Show VWijKER AIE ON TIE BUI SEA 1 Episode of an Ocean Passage A Question Between a ThreeCard T Flush and Three Aces 1 Pie < I EWiltcn by Dr VI Z Cravey for the SpringfieldRepublican t It was In the summer of 1SS9 about the middle of July that 1 took ifcissage of B atNew z on the steamship City 1 ork for Liverpool There were only a 3Q fo firstclass passengers on board not moro than fifty at the outside Fo the first twentyfour hours after leaving XJIi leav-ing port the weather was perfect But er then It came on to blow from the iiorth SO west and for thirtysix hours the yes rti ic1 was tormented In a tornado and RXC1 everyone remained below When the 13 isklcs finally cleared and only n choppy U tea marked the track oC the storm the 1i passengers relieved of their anxiety remained on deck all day and some of them far Into the night In the smokingroom several different games oC cards were In progress As the night advanced however the participants L par-ticipants retired one by one until but of the ta four were left the occupants t ble where euchre that most harmless of all games was being played There was still a few stragglers sitting around cmoklng a last cigar before retiring for ii 4 the night but seemingly paying little wasgoing on I or no attention what was For some time the game had lagged 110 one appearing to take much Interest 1 Jn It when suddenly just as the players play-ers were on the point of disbanding for the evening onu oC the number strikingly handsome man but with rather a sinister cast of countenance exclaimed Ill bet 50 cents to a ginger gin-ger cake that I can select three cards from my hand and beat any man around the table at poker It was the dealer who spoke The cards had lust been dealt for the last round and the players sat looking at their respective hands In a listless In 1 f iv Phr moment uuLe 1 vlltf owu v the above words were uttered however very man present became alert and scanned his cards with deep Interest < 1 do not play pokor said one then another after a short silence throwing c down his cards In evident disgust Nor I finally exclaimed the third and last of the players except the man fa who had made the challenge and who Lb cat on the opposite side of the table After this the speaker remained silent S and without removing his eyes from the c cards in his hand at which he gazed as j though completely fascinated No wonder he held the three highest In the deck aces 6 myself remarked I am no poker player marked one of the bystanders who 3i chanced by the merest accident or course to be in a position to sec thee cards In question but if I had your e hand I would give him one rime if It coat aYes lawsuit a-Yes to would I if I were a betting l man replied the individual Richard Sterling thus addressed Well 1 am In for business if anyone any-one cares or dares back his Judgment Bald Sterlings wouldbe antagonist whose name was Thomas Hardln His tone was bantering and he held aloft his cards as though in the act of throwIng throw-Ing them down Such a chance doesnt come lo a man every day in the year urged Sterling mentor In an eager undertone under-tone Dont let It slip through your lingers Youve got a dead sure thing Still Sterling hesitated seeing which the speaker with a gesture of Impatience Impa-tience rtrose hfsfefctMii evident disgust dis-gust At this luncture Hardln ordered refreshments for the crowd all of whom very willingly partook of the sparkling beverage that was brought except Sterling alone who excused him self on the plea that stimulants upset r his nervous system Hardln had already al-ready taken several drinks during the evening and now began all of a sudden sud-den to show signs of incipient intoxication Intoxi-cation a circumstance which did not escape the observation of those present L it was quite apparent however to at least two men of the party that Air Hardln In spite of his somewhat hilarious hi-larious conduct was in full possession of all his faculties During the neml coufuslon incident to the stewards entrance en-trance with the refreshments Sterling Ster-ling remained perfectly quiet with his eyes still riveted upon the cards In his hands which he appeared to study with intense Interest Evidently he was strongly tempted but was unable apparently ap-parently lo make up his mind to venture ven-ture upon a wager seeing which Har din Jifter studying his face for some pecoiulB while seeming to bo utterly oblivious to his very existence finally exclaimed Let me sec but what was I saying anyway Oh I i remember now What haw become of my cards Did anyone move them No Here they are as 1 snug us a bug in a rug Ha Ha Who I can beat that for offhand rhyming I Then after a cureful survey of the cards in question the speaker continued Well Im walling Must I go begging Will no one come to my rescue Still no one spoke arjd after waiting for aomo seconds Hardln addressing Sterling now for the first time aitld In awarflcss InclllTcront tone and manner Perhupayou have never played poker und do not understand the game 1C Hiich Is the case would you mind