Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, September 08, 1903, Image 1
ISSUED SEMI-WEEKL^
l. m. orist'S SONS, Pubiuhers. J % ^amilg JUtcsgajer: ^orthe promotion of the political, gotial, ^ricultaral, and djontmqcial-gnlerffts o)f tht fugle. { oASS*1"*'
ESTABLISHED 1855. YORKVILLE, S. C., TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1903. .NO. 72.
By WILL N. Hi
popyright, 1902, by Harper Bros. All
CHAPTER XXII.
BOUT noon that day as Pole
Baker sat on a fallen tree
ESjS near the roadside in the loneWBW
Uest spot of that rugged country,
his horse grazing behind him, be
saw Craig coming up the gradual incline
from the creek. Pole stood up
and canght the bridle rein of his horse
and muttered:
Bnl'nit hMa
u?, ruitr uaaci, uuiu jviv u?u^t
you've got brains?at least some folks
say you have?an' so has he. Ef you
don't git the best of that scalawag,
yo're done fer. You've put purty big
things through. Now put this un
through or shet up."
"Well here you are," merrily cried
out the ex-banker as he came up. He
was smiling expectantly. "Your secret's
safe with me. I haven't met a
soul that I know since I left town."
"I'm glad you didn't, Mr. Craig,"
Pole said. "I don't want anybody
a-meddlln' with my business." He
pointed up the rather steep and rocky
road that led gradually up the mountain.
"We've got two or three mile
furder to go. Have you had any dinner?"
"I put a cold biscuit and a slice of
ham in my pocket," said Craig. "It '11
do me till supper."
Pole mounted and led the way up the
unfrequented road.
"I may as well tell you, Mr. Craig,
that I used to be a moonshiner In these
mountains, an' "?
"Lord, I knew that, Baker. Who
doesn't, I'd like to know?"
Pole's big booted legs swung back
and forth like pendulums from the
flanks of his horse.
"I was a-goin' to tell you that I had
a bide out, wbar I kept stuff stored,
that wasn't knowed by one livin' man."
"Well, you must have bad a slick
place from all I've heard," said Craig,
still in his vast good humor with himself
and everybody else.
"The best natur' ever built," said
Pole; "an' what's more, it was in thar
that 1 found the gold, i reckon it
ud 'a' been disklvered long ago, ef it
had 'a' been above ground."
"Then it's in?a sort of cave?" ven
tured Craig1.
"That's jest It; but I'?e got the mouth
of It closed up so It ud fool eveu a
bloodhound."
Half an hour later Pole drew rein In
a most Isolated spot, near a great yawning
canyon from which came a roaring
sound of rushing water and clashing
winds. The sky overhead was blue
and cloudless; the air at that altitude
was crisp and rarefied, and held the
odor of spruce pine. With a laughPole
dismounted. "What ef I was to
tell you. Mr. Craig, that you was in
ten yards o* my old den right now?"
Craig looked about In surprise. "I'd
think you was making fun of me?tenderfootin',
as we used to say out west."
"I'm givln* It to you straight," said
Pole, pointing with his riding switch.
"Do you see that pile o' rocks?"
Craig nodded.
"Right under them two flat ones is
the mouth d my den." said Pole.
"Now let's hitch to that hemlock, an'
I'll show you the whole thing."
When they had fastened their horses
to swinging limbs in a dense thicket
of laurel and rhododendron bushes,
they went to the pile of rocks.
"I toted mighty nigh all of 'em from
higher up," Pole explained. "Some
o* the biggest 1 rolled down from that
cliff above."
"I don't see how you are going to
get into your hole in the ground," said
Craig, with a laugh of pleasant anticipation.
Pole picked up a big, smooth stick
of hickory, shaped like a crowbar, and
thrust the end of It under the largest
rock. "Huh! I'll show you In a jiffy."
It was an enormous stone weighing
over three hundred pounds; but with
his strong lever and knotted muscles
the ex-moonshiner managed to slide It
slowly to the right, disclosing a black
hole about two feet square in the ragI
ed stone. From this protruded into
the light the ends of a crude ladder
leading uown auuui memj-uic ic?
to the bottom of the cave.
"Ugh!" Craig shuddered as he peered
Into the dunk blackness. "You don't
mean that we are to go down there?"
It was a crisis. With his big feet
dangling in the hole, l'ole threw himself
back and gave vent to a hearty,
prolonged laugh that went ringing and
echoing about among tin olio's and
chasms.
