Beadle's Dime Library No. 391 — page 16: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

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It would be decidedly | the proper caper!” Clinton observed, ** The soda 1s on hand!” And Andrews drew a little table to the side of the one in the center apartment and placed the Alcibiades took a huge horn of brandy, while the other three indulged in a modest ** brandy- | and-soda” apiece. | ‘* Good-by to my fun to-night,” young Grim- | griskin cried, ‘‘for I am about cleaned out. No | g to accept my I. O. U.’s.” ‘Certainly; why not?” Andrews replied. ‘Of course you are a stranger to these gentlemen, but I will back your I. O. U.’s with my name, and that will be the same as cash.” CHAPTER XXII, ANDREWS PLAYS A BOLD GAME, ‘WILL you really, now?” exclaimed the young man, amazed at this generous offer, the more so because it was entirely unexpected. ** Certainly, to a reasonable amount of course, say ten thousand dollars, I know you are per- fectly good for it.” “Oh, yes, certainly, and if I ain’t the old man is!” young Grimgriskin exclaimed, all his natural was a chance for him to take part in the game, backed by funds ample enough to enable him to play boldly. Like many another would-be fast young man, Alcibiades imagined that he had a natural genius for yrenigtyr dom. § In fact, he believed he was a card-sharp of the first water, ahd felt perfectly satisfied of his ability to ‘‘ get away,” as ho commonly ex- ressed it, with the smartest gambler in the ———— — NO - a _ had tried for fifty or sixty times to accomplish this feat, and had been ingloriously unsuccess- ful, the truth would be finally beaten into him, and he would come to the conclusion he was not so skillful as he had believed himself to be, but _ Grimgriskin was one of those thick-headed dolts whose self-esteem was so strong as to preclude his admitting the truth. It was all luck every time—the cards had run against him—all the bystanders said they had | and, One would have thought that after a man never witnessed any such run of bad luck | their lives, and all the time they were laughing in their sleeves at the credulity of the ‘‘ pigeon ” | who was being so handsomely plucked by the hawks,” In fact, Grimgriskin had visited Blithewood _ for the express purpose of “ skinning” the host _ be able to win a goodly sum from him. . of the mansion. He did not know a great deal about Andrews, | but as far as he had seen, he appeared to be a | vial, easy-going fellow, a sharp business man, t such men are often extremly ignorant as far es of chance are concerned. ndrews had plenty of money, and if he could | be induced to play, Alcibiades elt sure he would | True, he had made a pretty bad beginning, for it was no joke to lose nearly eight thousand dol. Jars on a single bet, but that was just because | one ever caught him playing @ k happened to favor his opponent; when it me to a regular game where skill was needed, | there wasn’t any doubt in his mind in regard to the issue. Then, too, he realized that he had been care- less and hasty in making the bet, and he inward- | ly resolved that he would not be caught napping | a only lost eight thousand in I. O, U.’s. -asecond time. hel d himself ina li although he had already taken far more liquor than was good for him, Andrews laughed at the young man’s speech. ‘1 tell you whatitis, gentlemen, it’sa deuced | handy thing to have a father worth twenty or thirty millions upon whom you can draw at cee you happen to get a little short of cash, * You can just bet it is!” Alcibiades declared. And then they all laughed, although the others felt perfectly sure that there wasn’t a grain of truth in the statement. ** Here, ll get my I. O. U.’s ready,” Alcibiades continued. ‘* ll draw them out and leave the sum blank, then fill ’em in as I need them, Got paper? T’ve a stylograph pen here.” an A dahivere opened the table drawer and passed some sheets of note-paper over to young Grim- griskin, who ee eee to tear the | sheets into the proper sized pieces. ~ * All you need to do is to write the amount on | enced, if luck | time,” Andrews remarked, | said to himself that he hoped to be shot if any In spite of this good resolution, though, he | ral manner tothe brandy, | nothing worth risking money on as usual, | goes against you, you can give rour I. O. U. for whatever amount you may have lost,” the host suggested. ‘*That’s so, that’s business, ever