Show m Short Story of the Day ill illA A VICTIM OF GOOD LUCKWelL LUCKWell LUCK Well Wen now said the the Criminal had finished hi his tea let us see what can be done in your our case care You struck a policeman engaged In Inthe Inthe the execution eXt execution of his duty i I 1 did said fJald the Criminal with something rather near to an air of ot self satis faction I struck him hard You arc are poor and In rags rass your our pronunciation of the aspirate your manner o of taking tea tei and several other points about you ou would teem to indicate that you ou were once In a n. better position I It was And what brought you rou to poverty What maddened you to crime The answer answer Is 18 but too obvious Drink O 0 O. O m my dear friend 0 O my poor brother One moment said the thc Criminal rather emphasizing a n slight drawl you ou have behaved In a friendly way vay to me mc In offering hospitality and I have sho shown n equal frIen friendliness in accepting It But when It comes to brother It seems to me that you ou are arc introducing a family complication which Is Cr unnecessary cr unnecessary Now let me put one question to you ou You assign correctly enough m my downfall to drink To 10 what do you ou assign the drink Vh Why did I take Our natures are frail and sinful Even for the best hest of us It is a a. constant struggle with the power of evil We Vo can but hut but Yes yes cs said thel Criminal all very verJ true no doubt And while granting It I may tell you ou that I assign my downfall to m my natural generosity and to a quite exceptional stroke of ot good luck I dont don't think said the Philanthropist plaintively plaintive that you ou should treat trent me rae In this way vay and mal make e fun un of a well-meant well effort to help you OU on the theMy theMy the My 1 dear sir said ald the Criminal accuse me mp of oC anything else you ou like but not o of an error of oC taste laste I speak In all seriousness and I will prove It by telling ou my stor story But let me first inquire I If it you are acquainted with the American game same of draw poker for Cor or the story turns upon that thaL The Philanthropist was quite well weli acquainted with It In his unregenerate days as days as a young man at Cambridge he he had played It a good bood deal But nut he hc was wasa wasn a n little ashamed of admitting ItH it It H is part of or my dut duty he said to be he acquainted with the so-called so rules o of these gambling games ames M My knowledge Is 15 superficial o of cour course and very much a matter of or hearsay all right said th the Criminal I wasn't asking you ou to play In the days das of oC my prosperity I was vas In the habit of playing poker every evening at the club I need not sa say that by the rules of the club poker was most strictly forbidden for tor- bidden in Jn fact tact we wc always called it California whist In con consequence quence The play playas was as never but It was fairly high sometimes However we could all afford to lose except one one one-a a mere merc bo boy He lie was a nice boy In man many ways was but a fool So far a as th the game went he was not In our da class s. s He lIe al always as Insisted on playing and he Invariably lost Naturally I If it youre you're playing too high for tor your our means mean you rou get Set nervous and that means that you get frightened out when you ou ought to stay with it It and you altogether o overdo do rdo the bluff yourself At least the Philanthropist added so o I Iam Iam Iam am Informed Correct Well we were playing one nl night ht and a pot of oC about 60 GO was as as opened for tor a sovereign M and the the- opening was raised t twice the twice the last time lime It was b by the thebo bo boy and I could see easily enough b by his voice and manner that he was very ery good I had nothing that I could keep However I had won more mat o of the bo boys boy's mone money than I wanted and I thought I would help to make the the- pot up for him So I said I didn't mind buying five live cards for three sovereigns and put my mone money In You were dealing o of course courM being the last to speak Quite so The opener on m my left leCt took two cards The next man mm had stopped out The first t raiser also took two the ho boy stood pat and I helped myself to five The opener bet was seen feen by the next man and raised the limit h by the ho boy hoy I 1 picked up my m cards as a matter of or form Corm I had no expectation of o getting anything anything any any- thing thinS and I had only onh come In to lose And there In my hand was a n straight flush h the the first and only time I ever held one Joker In In asked the Philanthropist We Ve never used it it Theres There's no sense In a a a. hand of oC five the aces Naturally I raised the limit again The other two dropped out and the boy and I went at it ding donS I didn't want his monc money I implored him to see ce me and stop Why didn't you ou se see l him lm m if IC you OU wanted It stopped I held a straight flush and I am a poker The temptation was great I admit Temptation Vh Why it was cas an absolute necessity to pIa play that hand for tor every everything thing there was The boy saw law me at last when he stood to lo lose e a couple of or hun bun dred He lie had four kings and It wasl hard work for him to smile prettily when he sa saw my straight Hush flush However I will cut m my stor story short The boy paid me an and he stole mone money in order to do It The theft was found out and he tried to shoot himself That was all hushed up but he left the club and It was hinted that I had better resign also The talk went round about me I had as dealer given Iven the boy four kings and I had given myself a straight flush and the age asa of oC miracles is past Now I have done clone almost everything else ese but I have never cheated at cards And If IC I had hod cheated I should have given myself that straight flush In two lots and not all together No o one accused me or could have accused me but I was not exactly welcomed The thing thinS got sot on my nerves and then then then- not until then then then-I I took to drink The drunkard Is never a good gambler I lost m my mone money I got Into bad had company And nd the rest you ou have seen for or yourself An extraordinary story ston said sald the Philanthropist I must think It over o Come and see me tomorrow at this lime and c we will vIll see what can be done for you ou I With pleasure Thank you vcr very ery much Of or course said the Philanthropist as he assisted th the thi Criminal with hl his ver very shabby overcoat you should have haye kept to your our first generous Impulse and the moment you ou saw what your our hand was you should have thrown It face downward on the tha rubbish heap and gone sane out Could you ou have done It Could St. St Augustine himself have done lone It Could anybody on earth have done It No the luck was too good Too good to be betrue true S SIn examined the tho pair of oC tongs In a remote corner of ot the park the Criminal sugar and d the teaspoon that he drew from frona his pocket Plated he said to himself I Is Iwas Iwas I was s afraid so M at the time Black time Black and White |