ered "biled" (white) shirt, huge diamond stud
in front, no collar or tie, perhaps a silk handkerchief tied loosely
round the neck, and an open unbuttoned waistcoat. They are necessarily
cool, wide-awake, self-possessed men. All in this room are chewing
tobacco and distributing the results freely on the floor. Now and then
the dealers call for drinks all round, perhaps to keep the company
together and encourage play. But poker, the royal game, the best of all
gambling games, is generally played in a retired room, where quietness
and some privacy are secured. Mere idlers and "bums" are not wanted
around; perhaps the room is a little cleaner, but the floor is littered,
if the game has lasted long, with dozens of already used and abandoned
packs of cards. At Las Vegas the majority of the players were cowboys
and cattlemen; at Socorro miners and prospectors; at Albuquerque all
kinds; at Santa Fe politicians and officials and Mexicans, but Chinamen,
always a few Chinamen, everywhere; and what varied types of men one rubs
shoulders with! The cowpunchers, probably pretty well "loaded" (tipsy),
the "prominent" lawyer, the horny-handed miner, the inscrutable "John";
the scout, or frontier man, with hair long as a woman's; the half-breed
Mexican or greaser elbowing a don of pure Castilian blood; the men all
"packing" guns (six-shooters), some in the pocket, some displayed
openly. The dealer, of course, has his lying handy under the table; but
shooting scrapes are rare. If there is any trouble it will be settled
somewhere else afterwards.

But things took a turn; slackness, then actual depression in Real Estate
values set in, and oh! how quickly. Like many others, I got scared and
hastened to "get out." It was almost too late, not quite. On cleaning
up, my financial position was just about the same as at the beginning of
the campaign. It was a lesson, a valuable experience; but I admit that
Real Estate speculation threw a glamour over me that still remains. It
is the way to wealth for the man who knows how to go about it.

About this time two Englishmen arrived in Las Vegas, and we soon got
acquainted. One could easily see that they were not tenderfeet. On the
contrary, they appeared to be shrewd, practical men of affairs. They had
been cattle ranching up north for some years, had a good knowledge of
the business, and were "good fellows." They had come south to look out a
cattle ranch and continue in the business. They wanted a lit