That's what he ought to do; don't get
excited.' I did my wonderin' about the joss man in private. 'Sit
down, Charlie.'

"So Charlie, he sot down and watched me rifflin' the cards.

"'Playee poker?' says he.

"'As a relaxiation, Charles,' says I. 'Poker is a business for
gentlemen of means--gottee nomonee!'

"'Me stakee you,' says he. 'Likee poker.'

"So Jim and some of the other boys come over, and Charlie and me
begun to draw cards. After we dubbed through a few deals, gettin'
on to each other's play, I see Charlie stow away a pair of aces.
Now, ordinarly, I'd complained, but, under the circumstances, it
didn't appear to me to be the decent thing to do, so I motioned to
Jim, and he slid me a pack with the same sort of backs.

"After that you never in all your borned days see such hands on a
poker table. Why, a king-full wasn't worth raisin' back on. A set
of fours was the least a man could have confidence in, and only if
it was on his own deal, at that.

"Howsomever, havin' a hull pack at my disposal, whilest Charlie
could only use his hold-outs, I worked him down to tin cans of
vegetables, the busted coffee-pot, and the pants.

"He, bein' as game as any white man, jack-potted the lot. It was
just draw cards and show down for the money. Darned if he didn't
get the best of me.' How I come to pick out the queen of diamonds
to match a straight club flush is one of them things that won't be
revealed till Judgment Day. There wasn't nobuddy more surprised
than me. This brought us down to even Stevens, and I felt
irritated, so I come back at him with one play for the bunch. He
agreed, and I dealt him four aces, pat. I was going to draw to
fill my straight color. I snaked out the three I had on my knee,
and was just goin' to insert 'em where they'd do the most good,
when Pete's v'ice says: 'Well, Zeke!'

"It was a joyful v'ice, but I knowed he'd seen my play. I dropped
them cards.

"'One minute, Pete,' says I. I called across the table to Charlie,
'Show openers and win!' And when he laid down them bullets I'd give
him with my own hands, my heart broke inside me. But I couldn't
stand for a crooked play seen by Old Pete.

"I hopped up from the table and shook his hand, I shook Maggy's
hand, where she stood, smilin' bashful, and then I shook the hand
of a strange gent in black clothes, whose name was Mr.
Somethin'-or-other.

"Pete explained to me that the gent was a minister travelin'
through t