"I 'lowed this ud make yore flesh
crawl," he said. "Looks like the openIn'
to the bad place, don't it?"
"It certainly does." said Cruig. somewhat
reassured by Pole's levity.
"Why, it ain't uiore'n forty feet
squure," said Pole. "Wait till 1 run
down an' make a light. I've got some
*"- ' 1 ' n t tl?o fi wit a'
IUI ItllLUCTS uunu in llll 1UUI w
the ludder."
"Well. I believe 1 will let you go
first," said Craig.. with an uneasy little
laugh. tPole
went dowu the ladder, recklessly
thumping his heels on the rungs.
He was lost to sight from above, but
In a moment Craig heard him strike a
match mid saw the red, growing flame
of a sputtering torch from which
twisted a rope of smoke. When it was
well ablaze, Pole called up the ladder:
"Come on now, an* watch wliur you
put yore feet. This end o' the ladder is
solid as the rock o' Uibralty."
The square of daylight above was
cut off, and in a moment the ex-banker
stood beside his guide.
"Now come down this way," said
Pole, and with the torch held high he
?ANIBt
\ DDP ,\T Author of
iKDJin, " Westerfelt."
rights reserved.
led the way Into a part of the chamber
where the rock overhead sloped down
lower. Here lay some old whisky barrels,
two or three lager beer kegs and
the Iron hoops of several barrels that
had been burned. There were several
one gallon Jugs with corncob stoppers.
Pole swept his hand over them with a
laugh. "It you was a drlnkln' man. I
could treat you to a thimbleful or two
left In them jugs," he said almost apologetically.
"But I don't drink. Baker," Craig
said. His premonition of danger seemed
to have returned to him and to be driven
In by the dank coolness of the cavern,
the evidence of past outlawry
around him.
Pole heaped his pieces of pine against
a rock and added to them the chunks
of some barrel staves, which set up a
lively popping sound like a tiny fusillade
of artillery.
"You see that rock behind you, Mr.
Craig?" asked Pole. "Well, set down
on It Before we go any furder me 'n
you've got to have a understanding."
The old man stared hesitatingly for
an Instant, and then, after carefully
feeling of the stone, he complied.
"I thought we already?but,of course."
he said haltingly, "I'm ready to agree
to anything that '11 make you feel safe."
"I kinder 'lowed you would." And,
to Craig's overwhelming astonishment,
Pole drew a revolver from his hip pocket
and looked at it, turning the cylinder
with a deft thumb.
"You mean, Baker"? But Craig's
words remained unborn In his bewildered
brain. The rigor of death Itself
seemed to have beset his tongue. A
cold sweat broke out on him.
"I mean that I've tuck the trouble
to fetch you heer fer a purpose, Mr.
Craig, an' thar ain't any use In beatln*
about the bush to git at It."
Craig made another effort at utterance,
but failed. Pole could hear his
rapid breathing and see the terrified
gleaming of his wide open eyes.
"You've had a lots o' dealin's, Mr.
Craig," said Pole. "You've made yore
mi8iaKe8 an oaa uut
"You've trapped met"
you never did a bigger fool thing 'an
you did when you listened to my tale
about that lump o' gold."
"You've trapped me!" burst from
Craig's quivering lips.
"That's about the size of It."
"But?why V" The words formed the
beginning uud the end of a gasp.
Pole towered over him. the revolver
in his tense hand.
Mr. Craig, thar is One man in this
world that I'd die fer twenty times
over. I love Mm more than a brother.
That man you've robbed of every dollar
an' hope on earth. I've fetched you
heer to die a liugerin' death, ef?ef, I
say. ef?you don't refund his money.
That man is Alan Bishop, an' the
amount is $25,000 to a cent."
"But I haven't any money," moaned
the crouching figure: "not a dollar that
I kin lay my hands on."
"Then you are in a purty bad fix."
aaid Pole. "Unless I git that amount
o' money from you you'll never smelJ
a breath o' fresh air or see natural
daylight."
"You mean to kill a helpless man?"
The words were like a prayer.
