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e fourth was as tall and angular as any of the two men ghosts without
one redeeming trait. She was an old maid. It was easy for the young man
to know all these things for some new and occult quality in his nature
hitherto unknown gave him a new insight into the personality of the
ghost and he saw them as they must have been in life, yet saw them only
as ghosts. He sensed these things without knowing how he did so.

The old maid ghost told the widow that she had heard that Edwards had
been a sad dog in his day, and that gave him added interest, for it must
be admitted that women do admire sad dogs.

When they were all seated they waited for their teacher to make a
beginning. He squared his shoulders, and tried to put his hands in his
pockets when he was suddenly brought to a realizing sense that there are
no pockets in shrouds. He also began to realize that he had undertaken a
greater task than he had thought. He had no money nor chips, and so
could not play poker. He looked the picture of misery.

He was thinking how he could get out of the place decently.

It was the practical old maid who suggested that they should play with
beans. She had heard that that was sometimes done. Edwards stifled a
groan.

When all the other women said that it was impossible to find beans, and
that it would be better to use pebbles as the others were doing, the old
maid told them to wait a moment, and almost before they missed her she
was back with at least a peck of beans of different colors tied up in
her shroud.

She tripped along in such a funny, affected manner that the newspaper
man could not help smiling, though of course he hid that fact. For
Edwards was a much larger man than he was, and he thought that a blow
from one of those bony fists would make a ghost of him too. And he was
not hankering after immortality just then.

The old maid emptied out all the beans, and they sorted the different
colors into different piles. Edwards counted them and divided them all
around into equal parts. Then he produced the cards and said: "We must
have something to represent money and these beans-"

"Oh!" cried the sparrow ghost, "we must not bet. It is wicked to bet."

"Then you cannot learn to play poker," replied he.

"I don't see why," responded she pugnaciously.

"All right. Have it your own way. You will have to give up your poker
lesson right now, for the betting is all there is to it."

There was a whole chorus of exclamation from the rest. The old maid
ghost said that after so much trouble had been taken, and as none of the
rest had any scruples against betting beans, she did not see why the
rest could not go on, and Mrs. Fogg stay out. The big gambler waited
with what patience he could muster, for the game had little zest to him
without money.

He put the pack of cards back somewhere in his shroud and waited. On
seeing this the other five took an anxious cry that he must not desert
them. Quiet was restored on the promise that the betting with the beans
should be regarded solely in a Pickwickian sense. So the beans were
distributed. The black beans stood for fifty cents each, and the white
ones for a dollar each, and the big red ones for five dollars.

"That is high enough for beginners, isn't it?" asked the old lady
benignly.

The big professional gambler took a severe fit of coughing and shook so
hard that the newspaper man thought surely he would fall in pieces, but
he rallied and said:

"Now, ladies, I deal you each five cards. Your object will be to see how
many of a kind you can get together."

"What kind?" asked the sparrow woman.

"Why, two aces, or three deuces, trays, fours or face cards all the way
up. Aces are the highest."

"Which one?" asked the little woman.

"Higher than a ten?" asked the widow.

"I said the ace is the highest card in the pack," replied he.

"That is not answering the question, sir. I wish to know which one."

"Oh, any one," answered the man wearily.

"But I can't see how four aces can all be the highest," said the
sparrow.

"I mean that they all count higher than any other card. After ace comes
king, then queen, then jack, then ten and so on. Four aces make the best
hand except a royal flush or straight. Two of a kind are good, three
better, four best. I will explain the rest as we go along. Now I deal
you each five cards-"

"You said that before," remarked one of the ghosts.

"So I did. Now you must decide upon your limit."

"I have five cards. I thought you said that was the limit," said she of
the pretty teeth.

"I mean, how much do you want to bet? As you are beginners, suppose you
make it a half a dollar."

"You said there was to be no betting," cried Mrs. Fogg, at the same time
trying to match a pair of a jack of diamonds and a four of spades that
she had spread out on the table before her.

"Oh, you each are to put a black bean on the middle of the table, and,
madam, please never show your cards until you are called."

"Sir!"

"Oh," groaned the gambler, "what I mean is this. I will explain as we go
along when someone calls for you to show down, but it is or should be
your object to hide your hands-cards-as completely as possible from all
the others."

"I don't see how I am going to find out if I don't look," grumbled the
little woman.

The newspaper man was enjoying this mightily, and from time to time he
cast pitying eyes at the unfortunate big ghost, for once he had had the
pleasure of teaching three women to play the noble game, and he fully
sympathized with the suffering man.

The ghostly gambler gathered himself together and said:

"Now, ladies; there are a number of complications in this game, and as
they arise I will explain them."

"I would prefer to know them all at once," said she of the pretty teeth.
"I am sure that I could remember."

The poor man began to look as if he thought that this was a job put up
against his peace of mind, but he courageously continued:

"As I said, your object is to get as many pairs or cards of the same
number of spots into your hand as possible, and if you have two pairs,
or only one pair, you can draw three cards from the pack putting as many
of those as you hold in your hand back-discard, they call that-and try
and make up a full hand that way. Now each of you has five cards. Please
look at them, and, well, as this is the first, perhaps it would be
better for you to show them, and I will advise you what to do."

"You just told me not to show mine."

"Now, wouldn't that come and fetch you?" muttered the wretch under his
breath.

"What's trump?" asked she whose teeth were so pretty.

The old maid scored a hit by putting her cards, hand and all, into the
big paw of the gambler, and letting it lie there innocently.

"I'll scrape the pot," cried the old lady ghost, at the same time
triumphantly showing two deuces and three trays.

"I-I-beg your pardon?" said the bewildered man.

"Isn't that what you say when you get better than anyone?" she asked
defiantly.

"Oh, yes," murmured he faintly; "but we must wait and

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