I was playing poker with a man, who, after I had broke him, went
to a gentleman friend of his and promised him twenty-five dollars
for the loan of $500 until he got home. As he was worth a great
deal of money, his friend loaned him the $500. After he got a new
stake, he came to me and wanted to renew the play. I had played
a square game, and, believing him to be a gentleman, I sat down to
play the same way; but I soon saw he thought himself a better player
than myself, so I lit into the new stake, and it was not long until
I had him broke again. Then he went to the Captain and set up a
great kick. The Captain said to him, "If you had won the money,
would you have given it back?" He said, "Captain, I give you my
word of honor that I would." "Then," says the Captain, "why did
you pay twenty-five dollars for the loan of the money?" "Oh," says
he, "I only wanted to teach him a lesson." "Well," says the Captain,
"if you pay twenty-five dollars every time you want to teach such
men as he is a lesson, you will soon get broke. I can't do anything
for you, my fine fellow."
The passengers laughed at him, and some called him "a good teacher"
(and that broke him all up). He soon sneaked off to his room, and
that was the last I saw of my teacher.