mselves in
completing their arrangements for the game. The tokens were
distributed, and in accordance with the custom of the time, the
table soon was fairly well covered with money of divers sorts, gold
coin, a lesser amount of silver, bills issued by many and divers
banks in this or that portion of the country.

Silence fell when the game really began. The Honorable William
Jones at first ever and anon threatened to erupt into Roman facts
and figures, but chilly glances made his answer. Half an hour, and
the passing of time was forgot.

At first the cards ran rather severely against the judge, and
rather in favor of the historian, who played "the said poker" with
such thoroughness that presently there appeared before him a ragged
pile of currency and coin. Dunwody and Carlisle were losers, but
finally Dunwody began to edge in upon the accumulated winnings of
his neighbor on the right. An hour passed, two hours, more. The
boat plowed on down-stream. Presently the colored boy began to
light lamps. There came to the faces of all the tense look, the
drawn and lined visage which is concomitant to play for
considerable stakes. A frown came on the florid countenance of the
young officer. The pile of tokens and currency before him lessened
steadily. At last, in fact, he began to show uneasiness. He
thrust a hand into a pocket where supplies seemed to have grown
scarce. There is small mercy in a game of poker hard played, but
at least one of his opponents caught some such signal of distress.
Dunwody looked up from his own last hand.

"Don't leave us just yet, friend," he said. "You may draw on me
for all you like, if you care to continue. We shall see that you
get a ticket back home. No man can ask more than that!"

"I have a thousand acres of cotton land 'n a hunnerd niggers
waitin' for me to git home," said the Honorable William Jones, "an'
by hockey, I raise the ante to twenty dollars right hyer! Are you
all comin' in?"

"I have at least that much left in my locker," answered Judge
Clayton. "What do you say to doubling that?"

"Suit me," said Dunwody briefly; they nodded assent all around, but
the younger man ventured:

"Suppose I sit with you for one jack-pot, gentlemen. The hour is
growing late for me, and I must plead other duties. When a man is
both busy and broke, it is time for him to consider."

"No, no," expostulated the Honorable William Jones, who long since
had forgotten his rule re