We were on board the steamer _Southern Belle_, bound for New Orleans.
There were several planters aboard that I was acquainted with, and
we were drinking wine, telling stories, and enjoying ourselves,
when a large, fine-looking gentleman stepped up to the bar and took
a drink. He had a diamond stud in his shirt that was so large and
brilliant that it attracted the attention of us all; so after he
went out we began commenting on it.
I finally said to one of the planters, "What would you give for
that stone?" He said, "I would give $1,000 for it, but I bet it
could not be bought for the money." "What will you give me for
it?" I asked them. They all laughed, for they understood by my
question that I thought the man was a sucker, and I could win it
from him. One of them said: "Devol, you are a good one, but that
fellow is too smart to be caught by any of your tricks." I said,
"Gentlemen, I will bet two bottles of wine that I will have that
stone inside of an hour. Who will take me?" They all wanted to
take the bet, and raise it to a basket; but I told them the odds
were too much in their favor, and I would bet but two bottles; so
it was settled that I was to win the stone, or pay for the wine.
Then we all went out in the cabin, and I called everybody to join
me in some wine. My partner went up to the man with the brilliant
stone, and asked him if he knew the man that was treating. He said
he did not. Then my partner told him that I was a planter; that
I owned six plantations, and so many niggers that I did not know
the number myself. The gentleman was introduced to me and the
other planters, when he said: "I am very glad to form the acquaintance
of you Southerners; I'm a New Yorker." The compliment cost me the
wine for the entire party. While the barkeeper was serving the
wine, I told him to bring me some of those tickets that they played
the whisky game with. He brought the tickets, and I began to mix
them. One of the planters bet me the wine that he could turn the
ticket with the baby. I took him up, and he stuck me. Then another
bet me the cigars, and I stuck him. While we were lighting our
cigars, my partner put a pencil mark on the baby ticket, and told
the New Yorker that he wanted to have some fun with me; that I was
so good-natured, I would take it as a joke when I found it out.
I commenced mixing them again, and wanted to know who would be the
next man to try his luck. My partner came to the front, and wanted
to know if I would bet money on the game. I told him so long as
I had two chances to his one, I would bet a plantation, and a
hundred niggers besides. He put up $1,000, and said: "I will try
you once for $1,000." I pulled out a roll so large that it made
everybody look wild, saying, "That just suits me." I mixed, and
my partner turned the ticket with the pencil mark on it, and caught
me for $1,000. I laughed and said, "You're a lucky fellow; I don't
want to bet with you any more." He then slipped away, as though
he was afraid I would detect the mark and raise a fuss. He gave
the $2,000 to one of the planters, and told him to go and play it.
The planter came up and said: "I'll try you for $2,000." I said,
"All right, plank her up." He turned a card, but not knowing
anything about the mark, he lost. I laughed and said, "Try it
again; you're not as lucky as the other fellow." "No," said he;
"I've got enough." Then my partner came up again and wanted to
bet; but I told him he was the lucky fellow, and I was afraid of
him.
The New Yorker could see the mark on the card, and he could not
stand it any longer; so he pushed up to the table and laid down a
roll, and said: "I will bet you $400." I told him I would only
make one more bet and then quit, and I would bet $2,000 or nothing.
He picked up the money and turned away. My partner said, so I
could hear him, "Bet him." The man said, "I have not got the
money." Then my partner offered to loan it to him, when I told
them I would not bet if the lucky fellow was in with it; but if
the gentleman had anything worth the money, he could put it up.
The lucky fellow told him to put up his diamond stud, saying in a
whisper: "It is only for a minute; don't you see the mark on the
card?" The gentleman put up the stone and the $400. I told him
I would only take the stone for $1,000. Then my partner told him
to put up his watch. He did so, and I put up $2,000 in money. I
mixed, and he turned the marked card. He was very much excited;
and when the card turned over, it had the mark on its back, but
the baby had crawled off the other side. He drew a long breath
and walked back to his state-room, and that was the last we saw of
him. As he was walking away, some one called to him to join us in
some wine; but he could not hear so well as when the capper told
him in a whisper to put up, as it was only for a minute. We looked
at our watches (I had two), and it wanted just five minutes of the
hour. The planter that made the bet of two bottles spent over $200
for the wine that night, and before he left the boat he gave me
$1,000 for the "brilliant stone."