Show OF GAMBLERS rAM BLEIS T la Is a loag long time ago that onna ruled rt nt paso del norto norte are ico 1 over the cow corbos bos out art buiu froli laws and agn asora it will be a much longer time until her successor appears gambling as 03 a fine and all consuming art with alth omen women is 9 not so marked as in thecia the old layfe when laws were fe fewer and 1 were ere commoner women play at vanes of chance perhaps just as de otealy as of 3 ore but tho the days h hivo tva passed assed when it vaas ft as not an diary hippe happening or a woman fair und antle to outplay cow boa boss a outlaws bild nd amblers gamblers and not only win all their toney lioney but also ilso drain the bank lonna paquita often did and who abe among the old timers of texas exas new mexico and arizona does ot remember lonn lonna i paquita she of 0 the he black hair and laughing ees rhose whose cheeks checks were bright as morning rhose whose smile muddled muddied the brain and ion fusca the lingers fingers ot of the deftest de iler ealer close bour our ebes a alaan and seo see the he olin petite flauie at tho the gaming table able and hear once more the soft voice aming naming the card which seemingly could not lot resist the cairms of c the player listen alsten as of old to the and a in on the losers as the queen of gamblers gathered up her win angs when w hen there was nothing left with LP P bothem to lose true that paquita bas as bem beon dead alese twenty years but the he oldest gambler will stop his play to fell oil aon ou of her anahis and his hard cold faco face ivill irell relax and his voice will soften na as lie ie tells of the woman ho he acknowledged as s his mistress in his art lonna paquita or as sho she was knon ahe he paquita mas born in bout 1850 no one know who or arft N hat cr or parents were when a child about years old a gambler named r nd ind her homeless and friendless n city in which she mas born she s i then remarkably prett ight her all his tricks with cards spent hours in instructing Instruct ilif her in the ric rica clea acles of mexican monte she arned rapidly boon soon equaling kill and dexterity one of tho the old timers have forgotten first appearance at paso del norto norte 0 i was 16 cars old and small for her she came with Qua klur leLor who bald was her uncle when Qua letor was re to gamble he praet practically leally lived at rk k Garrett sona garrettson ran the g seat gest gambling bouso house on the border i game was practically without limit e paquita appeared clinging close her alleged uncle the bank ex ted Qua letor who was a heavy cr and had hm mado made proper is a for his play As ao played blood stood beside him silent and canant en ant luck was against the acx n and he lost hen heavill vil finally n hia his pilo of gold had to w coins he turned to paquita and ang the leoroy before her bald said MY 1 hero child win with them he lie dealer and elal ers smiled ti cally thinking Qui letor had quit king his luck tor for tho the night and de id d to let the child amuso amuse herself a anent ent before he went awny away the pata seated herself leaning both elre s on the table with her hands sup ting ing her chin the play went on child won As she played tho the der er eyed her in wonder it was not age that a child understood how bow to able ble but never before had a child ft f i with such skill and judgment f bank lest rapidly the paquita 1 bet after bet the hops of gold erca on the table in front of her deals s I 1 vero vi ere changed but without avail the bank continued to lose A new dealer was tried but with no better successes suc cessa ss than the first the luck lack nas amazing the other players dropped out one by one the dealer and tho the child faced each other the bank lost then Garret garrettson teon himself took tho the cards he ile wis was famed as the shrewdest gambler on the border but ho he could not beat the child flolly ho he said here la Is what nhat Is left in the bank it matcha s bour our winnings win or lose the next draw loses it the paquita nodded A king lay on tho the board I 1 play a kins king in the door she said in spanish the spectators spectator a gasped such stich risk was folli there was N as still halt a deck against her even garretson smiled he ile dealt the king stood in tho the door the paquita had non on Garret soua fl bink had been broken and broken by a child the paquita turned to Qua letor I 1 am tired she said the cimbler gathered up her winnings handed thorn them to Garret garrettson teon asking him to put them in the safe for tho the night then he and the want ft out the tact fact th tint thit it a child had beaten tho the garrettson ank spread along tho the entire border Qui Qua letor and the pa quita traveled from town to town playing in all of them and usually winning they quarreled eventually hou however eNer anale and in 1870 