"I'd bottle you up heer to die," said
Pole Baker firmly. "You've met me
iu this lonely spot, an' no man could
lay yore end to me. In fact, all that
know you would swear yju'd run off
from the folks you've defrauded. You
see. uotldn' but that money o' Alan
Bishop's kin possibly save you. You
know that well enough, an' thar ain't
a bit o' use palaverin' about it. I've
fetched a pen an' ink an' paper, an'
you've got to write me an order fer
the money. If I have to go as fur off
as Atlanta. I'll take the fust train an'
go after it. If I git the money, you
git out: ef I don't, you won't see me
ag'in uur nobody else till you face yore
Maker."
Craig beut over his knees and
groaned.
"You think I have money," he said,
straightening up. "Oh, my God!"
"I know it." said Pole. "1 don't
think anything about It?I know It."
He took out the pen and Ink from his
pants pocket and unfolded a sheet of
paper. "Git to work," he said. "You
needn't try to turn me, you durned old
hog!"
Craig raised a pair of wide open, (
helpless eyes to tbe rigid face abore
him.
"Oh, my God!" he said again.
"You let God alone an' git down to
business," said Pole, taking a fresh
hold of the handle of his weapon.
"I'm not goin' to waste time with you.
Either you git me Alan Bishop's money
or you'll die. Hurry up!"
"Will you keep faith with me?If?
1f""Yes,
durn you, why wouldn't I?"
A gleam of triumph flashed in the outlaw's
eyes.
The ex-banker had taken the pen
and Pole spread out the sheet of paper
on his knee.
"What assurance have I?" stammered
Craig, his face like a death mask
against the rock behind him. "You
see, after you got the money, you
might think it safer to leave me here,
thinking that I would prosecute you.
I wouldn't, as God is my judge, but
you might be afraid"?
"I'm not afraid o* nothin'," said
Pole. "Old man, you couldn't handle
me without puttin' yoreself in Jail fer
the rest o' yore life. That order's '
a-goin' to be proof that you have money
when you've swore publicly that you
didn't. No; when I'm paid back Alan j
Bishop's money I'll let you go. I don't ]
want to kill a man fer jest tryin' to :
steal an' not makin' the riffle."
The logic struck home. The warmth
of hope diffused Itself over the gaunt
form.
"Then I'll write a note to my wife," '
he said. ,
Pole reached for one of the torches (
and held it near the paper.
"Well, I'm glad I won't have to go j
furder 'n Darley," he said. "It 'II be
better fer both of us. By ridln' peert
I can let you out before sundown. You
may git a late supper at Darley, but
it's a sight better 'n gittln' none heer >
an' no bed to speak of."
"I'm putting my life in your hands,
Baker," said Craig, and with an unsteady
hand he began to write. c
"Hold on thar," said Pole. "You'll t
know the best way to write to her, but
when the money's mentioned I want
you to say the $25,000 deposited In the
bank by the Bishops. You see, I'm not
goin' to tote no order fer money I
hain't no right to. An' I'll tell you another
thlug, old man, you needn't throw
out no hint to her to have me arrested.
As God is my final judge, ef I'm tuck
up fer this, they'll never make me tell
whar you are. I'd wait until you'd
pegged out, anyway."
"I'm not setting any trap for you.
Baker," whined Craig. "You've got the
longest head of any man I ever knew.
You've got me in your power, and all I
can ask of you is my life. I've got
Bishop's money bidden in my house.
I am willing to restore it if you will release
me. I can write my wife a note
that will cause her to give it to you.
Isn't that fair?" (
"That's all I want," said Pole. "An"
I'll say this to you: I'll agree to use my
influence with Alan Bishop not to handle
you by law; but the best thing fer
you an' yore family to do is to shake
the dirt of Darley off'n yore feet an'
Beek fresh pastures. These round heer
ain't as green, in one vay, as some I've
seed."
Craig wrote the note and handed it
up to Baker. Pole read it slowly and c
then said: "You mought 'a' axed 'er
to excuse bad writin' an' spellin', an'
hopin' these few lines will find you enJoyln'
the same blessln's; but ef it gits g
the boodle that's all I want. Now you
keep yore shirt on, an' don't git skeerd t
o' the darkness. It will be as black as
pitch, an' you kin heer yore eyelids c
creak after I shet the front door, but
I'll be back, ef I And yore old lady c
hain't run off with a handsomer man *
an' tuck the swag with 'er. I'm glad F
you cautioned 'er agin axin' me ques- e
tlous." e
Pole backed to the foot of the ladder, 11
followed by Craig.
