pla and bettered ha been hab rig said Long Mike b that iv I most genly pi r a j round iund 1 j of inks i m mei at ei att IB his deal the i y t sy before the drinks were con co coS S L It was a jack pot sIn be f f 1 the full house hause being called a i having first say passed L Lj k 1 l at of is aids ards carelessly and opened again Bixby BLaby watched him carefully and see lag ing that he had on a single pair promptly boosted him having two pairs pair in IH F Wn hand It wa ws sight th i that he nc learned what i meant to t against Long Mil s luck Juck when it was wat running for fort tr t big man mall grinned and said I 1 dont dout know what thim three cards are but I theres something there that 0 ill go wid this pair Ill Illg go g you 5 more It I t looked like easy money and Bix Bixby Bixby by Bixby pushed his money all in for ih ilI others had dropped Lung Long Mike ov ered the bf b unhesitatingly and said aid That it a show down dont it he turned ker er his aids All ht lb hud hod was wa a pair of 0 queens I l have ois ou beat this time said exultantly turning his hand over i r and showing aces uces up And iid he stand d to pull in the pot but At ike inter td Sure It wait a bit for you he aid Its j a good hand ye have but theres a omin Y are a stranger h ls arid and Im not minded to ye hari h Sure Ill split the pot wid vid ye m i not i t ti ii ra w cards For Foras av as I do tak aids ls Ill lii win it Ill bet j u fib ilu to 5 ton the side you wont selL Bixby Bixby curtly He 14 thought the big man was making Ida of him and it did not please him I IMi Mi Oh very Welt Well said ld Long Ill not bet wM wid ye hole hem y are not nt i used to wid eld Brownsville luck j Give me three cards carde face up pp The man utan began dealing slowly The first card was a ten spot and aad the second a six butt but before he could turn the third one oe Long Mike lithe said Stop Now Ill give ye one more chance I the pot wid you an ansay ansay say BO no more about it itOh itOh Oh go on with the deal dI said Mr Bixby Bixby impatiently and the one eyed man turned the next neat cord card over overa a queen There was a chorus of ejaculation in which Mr Bixby blended setae seto choice profanity while Long Mike grinned end and ordered more drinks When the confusion had subsided a little Mr Ruby Bixby said still goed You wanted to split spilt th the pot just now but I refused Ill split it with you now without drawing Long Mike laughed tIly Dye think Id go back oa op me luck luek like that I tell ye the pots pet mine But yare yere a stranger as I was Ill LU not be on y ye Ill give ye two dollars not to draw an well weH take a look at atthe attha the tha card ye would ha had bed av a took one Done said Bixby Blahy but T I take one card three queens Id draw three to toy fay aces Oh Ob very well said Lon pushing over the two dollars and rob rak raking leg ing in the pot Then well take a look at the three cards Slowly the men man dealt dIt them out They came seven Jack ace en Av I was called on remarked Stumpy in a severely judicial tone Oi 01 say t Long Loag Mikes luck hick was waa wid him Thereupon Long Mike ordered ennUi another er round of drinks Mr Blaby however objected It ta is evident he said very vary positive positively ly that this round is 1 en enIt me It won wast Fergusons deal next neat hut but te to the surprise of the others it became evident from his bis of the cards that he had had too much drink Sure he must have been arly in the day said Long Mike under his voice An now will willye willye ye flU him up quick an send nd him blai home or take his money an get him out o p oth th game and give it beck back to hint hI af at them The latter tetter course was decided upon Bixby Bixby Blaby looking on with some mow our sur surprise prise at this manifestation of Brown Brownville villa ville neighborliness He was to see a amore amore more astonishing thing titan than that how however however ever and it came on that very deal It had been Long Mikes Mike ante and they all came in the man eisa raising it and Ferguson staying Long Mike then boosted it again and agate everybody stayed Bixby found with Ibm tens after the draw and he threW in a dollar Gallagher and Stumpy both stayed and the mst man who bad tod taken two cards raised it a C enlist dollar Fur Fer Ferguson guson trailed aoi Long Mike had taken one card sad ant he flied It dollar more py lost confidence lb his three tens teas He decided they were still worth 12 however and be made good Then Gallagher and Stumpy dropped out and the man nn rId raised it agate emia Again Ferguson trailed s bet t he did