letting Dome one else lake your cards 0 In spite of his scorning Indifference there was a tone of derlslon In the speakers voice and his lips curled scornfully as raising his eyes he looked first at Sterling then at those by uhoin ho was surrounded Oli yes I know how to play Sterling Ster-ling finally answered but rarely ever play the game for money that is except ex-cept In u very small way and only with friends Then In a tone of confidence J know all about poker however and Hatter myself that I can play os well as moHt People I At this Ingenious confession Hardln umlled complacently Then he said ad dressing not only Sterling but the en tire asHernbly at the same time with HIP view apparently of clearing himself I beforehand Of rmy Imputation which7 I might be charged against him later on I I win not urge any man to play against his own Judgment or inclina tions but if you have no prejudice ugnlnHt bolting and have confidence in > oui cards Why do you he llato That l unless you arc afraid Afraid iiitcrnosed Sterling his quiet gravgycH fairly ablaze seeming ly with fuUlgnatlon Afraid Ha Hal Ha Afraid with a three a ahem such curds as these In my hand Well we uhall sec That is I If you HUll wish to bet in spite of the fact that I warn you In advance and In the presence of these gentlemen ay wit nesses that the cards 1 hold in my hand are practically Invincible This was exactly what HaVdln had IHHMI working for what he desired above all things and though he had a very grave look upon his face a close observer could scarcely have failed to detect the Inward satisfaction he ex perl nccd at the others words deri Hlvo Hinllo played about his lips as fling his eyes he looked first at Ster ling then at those by whom he was nurronnded It would bo cowardly In me to take the back track now evt > n If I desired to do HO which IH not the case by any means he Bald In a slow deliberate tone of voice tlidrr after a short pause Sly I little cardx arc Just OH good ax tnoy evor were I guess BO 1C you are ready here go flowovCI lt li your 1rRt hot I bli ve Ml right arWed Sterling Piompily after which jie Instated for 1 moment at If he did not know exactly ho ° proceed 1 hut finally continued urn With a puzzled look on his face Vii what shall It he How much shall we bet50 cento Fifty cents exclaimed Hardin in drrlalon I thought you would say GOat GO-at the very least But no matter 1 raise you IK1 ½ Dollars queried Sterling Incredulously Incredu-lously You cant mean it surely Hardln laughed You heard what I said he answered carelessly as though 30 was a mere song to him With his bust words the mask suddenly dropped from the speakers face leaving leav-ing exposed to view the hard sinister countenance of the professional gambler gam-bler Whether or not Sterling noticed the change that came over the face of his antagonist remained to be seen Apparently he did not He seemed to be greatly perplexed and did not answer an-swer for some seconds Ho glanced again at his cards several times In fact and looked as though he was about ready to throw up the sponge hut observing the eager Impatient attitude atti-tude of those present and desiring to gratify them especially as it could be done at anothers expense he finally said as though still In doubt as to his opponents earnestness Forty nine and a half Do you mean dollars Thats what I said answered Hardln a little impatiently surprised at the others scorning denseness You bet 50 cents I raised you J9dollars According to my figuring that makes an even 50 The speaker smiled genially geni-ally on uttering these vords Sterling studied Hardins face fox some time before replying To all appearances ap-pearances he as decidedly nervous and unwilling to continue the contest Not that he was afraid of losing on the contrary his hesitation was the result re-sult of a reluctance to bet so large a sum on a certainty But on noting the contemptuous attitude of his opponent he reconciled himself to the situation and decided that if Iliirdln wag still bent on ruining himself In spite of the fact that llrt vnu fllllxr nnnilofwl nf Hla danger beforehand that he had a perfect per-fect right 10 do so and said Very well Mr Hardln but please remember what I told you that my hand Is practically Invincible It is not too late yet to withdraw your bet Tf you wish to do so we will drop the matter where It Is Not if I know myself returned Hardin impatiently It seems to me however that you are getting a trllle shaky on the subject So if you are afraid afraidNever Never mind air Hardin You need give yourself no concern on my account ac-count I objected to betting on a certainty cer-tainty that was all exclaimed Ster ling without waiting for the other to finish his sentence Ill take the chances on that answered an-swered Hardin with emphasis You look out for yourself and I will do the same Do you see my raise Yes and raise you In return How much5O inquired llardin eagerly No 60 cents I do not wish to win all your money at once was the reply Hardln laughed again a hard cruel laugh then said The money Is