"Don't leave me here, Baker," he v
said imploringly. "Don't, for God's x
sake! I swear I'll.go with you and get
you the money." f
"I can't do that, Mr. Craig; but I'll be 1
buck as shore as fate, ef I get that s
cash," promised Pole. "It all depends 1
on that. I'll keep my;word if you do *
your'n." c
"I am going to trust you," said the 1
old man, with the pleading intonation 1
of a cowed and frightened|child. c
After he had got out Pole thrust u
bis head into the opening'again. "It'll 1
be like you to come up heer an' try to *
move this rock," he called out, "but
vou uiought as well not try it, fer I'm c
jfoin' to add about a dumpcart load o' 1
ocks to it to keep the wolves from 1
liggin' you out." '
TO BE CONTINUED. I
Are Authors Still Hungry?
It is a fallacy to suppose that the x
day of the hungry author is of the 1
past. The genus still exists. Often, 1
doubtless, he is author because he is (
hungry, but tbe more serious case Is to 5
be met where he is hungry because he 1
yearns to be author. Grub street has <
as many tenants as of old, has, In- <
deed, overflowed its bounds in every
direction. The inability nowadays to '
construct a story of some kind is a '
very rare piece of distinction, and too <
frequently the ability to do so makes '
grubs of many who might unfurl l
wings in more practical states of be- I
ing. It is this large class of self ap- '
pointed grubs that butters the bread <
of that modern product, the literary i
reader, who. by a strange anomaly, is i
apt to be something of a grub himself, 1
with the added gift of disoernment. i
So important a factor, indeed, in the
success or nonsuccess of the struggling i
author is the official reader that it is i
through his eyes alone thatmn insight '
can be gained into the terra incognita <
lying between the submission: of a man- :
uscript and its final disposfetiom?Gun- 1
ton's Magazine. *...
gftiscrltaneous leading.
A Noted Yachtiwomaa.
Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin, whose little
laughter christened ' e new cup de:
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P
'ender Reliance, .has heretofore per
oruied that duty for all the America's
up yachts that her husband has maniced.
JACK TARS IN POKER FIGHT.
tsia Was Pitted Againet Africa, and
Nerves Were Tried For Three
Months.
"A couple of cruises ago I saw a pair
if poker hands dealt in Japan the acion
upon which culminated In the
Jnited States three months later," said
i chief petty officer in the United
States navy. "The hands constituted
l try-out between the backbone of a
ilack man and the nerve of a Chinanan.
"The game began in the harbor of
fokohama. For four months previous
ill hands had been quarantined on
loard ship on account of the prevalence
of cholera in the Japanese ports.
?he quarantine -against shore liberty
vas raised when the ship drifted into
fohohama harbor and it was found
hat the cholera had been wiped out.
"Then all hands forward drew big
noney from the paymaster in anticipaion
of one stupendous saki toot in
fokohama as a wind-up to the cruise.
Before the liberty party went ashore,
lowever, the skipper got his sailing orlers
for the run to the Mare Island
lavy yard, and, as the ship was to up
nchor on the following morning for
he states, the liberty was of course
ancelled.
DIUKjacw:i? liaic iu natc muiKij
oose on them that they have no imriediate
chances to spend in port, and
he big sums that they had drawn with
he Yokohama liberty in view were
hrown on their hands, with no chance
if a big beach blow-in until the States
vere reached. So they got down to
ure-enough poker as soon as knock-off
vas piped on the evening before the
ailing.
"For chips they used, after the cusomary
fashion in the navy, old decks
if cards cut in two, thus nursing the
dea that they were deceiving the offlers
as to the nature of the game they
cere playing. The officers, as a rule,
termit the poker-playing bluejackets to
ntertain this comfortable delusion, for
ven the middies in our sea outfit unlerstand
the non-necessity, not to say
he foolishness, of seeing too much of
vhat is happening among the men forward.
"The four-hand game around the
o'c'sle capstan quickly developed into
he hottest affair of all the poker sesions
that were in progress all over
he ship, from the coal bunkers to
he space in the forward anchor
liains. It was so hot that two of
he players, a bo'sun's mate and a gunler's
mate, were bulged out at the end
>f a couple of hours' playing leaving
i coal-black seaman named Terry and
he Chinese wardroom cook, Tsi Moon,
jitted against each other.