it?” exclaimed the young man, taking another | glass of brandy. ‘*T think it is about the ticket, and now for fun !” Saying which, Andrews proceeded to deal the cards, We will not weary the reader with the dry details of the scientific game, so purely Amer- | ican, known as draw-poker. Suffice to say that the game continued from the time the party sat down until about four | o’clock in the morning—continued through the long, long night until the cold gray light of the morning began to line the eastern skies, And never did Dame lortune show herself to be a more capricious jade than on this occasion, for she veered about like a weather-cock. For the first couple of hours Van Tromp won largely and everybody else lost, then his luck deserted him and perched vn en Clinton’s ban- ner, and that young gentleman’s pale and watery eyes assumed a saucer-like expression when at the close of a game he gazed upon a pile of bills and I. O. U.’s which represented about yr thousand dollars. ‘*By Jove, boys, I don’t know but what we ought to stop!” he exclaimed, trembling with excitement. ‘‘It really seems like robbery for me to win your money in this wholesale way.” ‘*Oh, yes, of course, draw out now when you have skinned us of our last dollar!” Alcibiades snarled, in a terrible bad humor and very much the worse for the liquor which he had drank so freely. ‘But you won’t do it, and I want you to understand that too! I, for one, won’t stand any such infernal nonsense! I want a chance to win some of my money back, and I’m going to have it too!” And the young man glared at Clinton in such | a ferocious way that the other -became really | alarmed lest he should be forced into a personal encounter with the son of oildom, ‘** Oh, that is all right, Alcibiades,” Andrews hastened to interpose. ‘Our good friend here hasn’t the least idea of doing anything dishon- orable. He only thinks of stopping out of mercy to our depleted wallets; but, old fellows, you might as well go ahead and clean us out com- pletely since you have got your hand in,” ‘* Certainly, just as you please, anything to oblige, you know.” And at it again they went. But the slig t pause seemed to have afforded the fickle goddess an opportunity to change her mind, for from that time forth she smiled no more upon the young dude. And Andrews became as lucky as he had pre- viously been unlucky. Pot after pot—as the stake in the delightful game of poker is called—fell to his share, while the blind goddess frowned so persistently upon the unlucky whiner me poe that in nearly every deal he was compelled to throw up his cards and ** pass,” not having anything worth risking any spre’ ee At half past three Clinton made a brief men- tal calculation, and as a result announced that he believed he had got enough. ‘Ten thousand dollars, don’t you know, isa pretty large sum for a fellow to getrid of in one sitting,” he remarked, just a trifle soberly. ‘“‘And, by Jove! it is really more than I can afford, for it will make me as short as the deuce for a time, so you will have to excuse me.” ‘* All right, but you understand that I hold myself ready to give you your revenge at any Clinton nodded, but in his heart of hearts he poker for more than a twenty-five cent ante hereafter. “By George, I’m out seventeen thousand!” Van Tromp exclaimed, abruptly. He had just made the discovery, and it astounded him. ‘* Tl try one more hand though.” . Grimgriskin had suffered less than the rest for —— ee ee he cards were dealt. With an oath the Westerner threw his down; Van Tromp ventured five hundred dollars upon two pair only to be beaten by ‘‘ three of a kind ” in Andrews’s hand, ‘* That settles me,” the New Yorker remarked. ‘Keep on—keep on!” Alcibiades shouted. Luck must turn some time, and I reckon I ought to stand a chance to win something now.” One more hand ended the game though. Alcibiades got a pair of queens and was lucky enough to catch another in the draw, and so he ** went in” for all he was worth. Andrews stood ‘* pat;” that is, he was content with his original hand and did not want any cards, prs yo Grimgriskin drew three. This ought to bave been a warning to Alcibi- ades that opponent had a hand of unusual strength, but he was too rash to heed it. He believed that fortune was about to smile upon him at last, and so ho ventured rashly— esperately. | He bet to the limit fixed upon the I. O. U.’s. as cott, the Decoy Detective. time, ain’t | Sst tits —s Andrews “saw” him and went ten thousand dollars better. Alcibiades was in despair. To ‘ call” his an- tagonist he must put up ten thousand, and his last dollar was on the board. He groaned aloud. . ‘* This is a cursed shame!” he cried. ‘‘ I know | that | can skin you this time, for you are only | nT you don’t hold the cards to beat my | hand! ‘*My money says I do,” Andrews replied, with a quiet smile. ‘* And that is where you have the advantage. Oh, if I only had ten thousand more! Ah!” and the young man gave a quick, convulsive gasp. He seemed to hesitate; *twas only for a mo- ment though; then abruptly he pulled a memo- randum-book from an inner pocket in his vest, and from it ry a slip of paper, evidently a bank check, and the rest who were watchin him noticed that his hand trembled as he pla the panes on the table. ‘* Here’s a check of the old man’s in my favor for ten thousand dollars; if you'll accept it as cash, Pll ‘ eall’ you.” ‘Certainly! Indorse it; that’s just as good as gold, and it may be the turning point in our luck,” Andrews answered, as cool as an thet hoa . , s eagerly as drowning men at straws Alcibiades wrote his ane on the bark of the check and threw it upon the money already ‘up. CHAPTER XXITI. THE FISHERMAN, ‘“THERE’S your ten thousand, and I ‘call’ you; what have you got? Can you beat three ueens?” And nervously Grimgriskin displayed the cards upon the table, ‘* Old fellow, I am really sorry for you, for I hate to clean a man out, but your threo queens are not good. Here are four tens, with an ace high,” Andrews laid down the cards one by one, and Alcibiades sunk back in his chair with a hollow groan. “Take a drop of brandy, old chappie,” sug- gested Van Tromp, really feeling sorry for young Grimgriskin’s distress, although at the same time he despised him. for it was only too plain that he wasn’t anything but a vulgar cad with none of the manliness of a true gentleman about him. Clinton, equally as ready as his friend to ten- der assistance, although he felt fully as great a contempt for the fellow, hastened to pour out a glass of brandy and tendered it to Alcibiades, Grimgriskin drained it at a draught, and the stimulant seemed to put new life into him, al- though the principal effect of the liquor was to completely intoxicate him. But even in that state his low cunning did not desert him. ‘‘Oh, it’s all right, boys,” he said, with a thickened Longe “but I tell you, it hurts a man to lose as I have lost to-night. I’m about twenty-eight thousand dollars out, and the old man would give me rats if he knew that I had used that check of his, so, gents, I want you all to pledge me your words of honor that you won't let on to anybody about it.” ‘* Certainly not!” Van Tromp replied, prompt- y. ‘‘Of course all the particulars of this little affair are to be kept secret,” Clinton remarked. ‘* Tt is all confidential, and none of us must re- veal the details.” ‘*Decidedly not,” Andrews exclaimed. “It would bea black eye for allof us if it should et out that we have been playing so recklessly. little quiet game is all right, but we have been going it in regular gambler style to- night, and it would undoubtedly cause a great deal of talk if the particulars should become known. ‘Then, gentlemen, just consider what a tit- bit it would be for the reporters, and what a fine account would be fixed up for the news- papers, with some attractive head-line, like Gambling in high-life,’ to call every one’s at- tention to it.” 7 The dudes fairly shuddered; above all things in this world, they dreaded the ubiquitous news- paper-man, with his ready pencil and his unlim- ited ‘‘ gall,” to use the vernacular. ‘‘ Oh, we mustn’t any of us breathe a word of this night’s—fun,” Van Tromp remarked, and with all his sang-froid he couldn’t belp making a grimace when he so characterized the per- formance which had cost the three losers so heavily. ** Not a word,” Clinton chorused. ‘**The old man would make it hot for me, you bet your life!” Alcibiades exclaimed, ‘‘ Tt is understood that we are all to keep our own counsel,” the host remarked. ‘ And, of course, you understand, Penbrotnen, I hold my- self ready to give you all your revenge at any time that it may please you to tonne it.” ‘Oh! I'll go for you again—I ain’t satisfied, by a jugful!” Alcibiades cried. ‘‘I want you to understand that 1 don’t take a back seat when it comes to poker-playi ” a Ci —t—Ct¥~ for any man in the Ebookscom pt f . &- 4, 5