at came along, and the miller skipped out.
Morning came and I bade John Brogan good-bye. Poor fellow; he
never knew why his marked cards didn't work, and I never told him.
Both John Brogan and Neice have been dead many years, and, I trust,
are happy in the spirit land--perhaps playing chuck-a-luck, marked
cards, and concave reflectors with St. Peter and the Apostles.

THE BLACK MAN.

We were playing monte in the barber shop on board a steamer on one
occasion, when a big black fellow, who had been watching the game
through the window, asked me if I would bet with a black man. I
had never gambled with the niggers, for in those days they were
nearly all slaves, and had but little money, and I was looking for
suckers who could afford to lose. So I inquired of this big fellow
how much he wanted to bet. He said, "I'll bet five or ten dollars."
I replied, "If that is all you have, you had better keep it; for
I don't want to win a black man's money anyway." That got his
African blood up, and he pulled out a pretty big roll, saying, "I
got money, massa, if I is a black man." I saw he was well fixed,
and so I asked him how he made his money. He replied, "I's a
planter, sir, and I just done and sold my cotton." I took out ten
twenty-dollar gold pieces, and said, "I will bet you all this
against what you have in your hand." "Oh, no, honey," says he, "I
got more'n dat." "Then I'll bet you this," I said, pulling out a
thousand-dollar note. He put his money down and turned the card,
and it was fun to see him open that big mouth, roll the whites of
his eyes up, and then throw up both hands, ejaculating: "Laws
golly! if dis old nigger hasn't done gone and lost his eyesight,
sho 'nuf."

THE PERSUADER.

Bluff is a good game, and sometimes it will turn a trick when
everything else fails. I boarded Morgan's Railroad, as it was
called, upon one occasion at Algiers. Trains on that road were
generally full of suckers, as the road connected with the Galveston
steamers at Burwick's Bay. Tom Brown and Holly Chappell, my
partners, were both along; and as game was plenty along the road,
we carried our shotguns along, and in the event of no bigger game
were accustomed to get off and shoot snipe, catching the return
train to the city in the evening. Sure enough, there was a party
of traders aboard, and Brown lost no time in making their acquaintance
and opening out. One of them commenced to cut his clothes the
minute he go