‘Cut for deal,’ he ordered.

When each of the other men had leaned forward and lifted a sheaf of cards, Longstreet divided the remainder.  The deal went to Barbee.  And what is more, Longstreet understood why; Barbee showed the highest card, a king.  Longstreet straightened in his chair and his interest grew; he went over in mind what he had learned at the ranch.  A pair beats a stiff, two pair beat a pair, threes beat two pair and so on.  It was simplicity itself and here was he, Professor Edward Longstreet, measuring his judgment against that of Mexican Mendoza, Mexican Chavez and Yellow Barbee, cowpuncher.  Ready from the flip of the first card to concede that these gentlemen had had a rather wider experience with card-playing, none the less he realized the superiority of his mentality, his greater intellectual training, and fully expected something more than just an ‘even break.’  He concealed the faces of his cards cannily and gave his scholarly brain entirely to a pleasant task in mathematics.

Through many years of training he was familiar with abstruse problems; hence it may be forgiven him, if, at first blush, this form of poker appeared simplicity itself.  He reasoned thus:  There were fifty-two cards in the full deck; there were exactly four, neither more nor less, of each ace, deuce, trey and so forth until one got to the king; there were, also, just four men drawing cards; each man, if he played his hand out, could draw five cards.  All of this was data; it seemed as though he had x and y given and was merely to find z.  His eye, as the game began, registered zest.

He remembered former instructions:  Each man’s first card, dealt face down, was to remain face down until the hand was played out; the owner of that first card, and no other man, had the right to turn up the corner and discover what it was.  So when Barbee tossed his card to him, Longstreet wasted no time in peeking at it.  It was the ace of clubs; not a better card in the deck!  He lifted his face and beamed; it was a good start.  And this time the emotion registered in his frank eye was that of a guileless old gentleman who has an ace in the hole.  There was no misreading that triumphant gleam.

Again the cards fell gently from Barbee’s practised hand, each of the four faces up this time.  Longstreet’s was a king; he nodded his acceptance and approval.  All of the time his brain was busied with his developing theory of chances:  there were four aces, four kings in the deck, and he already had one of each.  There were four players in all; there were fifty-two cards; it was unlikely that in this hand another king should turn up.  And no other king did; he had the high card.  He smiled warmly.

‘The high card bets,’ drawled Barbee.

‘Oh!’ exclaimed Longstreet.  ‘Yes, to be sure.  Let me see.’

His sparkling eye roved about the table.  Barbee’s exposed card was a jack, one of the Mexicans had a ten and the other a four.  Longstreet felt both warmed with triumph and yet a little sorry for them.  So he did the kind thing by them and bet only a dollar.  The two Mexicans lifted their brows at him, looked to Barbee, and then with a splendid show of nonchalance both came in.  Barbee chinked his silver dollar down upon the others and dealt the third card.  Longstreet waited breathlessly.