"Tsl Moon was the crack pokerist
>f the ship, if not of the whole Asiatic
leet, and the black was only a shade
>ehin<f him. Both of them always had
n their neck-bags J1.000 or so In loose
joker winnings, easily snagged from
feckless flatfeet who had the temerity
o play with them. But throughout
wo cruises, or six years, during which
joth were on the same two ships, they
lad refrained from playing against
;ach other by a sort of mutual consent.
feeling, no doubt, the the picking
imong their shipmates was better and
;asier than pitting themselves against
?ach other.
fhAV wors ?hf> nlacld. in
scrutable Chink and the lowering and
singularly lucky black, right up against
?aeh other in a two-hand game on the
night before the ship was to up anchor
Tor the States, and all, hands, although
they kept a proper distance away from
the capstan so as not to attract any
undue attention from the officers to the
arame, were a whole lot interested in
the way things were going to come out
between Tsi Moon, the cook; and Terry,
the seaman.
"The two felt of each other's game
for a couple of hours before either of
them got down to business, and then
Tsi Moon collared the black in the act
of trying to get away with a scientific
stand-pat bluff. A while later Terry
had the goods when the Chink got after
hirn again in the same way, and
from then on It was blood poker and
no quarter.
"About half an hour before pipedown
was due to break up all of the
games until the morrow, the Chink,
who was a little, weazened chap, with
the signs of the surreptitious use of the
hop in his small, shrewd slant eyes,
dealt himself a nana ror a jacapoi
that, after the black had opened, he
stood pat on. The darky had tossed a
half card, representing: a five-dollar
chip, Into the centre in opening it, and
the Chinaman, who was standing on
his feet In a sitting-down posture, rested
his cards face downward on the
deck and counted out ten of the fivedollar
half cards called chips and slid
them into the pot.
" 'Lalse you fifty,' he said to the
black.
" 'An' fifty mo',' quickly replied the
black seaman, with a broad grin, winking
at the lookers-on and scooping
twenty of the torn-ln-two card chips
into the pile.
"The Chinaman saw the raise before
the draw, and the "black held up a finger
to intimate that he wanted one
card. When he saw the Chinaman
furtively dropping the deck without
making any draw himself?and there
was some scientific exaggregatlon In
fVio fiiptlvonoaa with which th#> China
man did the trick?the black laughed
aloud.
'"None fo' yo' all, eh?' he guffawed.
'Un-tryln' tuh git in a sneaky stan'pat,
er. yo' yalluh-faced ape? Got de
papuhs an' don't want no one tuh know
yo' don't need no mo', eh, yo'
squeenchy-eyed baboon?'
"Tsl Moon smiled affably.
".'Up to you now,' he said.
"The Negro closed his cards up and
flicked a five-dollar half-card Into the
stack. The conquering grin still remained
on his face.
" 'Jes' tuh feel o* yo', yo' pig-talled
dope,' he said.
" 'Laise you fifty,' said Tsl Moon,
without looking up.
"The Negro looked delighted. He
rocked to and fro on his haunches and
rubbed his knees with an elephant-like
contentment In the mere pleasure of
motion.
" 'Yalluh man,' he said with hoarse
happiness, 'yo' all bite lak uh Mlsslsslpp'
bull-haid catfish whut's been
stranded In uh swamp fo' up month by
uh flood. Uh hund'ed mo' dan yo' all.'
" 'And a hundled,' said Tsl Moon,
seeming to be studying with queer intentness
a bolt at the base of the capstan.
"Terry, the black seaman, still swayed
to and fro with a kind of Joy that
caused him to gurgle in his throat. *
" 'Yo' blink-eyed monkey,' he said
purrlngly to the Chinaman, 'Ah've been
uh-waltin' fo' six yeahs, on two o' dese
o" frigates o' Uncle Sammy's, tuh line
up uhlongslde o' yo' all. An' now
Ah've got yo' all, an' got yo' In uh co'
nuh. An' a hund'ed mo'.'
" 'Hundled,' remarked Tsl Moon,
flicking a fly from off the toe of one of
his heelless grass slippers.
" 'Jes' lak plckin' crab meat with uh
icepick,' said the dlnge, every one of
his teeth showing In the breadth of his
grin. 'Mek It two hund'ed dis-uh-time.'
"'You get It?' said Tsl Moon, looking
up Inquiringly.