mine and 1C I care to take the chance of los ing It it Is my own affair Fortynine and a half better I Very good then rejoined Sterling with flashing eyes Now for the first time he began to feel the influence of his surroundings If ft you will you must I suppose However I warn you once more and for the last time of the Invincible character of the cards I hold As he finished h speaking he held his cards in auch apposition that tho top of one was plainly In view the ace Soo1 hearts Then said J raise you 1OO Hardln became Intensely excited at this totally unexpected move of his hitherto timid opponent He made a pretense of not seeing the card ex posed ly Sterling if i Is not likely how ever that It escaped his keen scrutiny Apparently ho was becoming excited If not actually alarmed But this last was a sheer delusion for back of it all deep down below this superficial by play there was a feeling oC supreme exultation which required his utmost efforts to suppress Whew he exclaimed 200 in all this begins to look like business Ho spoke In a slow thoughtful manner It was Impossible to realize all at once the astonishing change which had taken place so suddenly in his antagonists antago-nists attitude Nevertheless he was confident that It was owing entirely to the excitement Incident to the situation so Instead of experiencing any alarm ho was greatly elated thereby and said Well since we have gone this far ve may as well go a little further and make it Mn I might as well be killed for a sheep as a lamb Hardln spoke In a slightly hesitating tone of voice as though somewhat doubtful of the wisdom of his action the truth being that he was afraid to1 show the least l degree of eagerness Jest his Intended victim should be alarmed His fears in this respect proved ground less however and he had scarcely ceased speaking when Sterling cried without delay Four hundred At this Hardln opened his eyes wide He was both surprised and gratified nay delighted at the turn of affairs lie was convinced beyond doubt that the man had lost his head completely and lost no time in taking advantage of his opportunity condition of things he had taken such pains to fos tcr and Instantly responded with a raise of 5200 thereby Increasing th6 to tal amount involved to the sum of COO One thousand Had a bombshell exploded Jn the room It would scarcely have created moro consternation than did the above words uttered by Sterling in a tone of calm defiance Hardln was utterly confounded and completely overcome in consequence ot this totally unexpected proceeding on thc part of the nan whose ruin he had planned with suih care and deliberation delibera-tion He hardly knew what to do In his eagerness to despoil his supposed victim he had overreached hlmaelf His last dollar wan already on thu table and ho knew only too well that unless he could produce a sutllcIenL sum tosco to-sco his opponents raise that every cent muat be sacrificed This too Just as ho was double sure that bin antagonist antago-nist was completely at his mercy The fact that llardin had dealt the cards doubtless accounted for the confidence con-fidence he felt In the superiority oC his own hand and tIn reader must long before nov havo auBpected the real truth In regard to the jimtter that the cards had been stacked and without the slightest mlsfclvlng as to the final result of the contest Hardln would gladly I have doubled oven trebled the amount of the bet had he only pos HpBswl the wherewithal for such a pOrposc But all he could possibly hope to do now was to procure the necessary funds with which to call Sterling last raise by hypothecating a valuable1 watch and a couple of expensive diamond dia-mond rings such ns gamblers delight to sport He found little difficulty in obtaining the requisite amount on such security In fact his opponent was quite willing to accept the articles as a guarantee for the deficiency Hardln objected to this arrangement however preferring to secure the money from a third party and It was the selfsame Individual who had sat behind Sterlings chair and urged him to enter tho contest that consented to furnish the amount This must havo been significant to Sterling to cay the least hod he not been so completely absorbed in the game itself as to bo totally oblivious apparently to nil else Several of thft bystanders took cognizance of the fact and exchanged ex-changed meaning glances la It uo sljjlo that Sterling alone of dll these present was unconscious of the diabolical Influences at work around iim > It certainly seamed so for now jbat the betting was ftt an end he sat motionless as though utterly Indifferent Indiffer-ent to the momentous crisis which was approaching AH the fire had gone out of his Lyen His face seemed entirely expressionless and was cold and gray There was a dull upathy about him that attracted the attention of the most UnObservant Un-Observant To all appearances he saw nothing heard nothing nor took the least interest in anything cxcept tin cards he still held in his hand For several minutes he sat silently awaiting further