I bet, and my friend was pleased to see what a fool I was; and I
told my friend to bet him another dram that he could pick it up.
But I said, "Don't touch the one that has the corner turned up;"
and he did as I said. That made the cow-boy laugh, who broke out
in his peculiar vernacular: "Oh, you old fools with store clothes
on can't tell it no how." Then I observed to my friend, "I am
going to have some of that money; for that fool will never get
back, for some one will win it sure." I began jesting and playing
the fellow, till at last I dared him to bet me $100 on it, and he
said, "I won't take a dare," and pulled out about $4,000 in
greenbacks, all in hundred-dollar bills. I laid my $100 on the
table, all in small bills; so when he commenced to put up his, I
counted him out of $100, and that made it two to one; but I turned
the card, and he told my friend to just hand me the money.
"What is the least you will bet?" said my friend to the cow-boy.
"Wall, boys, you have got me at it, and I had just as leave bet it
all; but I know you fellars with the store clothes on haint got
that much; and I knows you darnt bet a dollar--if you did, the old
woman would broomstick yer."
My friend could not stand this sort of racket any longer, for I
kept telling him to just lay up his money, and take it and put it
in his pocket.
At this stage of the game a tall, fine looking fellow with long
black whiskers came up and said, "I'll bet $1,000 that I can turn
the card."
The cow-boy observed, "If I can win that bet, I'll be even on what
I lost going over," so he put the money up and said, "Come on, I'll
go yer;" and the black-whiskered man put up his money and turned
the wrong card. The cow-boy was delighted. My friend trembled,
for he saw that the new comer did not take the one with the corner
turned up. Of course he began to get his money out; and he had
lots of the long green stuff, for he was a large cotton buyer from
Galveston. He offered to bet $1,000, but the cow-boy said, "I
won't bet less than $5,000." I offered to take half, but the cow-
boy would only bet with one person at a time; so I told him to lay
it up. He did so and turned the card, but missed the winner. I
grabbed up the boy ticket and turned the corner so quickly that he
supposed he had made a mistake. The black-whiskered man at once
pulled out his money and bet him $1,000 again, and this time he won.
My friend wanted to try it again, for I made him believe that he
made the mistake himself. He said, "Shuffle them up, and I will
make you one more bet." He counted out another $5,000; and says
I, "That will only make you even if you win." So he took out $3,300
more, which was all he had, except perhaps $100 in small bills.
The cards were shuffled. The cow-boy counted out his money. The
black-whiskered man wanted to chip in enough to make it even $10,000,
but the cow-boy wouldn't have it. My friend made a snatch at what
he supposed was the boy card, and--lost.