" 'Has Ah got It, yo' chave-halred
rat-eater?' amiably said the black, and
he pulled from underneath his white
twill blouse a canvass bag about the
size of a boxing-glove, pulled together
at the top with a drawstring. 'Dey's
'leben hund'ed in this hyuh gunnysack
?an' Ah didn't have tuh wash down no
decks tuh git dis hyuh gilt, neethuh,'
and he laughed uproariously as he
thought, presumably, of the easy fashion
wl*v w'-' .h he had snagged the
velvet in the canvas bag from his shipmates
In previous poker seances.
" 'All 117 said Tsl Moon, reflxing his
gaze on the capstan bolt. 'I see you
two hundled, and laise you fl' hundled.'
"The Negro stopped swaying on his
haunches as suddenly as if the masterat-arms
of the ship had tapped him on
the shoulder and ordered him to report
to the stick, and for half a second
the whites of his eyes were visable.
It was not exactly with his previous
hoarseness of sheer delight that
he said:
Five Hund'ed, eh? An' how does
Ah know dat yo' all has got dat?'
"The Chinaman reached under his
blouse and gave the black a quick flash
at a canvass sack of even larger size
than the seaman had produced.
" 'I got, all 11',' said Tsl Moon. 'Lalse
you fi' hundred.'
"And that's the way it passed back
and forth between the Chinaman and
the black man until they counted the
half-card chips in the stack and figured
up the larger tally bets that
weren't represented by chips in the pot,
and found that the .Negro's eleven hundred
velvet was all in on his final
raloo with th? mlsp now nn to the
Chinaman.
" 'Ah'm all in,' said the dlnge, "but
Ah hain't had enough yit. Ah don't
want no ahow-down ef yo' all don t,
yo' mango-hair. Ah've got uh thousan'
mo' on de books, an' ef yo' wants
Ah'll wait twell de end o' de cruise an'
shove in all o' mah pay-day to' uh
show-down?uh thousan'-dolluh showdown.
Dat's de kin' o' nigguh yo' all's
uh-playln' kyards with.'
" 'All li',' replied Tsi Moon, with the
utmost good nature, placing a foot on
his cards. 'How we do It?'
"It was necessary for them to confer
with some of the lookers-on before
they arrived at a method whereby to
stretch the decision on their hands out
to the day of their final paying-oflf at
the Mare Island yard. The paymaster's
yeoman came forward from the
pay room to fix up the details.
"He verified the black's statement
that he had J 1,000 and over on the
books, as the bluejackets call the
money in the hands of the paymaster,
their cruise savings?and Terry's pay,
or the major portion of it, for two
cruises was in the paymaster's hands,
since the dinge had no bother In cop
I ping out running liberty money with his
poker skill. The Chinaman had more
> than 11,500 on the ship's books as a re!
suit of his two cruises on the China
, station. I
i "The pay yeoman took the two can- i
( vas bags belonging to the players to
, one of the bunkers, accompanied by the <
; Chinaman and the black, and, dumpi
ing both of them out, took all of the <
. black's $1,100 and added to it $1,100 i
from the Chinaman's coin bag. This he
put Into one bag and placed in the pay- I
i master's safe in a little compartment !
set aside for the yeoman's use. I
( "Before going to the bunker to do
this the yeoman, without examining i
. either of the hands, sealed them In of- i
flclal envelopes, writing the respective i
t names of the two players on the envelopes,
and stowing them safely In his
desk. And that's how it was all set on
the night before the ship pulled out of
Yokohama for the hike to San Frani
cisco. There was $2,200 in the pot, '
it was the Chinaman's raise, and it was
understood that Tsl Moon on pay-oflf,1nv
three months later, was to raise I
Terry for $1,000 for a show-down.
"Well, from the hour that the thing |
was done, all hands forward began |
making side bets as to what the out- i
come would be. Their bets were of all
sorts. Some took the end that the <
Chinaman would be the one to cave (
before the show-down, others that the ,
dlnge's nerve wouldn't hold out with ?
the chance of all of his duff going to j
the Chink. 1
"They bet with each other as to
which of the two had the other beat 1
in case the scheme for a big show
down went through as it had been |
planned. I
"Before the ship reached Honolulu, i
where she put in to coal, the dlnge had
let It out that his hand consisted of i
four sevens, and then the black became
a strong favorite to win out.
