by without
comment, or one would say to the other, "Great game up in Doll's." "Why
don't the police shut it off?" "Got a pull with the high chief now."

Mr. Dunbar and his protege found themselves in a long entry at the head
of the stairs which led to a door at its farther end, where at a little
window sat a fat gentleman with gray mustache.

"Walk in, right this way. No danger. Suppose you are looking for a
little game. Go through the doors at the right."

The great baize covered screens opened as if by magic, revealing a large
square room, carpeted with velvet and smothered with deep piled rugs.
Magnificent landscapes by Bierstadt, Colby and Elkins hung from the
walls, depicting the Rocky Mountains and the plains. Immense
chandeliers, festooned with prisms which scintillated the colors of the
rainbow, hung from the ceilings. Mahogany and rosewood sideboards
glistened with cut glass decanters, tumblers and fine chinaware, while
the sable attendant served dainty refreshments and thirst-assuaging
liquids to those who asked for them. Leather upholstered tete-a-tetes
graced corners and bay windows, while in an anteroom long racks were
filled with files of newspapers and magazines. A wainscot of highly
polished black walnut surrounded the room, and rich India draperies
deadened the walls. At a table near the entrance were three young men
playing poker, while the keeper of the game, in accents harsh, urged
newcomers to "take a hand, only a quarter to draw cards." At a side
table five cattlemen, just from the stock yards, were killing time in a
game of draw, while on the opposite side a roulette wheel spun round and
round until the little ball settled into its space and the announcement
"the red wins" was greeted by clicking of chips as the croupier paid out
or raked in.

But the great throng was at the far end of the room, where, around a
table some seven feet long and four feet wide, were men three to five
deep, craning, pushing, reaching, to place a bet or receive their chips
on a winning card. The air was close and hot, just the slightest
murmuring, the low indistinct utterings of questions asked and answered:
"How many times has the queen been loser?" "The tray is a case," "Copper
the jack for a blue chip," "Play ace to lose and king to win," "Last
turn in the box, gentlemen, four for one on the call." A scruffing of
feet, a sigh of relief, the tension eased up for a few moments while the
dealer shuffles his cards.