hem $100,
and they went off with their hard-earned stuff.

BILL WOULD GAMBLE.

One of Bill's most striking peculiarities was his love for gambling.
He loved gambling for its own sake, just as the moralists love
virtue for its own sake. No man that I ever came in contact with
ever struck me as being so fond of gambling. I have seen him give
parties two points in casino and seven-up, and they would play
marked cards on him. On one occasion when we had a settlement
there was $375 in small gold coin, which I told him to keep and we
would fix it up at some other time. No; he wouldn't have it that
way. He wanted to play seven-up for it. This I positively declined,
saying that when partners played together it sometimes broke
friendship and gave rise to hard feelings. But he insisted until
at last I played him. We cut for deal, and he dealt. Hearts were
trumps. I stood, and made three to his nothing. I dealt; he
begged; I gave him one, and made three more. Thus I was six to
his one. He dealt, and I picked up the queen and stood, which was
high. I went out, and refused to play any more. But Bill was
bound to play with somebody, so he picked up a man and gave him
two points in seven-up, and they kept at it all day, until Bill
lost $1,100.

NO GOOD AT SHORT CARDS.

Bill couldn't play any short card game. Monte was his hold, and
the gamblers knew it. I never knew Bill to play at a short card
game that he did not quit loser, and I have known him to play as
long as seventy hours at a sitting. One night we were on a boat
that was putting off freight at the wharf-boat that lay at the
mouth of Red River. Bill was in his element. He had a big pile
of money up in front of him, and a large crowd intent on watching
the game. Soon I noticed a fellow sitting at Bill's right who was
fishing for one of the hundred-dollar bills, trying to coax it over
to his side of the house. I waited patiently until he got it, then
went around to him and said, "Is that the way you gamble where you
live?"

"I don't know what you mean," he said, still holding his hand over
the stolen bill. I gave his hand a push, and there lay the bill,
which I grabbed. Then turning to Bill, I said, "You would sit here
and let these ducks steal all your money. Won't you never drop to
anything?"

The fellow was on his feet in a minute, shouting, "That is my money.
I took it out of my pocket and was waiting for a chance to bet it."

"You li