developments Vcll finally exclaimed IlardSn after recclvInK the additional 400 and placing it upon the table I call you Nhat have you got r A faint tinge of red overspread Ster lings face and ti curious light shone In Ms cold gray eyes as he answprwU vTIow l will three aces do At the same lime he laid his cards face downward on the table and closed his hands over them I take no mans word in poker returned re-turned Hardln the cards must speak for themselves Then after an nlmosc Imperceptible pause I scarcly think you have three aces but if you have t The cards will speak for thom selvos Interposed Sterling with a short quick glance at the others face IJL consider three aces a pretty good hand Jn a game like this Yes so it is but there are better responded ITardin in a tone of quiet confidence 4Do you mean to say that three aces can be beaten in a game of poker played with only three cards demanded de-manded Sterling in surprise An ace is the highest card in the deck but In spite of this fact you say that a hand composed entirely of aces Is not superior supe-rior to any other How Is that possible possi-ble T thought ydu understood poker thai you were entirely familiar with the rulcs of tho game replied the other derisively But it seems that I was mistaken JL know the panic perfectly I simply asked you a question ihat was nil In that case you must be aware that a flush beats three aces returned Hardln spreading his hand out upon the table a club Hush queen high At tho same time he thrust rjls right hand forward to possess himself of the stakes One moment please said Sterling quietly let the money remain where U is until me question js sctueu MHCII after a short pause You claim that a threecard flush beats three aces Is this true Most assuredly replied Hardln exi ullantly Gentlemen exclaimed Sterling turning to the lookerson I appeal to Sou Is this true that a threecard flush beats three aces I simply ask Xor Information Well yes 1 believe It docs answered an-swered one to which the rest gave a silent though reluctant assent Are you satisfied now queried Hardla with a grin such as tho devil himself might envy On that point yes was the icply but the speaker still retained possession posses-sion of his cards as though unwilling to sillrender without a further struggle Then you admit that you are beaten and can have no objection to my tak lug the stake The words were spoken impatfently as though the speaker was annoyud at what he considered an altogether al-together useless delay Mr Hardin began the other after again warning him to leave the money undisturbed speaking in a dispassionate dispas-sionate monotohe do you mean to claim this wager or are you simply sporting1 with my apparent ignorance of the game1 1 won the money fairly and mean to have it by thunder cried Hardln He had no Idea of being chiseled out of i his legitimate rights he said and stood ready to defend them to the end of the chapter Very well then I only wished to know your real intentions that Is all was the quiet but mnm leply In striking strik-ing contrast to that of his opponent If a flush beats If your hand beats mine you shall have the stake And then with a suddenness which fairly electrified those present And that too in spite of the faot that I have been tricked Hardln was on his feet in a second fairly raging with passion Do you dare to accuse me of dishonesty he demanded In a voice of thunder I do not remember who dealt the cards returned Sterling ylth cool defiance but they were stacked Hardln was furious and with a muttered mut-tered oath livid with passion started toward his opponent whom to 3udgo by appearances he could crush to the earth with a single blow of his fist Ac this juncture however a strange thing happened The minute Hardin encountered en-countered the cold steely eyes of his antagonist he fell back limp and helpless help-less looking as though he had seen a ghost The man was no coward1 the contrary he was reckless to the point ot absolute desperation and had faced death over and over again without flinching but to an Impuslve passionate passion-ate man there Is something In that Implacable Im-placable calmness that supreme contempt con-tempt for danger such as Sterling displayed dis-played which seemed to render the most desperate courage utterly Impotent Impo-tent Calm yourself Mr Hardln said Sjtcrling after surveying the formers features for some seconds and let us settle this business quietly I have no idea of repudiating my part of the bargain Then after a short pause Will you please let me see your cards again By all means was the confident response Hardin seemed for the moment to have forgotten the deadly insult to which he had been subjected and now that he was no longer under the pthers fateful gaze his courage returned and he assumed his former tone pf superiority I have already shown my hand but will do so again if it will afford you any satisfaction and laying his cards down for the second time he spread them upon the table the Ion spot the jack and Iho queen of clubs And yours he said on