But the Chinaman went on cooking <
for the wardroom mess and saying |
nothing. i
"He_ would blink good-humoredly
when fellows who wanted to get an in- I
side line on the situation tried to
wheedle the character of his sealed i
hand out of him, but he wasn't to be i
wheedled. He kept his own counsel as I
tn that hand UDon which he stood pat i
until the finish.
"The black man fell into a ruminative
sort of manner as the ship progressed
toward San Francisco, and he 1
used to stand with his arms resting on I
the galley sill and gaze into the galley
at the Chinaman about his work and i
try to get a rise out of the Chink' by 1
expressions of confidence in the out- I
come. v 1
" 'Ah've got yo' all skinned, yalluh '
man,' he would say, staking his pipe
out of his teeth. -'Maybe
yes. Maybe no. Money
him talk,' the chink would reply, and '
that would be the end of it.
"The ship docked at the Mare Is- '
land yard, and as the time drew close
for the crew to be paid off or for those
whose time was not out to be sent to
the receiving ship to allow the cruiser !
to go out of commission, the men continued
to gamble on what the outcome 1
of the sealed hands was to be. On the
day before the final pay-off the Chi- 1
nese steward of the wardroom mess,
Moy Yen, came forward and calmly '
offered to bet $1,000 in sections that |
his countryman had the black beat.
"That was a stunner for all hands.
They Instantly arrived at the conclu- 1
sion, of course, that Moy Yen knew
what Tsi Moon's hand consisted of,
and, as they knew that Moy Yen knew
that the black's hand was four sevens, 1
4 1 ? ?? + awa OAnnliialAn ffW thPTTl
UICJC WOO UUl Wilt VVIIV4UW.V.. |
to draw, and that was that the Chinaman's
hand was the top one?else why J
should Moy Yen so placidly offer to
stake $1,000 on the outcome?
"Betting on the result stopped altogether
right then?all hands felt '
confident that the Chinam&n had the
black smothered. The dlnge hlmaelf !
rolled his eyes gloomily when he J
heard Moy Yen's startling offer to
back Tsl Moon's hand to the tune of
a thousand, and sulked.
"All hands lay aft to the paymaster's ,
office for final settlements the next j
day. When, late In the afternoon, the |
work was done, the pay yeoman
brought the canvas bag containing the \
$2,200 forward, under the fo'c'sle, to- ,
gether with the two sealed hands. He ,
placed the bag with the money on top |
of the capstan, and handed the sealed |
hands to their respective owners. I
"All hands were grouped around the (
capstan to see the finish. The officers, |
of course, knew what was In progress,
and were as much interested In It as |
the men, but this was one of the little i
things that they didn't elect to see. |
"Tsl Moon placed a bag containing |
an even thousand In gold beside the i
larger bag containing the pot on the i
capstan, and said: I
" 'I laise you thousan* dolla'.' j
"The black rolled his eyes In palpa- ;
ble misery for about half a minute, |
while you could have heard a pin drop (
on the deck, the crew were so silent, i
He moistened his lips a number of |
times before he could speak.
" 'Yo' all has got me beat, yalluh j
man,' he said then, so hoarsely that I
ne couia scarcely De unuersiuou. ic* <
de dough." I
"The crew burst into a roar. Tsl i
Moon smiled agreeably and tucked the
two canvas bags into his blouse.
" 'D'ye mind my showing up what i
, you've got. Moon?' the pay yeoman
, asked the Chinaman.
i " 'I no care,' replied the Chink, with i
a very broad" grin.
"The pay yeoman rlped open the
envelope containing the Chinaman's
five cards, the crew pressing forward ,
eagerly to see what the hand consisted i
of.
, "'A pair of treys, by thunder!' 1
, bawled the yeoman, and then there
, was another and a more terrific roar
, from those who had backed the Chink <
i ?who was already fiddling around
, with his pots and pans in the galley,
getting the wardroom onicers' dinner, i
"There was a savage expression In
the chagrined and cheapened black's
eyes. On sheer nerve, a Chinaman
had beat him to a standstill with the
most ingenious and perslstert bluff
ever worked in the American navy.
"Moy Yen, Tsi Moon's countryman
on board, had contributed to the shattering
of the Negro's backbone by his
olfer to bet }1,000 on Tsi Moon on the
day before, but Tsi Moon himself got
the bulk of the glory for the j-erfectly ,
tranquil manner with which he had
held out to the very end. And I've
got more than half a doub as to
whether the strongest kind tf white
man would have held out to lnlsh in
such a frameup with a Chinaman possessed
of Tsi Moon's brand of Oriental
Ner\ ?New York Sun.
crfuinc uniVLno ?nc mk wto .
