$1,000, which made the purse $3,700. Old Jack was very drunk, but
he got up his money someway, and then began to mix. We picked on
the fat gentleman to do the turning. He took his time, as most
fat men do, but when he turned the card it was the wrong one, so
we lost all our money. Just then some one yelled out:

"Sold again and got the money."

That broke up the little game, and old Jack said:

"Boys, come and take a dram with me, and then I'll go to bed."

We all went to the bar, and when Jack took his big dram I noticed
that he drank out of a different bottle from the rest of us. He
then went to his room, and in a short time I went to look for him,
but I did not find him in his room. He was up in the texas eating
up the officers' lunch.

My friend said he would send me the money to redeem his jewelry by
the barkeeper the next trip. As I had downed him for $3,400 in
cash I gave him his jewelry on his promise. He did not keep it,
and well I knew he would not. The next time I met him he said
nothing about the $1,000, so I told him he did not owe me anything,
as I got one-half of what he lost, and that I had sent out West
and got "Rattlesnake Jack" on purpose to down him at the old game
that he knew so well. That made him mad, and he would never speak
to me after that, and that nearly broke my heart.

"SHORT STOPS."

McGawley, "Rattlesnake Jack," and myself were on the Morgan Railroad,
going out from New Orleans.

I occupied a seat beside an old gent from Iowa, on his way to Texas
to buy a farm.

The conductor was on to our racket, and would not give us a show.

We had to wait for a change of conductors before we could open up
for business.

I gave Jack the office to come up, which he did, looking like a
Texas ranchman.

The cow-boy had been to New Orleans to sell his critters, and wanted
a dram.

The old gent did not drink, nor did I--just then.

The cow-boy had been pranking with a new game, had lost $1,000,
but had plenty more left. He showed us how he had lost his money.

I bent up the corner of the winning card and won a few hundred
dollars. McGawley, not knowing anything about the corner of the
winner being turned up, lost a few hundred dollars.

The old gent knew all about the corner and how I won. He wanted
to bet, but his money was sewed up in his shirt.

I had a sharp knife that I loaned him.

He cut his shirt and got out his money.

The cow-boy would bet his pile, amount