We were on board a Red River packet called the _J. K. Bell_, and
we had not made any preparations to gamble. After a while a
gentleman came up and asked me if I ever played poker. My partners,
Tom Brown and Holly Chappell, and some of the officers of the boat,
were sitting there and heard the conversation. They had to put
their handkerchiefs in their mouths to keep from laughing, when
they heard my answer, "No, I did not." "Well," said he, "I will
teach you if you will sit down." He got a deck of cards at the
bar, and commenced to show me which were the best hands. I at last
agreed to play ten-cent ante. We played along, and I was amused
to see him stocking the cards (or at least trying to do so). He
gave me three queens, and I lost $10 on them, for he beat them with
three aces. Presently he beat a full hand and won $25. That made
him think his man was a good sucker. I always laughed at my losing,
and kept telling him that after a while I would commence to bet
higher. I pulled out a big roll of bills and laid it on the table.
Finally I held out four fives, and then I went a big blind on his
deal, so that if he did not come in I would throw down my hand,
and perhaps there would be no pair in it. About this time he
commenced to work with the cards, but I paid very little attention
to his work. After playing a while I got three jacks, and then we
commenced to bet high. He raised me, and I raised him back, and
at last he thought we had enough up. Then I got away with the hand
he gave me, and pulled up the four fives. Then the betting became
lively. I made him call me; and when he saw my hand, and I had
got the money, he grabbed at me and said, "That is not the hand
you had." "How the d---l do you know what I had?" "Well," says
he, "where are the other five cards?" "I don't know what you are
talking about." He counted the cards carefully and found the jacks,
for I had palmed them on top of the deck. Then he pulled out his
knife and said, "You are a gambler, and I want my money back."
"Oh, is that all? I did not understand. I will give it back, as
I don't want to keep your money if you think I did not win it
fairly." I let on as though I was taking out the money, when I
pulled out old Betsy Jane. He saw her looking him in the face,
and he wilted like a calf. I made him apologize, and you never
saw a man get such a turning over as they all gave him. They told
him he not pick out such apt scholars, for they learn too quickly.
What hurt my feelings more than anything else was, that he would
not speak to me all the way up to where I got off. As I was leaving
the boat I said to him, "Good-bye, sir. We are never too old to
learn."