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 see what the
others have got."

One lady had two queens, two jacks and a tray, and another had four
fives and an ace. Mrs. Fogg had a four, a seven, a jack and two nines.
She was highly indignant when she discovered that her hand did not count
beside the others.

"If there is going to be such favoritism shown, I don't care to play,"
she said, pouting.

The woman with the pretty teeth had a pair of aces and three kings, and
the old maid had a royal flush. It was a task beside which that of
Hercules sunk into ignoble insignificance to explain just why a royal
flush was higher than the pairs on which he had just laid such stress,
while he had not even mentioned the royal flush at all. He made up his
mind that he would not mention a straight even if one turned up every
hand. The miserable man was nearly exhausted before they all understood,
and he never thought of looking at his own hand at all. The chair where
he sat was one of those old-fashioned kind, made of horsehair, and he
kept slipping down, and by his gyrations alone anyone could have seen
his uneasiness.

Finally, after much explanation they got down to a real game. Each got
her cards, examined them defiantly and every one bet with a recklessness
that had no limit but the amount of beans on hand. The last bean was on
the table. After about forty-five different attempts, each prefaced and
followed by explanations from the miserable ghost they had drawn and
discarded.

"I did not need anything more," said the old lady, "but I thought I
might get something better than four aces, so now I will stand squat."

"I-I beg your pardon?" gasped he.

"That is what you said, isn't it, Lavinia? I mean when you have all you
want."

"Oh, pat, madam. I said pat."

"If you had meant pat, why did you say squat? Was it meant to confuse
me?"

"What is trump, please," said the widow plaintively.

"There is no trump in poker, madam," said Edwards for the twentieth
time.

The old maid leaned over and whispered confidentially:

 "I won't play if such favoritism is shown"

"Please, dear Mr. Edwards; is mine a good hand?"

"I only wish that I might always be sure of holding one as good. Why,
madam, it is simply gorgeous-a regular beauty."

"Oh, Mr. Edwards! You naughty man!"

"I see everyone and I make it five hundred better and I call," cried
Mrs. Fogg, piling all her beans in a heap and then preparing one end of
her shroud to hold her winnings. The big gambler had somehow found a
pocketknife and this he jabbed surreptitiously into the chair as a
relief to his feelings, while the six women were quarreling over the
beans. They appealed to him, and the old lady said:

"Mr. Edwards, Mrs. Robinson hasn't anted at all for three hands, and
Miss Shookes puts a handful of beans of all colors in the pot every time
without counting them."

"Oh, well; she knows that this is only to learn. She wouldn't do that if
it were real money."

"No, indeed; for I was always noted for my prudence about money. That is
how I died richer than some folks I know of, who had scarcely enough to
pay for their funerals."

"I think, ladies, that you could all show your hands now."

Mrs. Fogg triumphantly put six cards on the table. She had kept one of
her discards to make up three pairs. This caused much animated
discussion, particularly as Mrs. Washner had four fives.

"You said you had four aces," whimpered Mrs. Fogg when the case was
decided against her.

"I did not, did I, Mr. Edwards?"

"I don't remember," replied he, wishing that he had had sense enough to
go into the billiard room and stay there instead of making such an idiot
of himself.

"I simply said that I drew that card to see if I could get anything
better than four aces. Now, isn't that what you would call a bluff?"

"Yes; and it was a good one, too," said he admiringly.

"Besides Mrs. Fogg had six cards, and-"

"Well she didn't have the four aces, and that isn't half as honest as my
having six cards. You told me, and you know it very well, that I was to
get as many pairs as I could. She didn't have the aces, and I did have
three pairs, and I am entitled to the beans, so now!"

The woman with the fine teeth looked dreamily at the gambler and
silently laid down her hand. There were four aces and a king. None of
the others had anything to beat this, and she smiled bewitchingly at him
as he awarded her the beans, whereat Mrs. Fogg flew into a violent
passion and sobbed tearlessly, until the poor man did not know what to
do. She continued until he was ready to throw up the whole affair and
leave as she said:

"I just don't care! I am sure Mr. Edwards just picked those cards out on
purpose for her. I don't want the old beans. I detest beans, only I
believe in standing up for principle, and I know that
gamblers-professional gamblers-do cheat at cards."

"I think that a gambler-even a professional gambler-would have to be
very unprincipled to try to win with six cards when he knew that that
was the worst kind of cheating," said the old maid, taking up the man's
defense with such an air of having the right to champion his cause that
his jaw dropped and he made a movement as if for flight. At this point
quite a number of other ghosts who had gathered around them began to
clap their hands, and one said:

"Go in, little woman, and win. You will make a famous player in time."

The little belligerent hurriedly arose and said angrily:

"If Mr. Fogg were only here, you would see what would happen. I won't
stay here to be abused. I was lowering myself anyway."

"I think so, too," said the old maid, "but it was by the way you have
acted and not from your association with anyone here. We can spare you
without sorrow."

By this time several more had gathered, and the ladies, seeing that they
were attracting more attention than they desired, left the card room so
suddenly that the newspaper man could not tell which way they went. Then
he looked for the big ghost. He, too, had disappeared. So the reporter,
left to himself, decided to go and find the leader and tell him the
outcome of the affair.

The young man thought that it might be that this affair was a form of
punishment for former sins of omission or commission. But he must indeed
have been a very bad man to deserve such a punishment as this, and he
thought, too, that no other form of punishment could have been devised
so well calculated to break a real gambler's heart. He felt sorry for
him.

The reporter then went to the billiard room in search of the leader of
the evening's ceremonies. He was nowhere to be seen, and the young man
stood watching the billiard players. He thought they all seemed to be
playing in a perfunctory way, and there was no spirit in their play.
Spectators stood about watching the progress of the games, and
occasionally making remarks of approbation or derision.

There were several men there whom the young man felt sure he had seen in
life, but as none spoke to him he did not exactly like to press the
acquaintance. One of the men that he felt so

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