"After this, havin' done my duty by my fambly, as I saw it at the time, I wandered into Mr. George Hewlitt's emporium of chance, armed with six iron dollars and a gold collar-button. They took my six dollars away from me as though I wasn't fit to be trusted with 'em, and then I sprung my collar-button for another stack. As far as I could see, that collar-button was all that stood between me and a long, wide, thick, and cold winter. Hows'mever, there was no unmanly tears in the eyes of the support of the noble house of Scraggs when he plunked the lot on the corner. "'Slave,' says I to the dealer in the language I learned shiftin' scenes for a week, back in old St. Looey. 'Slave!' says I. 'I've stacked my life agin the cast in your eye, and I will stand the razzle of your dyestuff. Shoot! You're faded!' "And he was, too. I caught that turn and about every other in the deal; split him in half on the last card, and from that on I ripped him up the back and knocked chunks off'n him until everybody got interested. "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.'