Are Not Disposed to be Commi nioative
About Themselves.
Of the men who sit In the cab of a
locomotive and turn the machine loose
In a race of 100 miles in 100 ilnutes,
It is said that they are the mos: modest
individuals of the human fam ly, says
the Chicago Tribune.
This is a fact said to be ^clearly
shown by a talk with any of he Chicago
engineers who have any such record.
It 1b evidenced not so mtch from
what they say, when questh ned, as
from what they do not and ca 1 not be
Induced to say.
For not two men in a dozer of fast
runners ore given to talklnr about
what they have accomplished. Much
less are they inclined to pass a ly opinion
of the capabilities of any other engineer.
Take it all in all, the men who ride
the iron horses in races that are appalling
are the oddest characte *s in the
lumpers of a mechanic. A short time
ago, a special train was chartered to
make a fast run down the coun ;ry. The
engineer, in taking coal at a station,
was delayed by the coal chute apron
becoming unmanageable. Tie man
who sat in the cab ahead was as cool
as an iceberg, but no sooner had the
apron been hoisted out of the vay than
he opened up the valve and began a
race that, for speed and smoothness,
was one of a thousand.
"Arriving at our destination" said
the conductor who had charge of the
train, "the engineer found awaiting
him a telegram from the general superintendent
of the road, who ]>ald him
the highest compliment that an official
could extend to an employer. The
man read the telegram, and sloved itinto
the pocket of his blouse, without
a change of countenance. No one,
from looking under the peak of his
cap, could tell what sort of a feeling
had been awakened, even if it affected
him at all."
A fast runner, bgfng approached by
in outsider who wants to know something
about the life of an engineer,
will Invariably be asked to set so and
30, who is another engineer on the
3ame run or division.
"He's a mighty good engineer and
can tell you more of what you want to
Imow than I can," and then he goes
ibout his puffing steed feeling for hot
places and poking a long spou ed oiler
under the machinery. It is ten to one
that the other man will get out of it in
the same way.
Few engineers who have bet n found
sut as fast runners will make aiy comparison
of any kind of their rt ns with
those of other engineers. Theie is one
thing, however, about which in engineer
of this class is "touchy." Suppose
he has made a fast run, but l as been
laid out or delayed from one cause or
mother. He invariably wants that delay
deducted from the total tin e of the
run.
Railroad men say that the :onger a
man runs an engine the longer he
wants to. He is in love with Ills dangerous
calling, and he is a heritable
luck out of water when once he real
Izes that he is laid off for all time.
A Friend Deceived.?If there is a
consistent and honest endorser of Senator
Tillman In South Caroliia It Is
the editor of the Orangeburg Patriot,
tvho has stood squarely by Eenjamin
the Tillmanite through thick end thin,
and has never faltered in hli; allegiance
to the author of the famo as man.
Ifesto of 1890. Editor Parks wis raised
In Edgefield county, and is accustomed
to speak out plainly when theie is occasion.
Here is the estimate he puts
upon the free pass episode:
"If any man in state politics for the
past twenty years ever succeeded in
thououghly convincing the masses that
lie was sincere in his condemratlon of
the free pass evil, that man wis Senator
Tillman. When he was fot nd with
tree pass No. 1 in his possession his
friends were amazed, but u;>on his
acknowledgement that he had made a
great blunder, expressing His regrets
that he had accepted a pass, most
af his friends forgave him. But
now that he has been found with various
free passes in his possession, he
will not find it so easy to obtain for
Siveness for the second offense, we
have been very much deceived In Senator
Tillman and the last episode has
Riled many of his friends with deepest
chagrin."?Greenville Mountaineer.
The craze for doing things In automobiles
broke out in a new channel
when a young man and worn in drew
up to the curb in front of a church
rectory and asked the mlnlstir If he
would marry them while they remained
1.1 the automobile. The minister
promptly told them that he would not,
and that if they wanted to be married
they would be obliged to come Into the
rectory. This appeared to surprise the
couple, but they went in.
Belgians are the greatest smokers,
6.6 pounds per annum being used
for each man, woman and chil i. Aside
from this 59,400 pounds of c garettes
are imported annually.