it itIn ItIn In a perfunctory hM stems d to indicate vinous obstinacy rather than rena any well veil Justified confidence in his cards so Long Mike raise It Sd and Gallagher beamed approval They said nothing but Bixby Bilby Bixby saw thesa tima mail at seek ether watt whito Loop Leaf Mik and the man looked sol eel cam led and the notion occurred to him that those two players w were r endeavoring to seesaw Ferguson out of his money without proper consideration of Bixby hand And in that ease case it seemed pet not Improbable improbable able that three ten might b be a good goodband goodhand hand band It was w not very convincing roe rea reasoning even to himself but bat it was enough to make him Mm trail ono more The gam game went on however The one eyed ia raised Ferguson trailed and Long Lens Mike Mik raised again so Bixby Bixby blaby pushed his pile in Then the fan raised Forgo Ferguson son trailed and Long Mike Ike raised again That mad side betting batting end and the three men eRos continued till Ferguson was all in He had bad about f In front of him when the benevolent of helping him out ost was wag formulated and th the others othu had still stillmore stillmore more The man however reached tb the end of his iia pile soon and there was a showdown all around Long Mik Miki had bad a straight and the he one eyed men man a small full but Ferguson who wiio had watched then theia dully and who seemed to be little Interested in the proceedings roused himself presently to a display of energy sufficient to turn over four five spots Then Thee h he rose front from th table saying Cash sa sin in hi amos too to s epy play longer Mush Mu hat hand lk Ike you did 1 much work t raise so ins Jus stayed rg g gAn And An he lie ott hi ii money his pocket currIed He lik had taK tah lOii f the game i no flU one I in r of f nim ii rn bu but dir all calkin again and wk tok a fresh st art Blab Bixb had dropped a n u oath each d in r t heram he sine lu In but it did didi i 4 t seem to u v rn rr him and the others rii ius that i wis well with hopr f T separate him from it Kr F r a few L ts it looked as if their I might mp me foundation Long Lont Mk took tak t J when hn Ferguson went wa and a at K h was made on the fives i i openers however d j th card to i Bixby Bixby Hish ghr having t say sy passed bu hii bui i ined ned the pot on or H a jj pir ir of kings n men man stayed and so did didi i Mir Mike and the dealer raised It dropped and Stumpy decided MI r kings a fair chance chanc BO so he her heI I r r ise The Th man how howd t i ti d ian and Long Mik and tv no Stumpy l r sniffle pair palt It Ii ir hir ji ili man was waa k keen B In his ob oh observations his eye serving him better than most men mens two Moreover he was extremely well Informed In mat matters t P games of cards fl th therefore under tinder k cram i t nf f in r th deal c I r hanes tia ii 7 I Ii i i i man watched him closely as he served red the draw and wuen he had finished remarked coolly and de do libo ra t ely That sri rt f dont go in Pt I O Or r ad adT T J bet LOvu ui our hands pet bitt when it itU tone U to dealing off the bottom to your it got to do It you do doto doto to gt get by with it itIn itIn In the natural 91 f events Mr hau h his gun g cu of cr his p pocket long before th on man j finished this speech which he dPI did with withOut I out break or faltering The hand which held the gun however did not reach toe the j edge of the table before it was gripped in lii Loop Long Mikes iron fingers and aad tu he motionless At the same time Gallagher s seized seised the swindlers left wrist and held beW tl that both hands Now w we do with this pi rut I Idon don dont t said Lung Long Mike after the confusion was a little stilled for Mr Ruby Bixby Bixby had used much bad Ian gUage and indulged in numerous threats to which the others paid little attention The river is the place for such a Urn said the man bitterly The river yes yea said Long Mike but butwell butI j I w well not drown the wretch Stumpy j i d Iye e mind that old o 0 mine the landing a bit bitI I do said Stumpy gravely YeiI see the wather ah ahi out o it an ana a dipper an a pair o oars put hut in an anI j I w well give the gentleman a free ride down tl the by his lone self eoL eoLA j A small silent procession soon reached the levee and Mr Bixby Bixby flisby was set adrift Ye may call lucky said Long Lang Mike as they pushed the skiff out into th the night that ye found a town in Brownsville Av we did what we ought its up a tree go wid a rope instead o down the river Ahl AM the theanna same anna ye come back And he never did |