the paquita then a bc beautiful auti girl of 20 came baik bak bai ba k to paso del norto norte alone she again appeared at garrettson Garrette Garret tEon ons a her tier old time luck lucli seemed to have I 1 her tor for sho she lost heavily hemily and a week later vent an aai awi sho she was next heard of in new mexico sho she had haa allied herself with a gang of the worst characters in the southwest and in a short time decimo their leader under her the outlaws traversed new mexico stealing and dei ing when the climate got too hot for them they slipped across tho the line into mexico the paquita forsook this tit 1 I k e LI STRUCK VICIOUSLY AT BRINSLEY life after a bear 5 ear of exciting adventure and turned up in el paso with sum sam brinsley Dr Insley the handsomest and most depraved gambler of his time brinales Bri naley crossed the rio grande river and opened up place the latter having been killed by young his dealer brinsley brins lcy prospered the paquita lent the attraction of her pr pra 9 enco ence to his ploce sometimes as dealer but usually as a placer sho she played any game her tier popularity wua was apparent from tho the outset the game she played er or it might be was always the popular game of the house tho the table at which she played wan war aiwas crowded the players in games where it was duplicated her beta bets placing their money on her tier favo lie ito cards in such cases the paquita usually lost the house otherwise Ur Dr insley winning heavily in poker and kindred games where each player looked out safely for himself and cards the house got a percentage the pa a quita lost then sho she waa was a wonder with the cards her tier small white hands could manipulate them with a rapidity and skill thit defied the watchfulness of the keenest eyed gamblers many attributed her success to her good luck but the old knew better they knew know that mere more luck could not continually break them thern at their own games and enrich one particular player they realized reali sed that tho the paquita was better at the game than they yet the paquita was never caught cheating and unless she waa was caught there could be no complaint when a player got sullen and ugly over bis his losses no one noticed it sooner than the paquita she was the first to lose to him to smi lewith him to jolie joke with I 1 him in short to restore him to a good humor only to win back N what hat sae she had ghen glen to him with as much morl as he possessed it if a placer squirmed or whined in a gime game w with ith her the paquita invariably dropped her earls carls pushed the money at stake across the table to the placer and quit the tho game A placer or she had once treated in this wa she would never play with again and anti to bo be ostracized by the paquita macint similar treatment from all her brother gamblers it was N as best to sw swallow allow your feelings and lose it lose 3 iou ou must with a smiling face and cheery air there aro are numerous shootings growing out of troubles over oner the paquita man after nan nian sought 1 favor faor all appeared eared to find it with none possess ng more thin any other she treated them all alike save perhaps brinsley she quarreled finally with him it came about thus tie tle paquita was playing whisky hisky poker with a rich cattleman who knew little of the gamo game and placed it principally for the turley it afforded to chat with the paquita briksi became impatient over oer seeming slowness ness in breaking her opponent one word led lea to another the pa tin quita quit the game to argue with will brinsley Brins lcy at length her temper broke loose grasping a knife she struck at Bri bricolo Brin nolo olov the blade caught taught his up thrown arm inflicting a long wound As the blood gushed forth turned and fled brinsley pursued her unsuccessfully he ile returned eventually to his gambling house when asked about the paquita he was mas wont to sa sav I 1 took her for a rose but she proved a thorn ho ile never neer forgave her ber to however wever and owed loved vengeance on her his ills opportunity came in the after leaving him had returned to the nev new mexican country and 1 fi up the remnants of the old gang of ahlo thieves es their plundering became so bold that t wag va as determined to hunt them down brinsley led the pirty thit wit captured capture athe tho paquita she had heard that he waa was pura jing her and it Is said that eho she permitted her pursuers to overtake her she greeted brinsley with her old time cheeriness she talked over the old days as it there had been no change finally she proposed a game of cards to decide whether she should go free or should die brinsley agreed the game was played and the paquita lost almost before the last card tell fell she drew a knife and stabbed herself through the heart brinsley committed suicide three weeks later |