“The game grew too small for both of us.  I had four hundred dollars in checks before me, and my original collar-button.  I asked him for his limit.  He replied that notwithstandin’ the enormous and remarkable growth of institutions of learning throughout the country and the widespread interest in arithmetic, it hadn’t been figured out yet.

“‘Make good,’ says I, tappin’ the table with the finger of authority.

“‘I got you,’ says he, and slams his roll upon the table.  ’There’s eight hundred dollars.’

“‘Well,’ says I, ’I shall descend upon it in two flies, not counting odd chips.  Shall we cut?’

“He shoved out a deck.  I cut a four-spot.  It come to me all of a sudden how futeel is human endeavors, how fleetin’ is man’s hopes, for we was playin’ it high man wins.  And then he cut a three-specker, and talked unwisely.  Then he cut a king, and a soft smile lighted his face.  I cut an ace.  He looked at it, reached up, and took down a sign: 

  ACE IS ALWAYS
  HIGH IN THIS HOUSE.

—­a sign he’d made with his own fair hands, and he says to me, ’You don’t mind if I keep this as a sooveneer of the joyful occasion, do you?  You can have the rest of the place, for I move after two beats like that.’

“So then the crowd was uproarious, and I treated several times for Mrs. Scraggs and several times for myself, divided the money square, wrapped her half in a parcel with ‘God Bless our Home’ marked on it and sent it around to her.

“It then occurred to me I weren’t dressed according to my prosperity.  So I cut the boys and ambled around to Eichenstein’s to get some clothes.

“Old Eichy clasped his hands with innocent glee.

“‘I have got id!’ says he, clawing out some black duds.  ’You remember dat ’biscobal mineesder who beat der sheriff to der drain?  Dat is der close he orter t’ und didn’t bay for—­dey fid you like a finger in der mud.’

“I tried to explain to Eichy that I didn’t need no minister clothes, but he was shocked at the idea, so I bought ’em and put ’em on.

“It next occurred to me that with a new soot of clothes and money in my pocket I’d orter travel and see a little of the world once more, so I gathers the boys and four members of the Dogtown band, and we went eight miles to the station in good shape.  It made the people look to see us marchin’ in.

“‘Gimme a ticket,’ says I to the station man.

“‘Where are you going to?’ says he.

“If there’s one thing I can’t put up with it’s impudence from a railroad man.

“‘What in the hereafter business is that of yours?’ says I.  ’You gimme a ticket, quick, or there’ll be a wreckin’ train due at this spot.’

“‘Well, how can I tell what to do?’ says he.  ’Pay me for the ticket, and you get it.’

“‘Sir!’ says I.  ’Do you mean to insinooate that I can’t or won’t pay for a dirty little railroad ticket?  There you are—­gimme a ticket!’