complying with his antagonists request re-quest The question was put more us a matter of form than from any desire to see the cards with the character of which he was already familiar as ho thought drawing his conclusion not alone from Sterlings own words but from another source as well Jn preparing to comply with the foregoing fore-going request Sterling whether by accident or design it does not matter turned up the ace of spades which lay in front of him on the table A part oC your hand remarked Hardln with a contemptuous shrug oC his shoulders You should be more careful Some people mlglit object to such loose methods of doing business The speaker had by this time completely com-pletely recovered his previous braggadocio bragga-docio and his manner was patron ising to a degree No said Sterling carelessly after scrutinizing the cards he held In his handA part of my discard A look of blank amazement came over Hardins face on hearing this and with a countenance white as death he fell back In his chair like a man who hafc received a mortal wound The crowd gathered closer and closer about the table where the contestants sat facing each other They knew instinctively in-stinctively that trouble of a very serious se-rious nature was brewing But with a single exception perhaps no one present save the principal actors themselves them-selves even so much as suspected the truth To the two active participants the cards suddenly became or so seemed of secondary Importance and they sat washing each other in a manner wholly Incomprehensible to those present pres-ent Tho only change which took place in Sterlings pale face was In the Intensity of his gaze His cold gray eye were tlxed upon the other mans face In a look which seemfed to pierce him through and through AH to llardin he stood like an anImal an-Imal at bay H vvag impossible lo tell J 1 which hold the mastery despair or rage At one moment his eyes Hashed defiance and he looked as If he were being literally consumed with suppressed sup-pressed passion The next this gave way almost Instantly to an expression expres-sion of abject terror as though he had seen some frightful apparatlon This byplay was kept Up for several seconds when Sterling making a slight movement for the purpose of attracting the attention of the spectators i spec-tators proceeded to display his cards I for inspection placing upon the table not the three aces In regard to which there had been so much useless discussion dis-cussion but the queen king and ace of hearts instead Every man In the room was upon hla feet in an Instant storing nghnst first at one and then nt the other of the two men who stood confronting each other Not SL word was spoken but the excitement was Intense beyond de ncrlption No one knew what to expect ex-pect That some fearful revelation was about to lake place all felt confident Tho absolute silence which prevailed was tragic In its significance and was fast becoming unendurable But be fore any one could devise a means of averting the threatened danger the lights Avcre extinguished Almost simultaneously sim-ultaneously the report of a pistol echoed through the room followed by these words Trapped by God I The air was filled with a deafening roar that struck terror to the hearts of nil present The explosion of the pistol was followed by the sound of some one falling heavily to the floor A momentary moment-ary shullllng of feet a sudden sharp click and all was still and silent as death itself No one dared move or apeak and for a minute the only sound to be heard was the heavy breathing of some one lying prone upon the floor some innocent in-nocent victim perhaps so the thought ran in the minds of the terrorstricken crowd of the blind rage of the man beaten at his own game The noise incident to the firing of the pistol was quickly followed by the appearance ap-pearance of one of the ships officers with a lighted lantern in his hands Then a strange sight was revealed to view Hardin with the smoking pistol by his side lay flat on the floor His hands were crossed In front pf his chest Jn a very peculiar manner held thus as could bo seen on close inspection inspec-tion by a pair of glistening steel handcuffs hand-cuffs which seemed to have gotten 1 iriT < j3 nlr rkor Vnf mnflr Sterling stood over the prostrate flguno his cold gray eyes riveted upon Ills face Hardins eyes were also fixed upon the face of his vanquisher with a look in them impossible 8 describe For some lime he lay thus without I speaking when with a sudden convulsive convul-sive movement he hissed through his clenched teeth Tack Sterling by God Then after a moments pause during which his breath came In slow short gasps Ah Why did I not recognize you sooner Perhaps it Is as well for you that you did not was the quiet reply Possibly but you would never have lived to say so came the dogged response re-sponse Alter this the speaker turned away his head closing his eyes as though to shut out all further sight of those who had witnessed his defeat and final disgrace Springfield Republican Repub-lican |