Show GAMBLED CASHED IN PATHETIC TALE OF AN OLK OLD aime MINING CAMP sport old and but nothing behind the deal bravely joins join the ranka banks of th the great majority in 1897 there thera were mere luah flush tims in the slocan the overflow of the rossland roseland boom swished through the silver allver camps and coated them with rold fold the wash struck the kar hardest dest and for months ohp th town had its ita cairo Cal like streets literally paved with dollars and playing cards sandon Is built in a gulch between mountains over which the sun occa aca lo nally peeps at the burg in those days it was a R hot locality jl night long the pianos were thumped below toe the dead line while above it the booze factories had no keys and the clinking of glasses kept time to the rattle of chips and the cries of 0 that a good I 1 im m pott 4 put la in with wit you etc these were the days when it often cost many a plunk plank to look at your hole card and chub beis were ere under tho the table gamblers were thicker than coons at a cake walk malk and a flash of sunlight made the lower lo end ot of the camp look ake a railroad switch vard ard with all danger signals turned on the tha town never nener closed up it was one long jong carnival of wine women and caida when one shift went flowery another took its place and canada a monte carlo never blinked an eye about this time morris butterman hailed balled the camp morris had no yellow in him and packed moro more than sixty years on his broad back lie had been a gambler for neatly neaily half a century lie ho had faced the tigers la in montana shot craps crapa in new orleans dealt stud on the old mississippi and peeped from behind fours foura in many a draw game so when A hen he bo hit bit the camp he was not afraid of anything in sight lie he dealt faro in the bucket ot of blood saloon baloon and kept hla his shirt bosom ever ener white for a long time his meal ticket made sani san don look like a dirty deuce in a now dock and the old gambler went up the hill bill to cook for a while lille but he be did not suit and wandered back to town again broke but sad silent and proud several of the boys noticed that he did not pat cat regularly and proffered him aid but he shook his head and stood pat one day about 5 a 0 clock in the afternoon he passed through the bucket of blood to the stairway at the rear on the way to his room As aa he mounted the steps bo be turned and took a long look at tho the bar and handsome jack I 1 ate the next afternoon jack went upstairs to the old mans room and found him dead lie he had put on hla his best clothes got under the blankets took a swallow of poison and cashed in and thus quit the game a philosopher old broke and nothing behind the deal he ered to pass pasa up tip rather than burden his friends just juat a dash of tragedy lit in the fever of mining camp lito life iener denver 13 C claim |