LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1242, 28 February 1878, Page 3

LITERATURE.

A CALIFORNIAN C 'NJURINO TRICK. [All the Year Round.'] ( Concluded .) I had not been standing there five minutes before my suspicions were unmistakab y aroused. Where the card had come from I uould not attempt to say, but I could almost have sworn that the ‘left bower’ with which Backcfat had just knocked over Hrownb* ard’a ace was not in his hand when it was dealt. A few minutes more and the same thing occurred, though even now I could not be absolutely certain of my facts ; and my curiosity being now thoroughly aroused, I set myse f steadily to watch Black coat’s cards. In four more deals I had crude myself sure. The cards dealt to him had been, as I had carefully noted, the ace and nine of clubs, which were trumps, and the king, queen, and seven of diamonds. The ace of trumps had taken Brownbeard’s queen, and he had led out the seven of diamonds, which in its turn had fallen to an ace from the eldest hand. Trumps were then again led, and again the opportune ‘left bower’— ie., in this instance, of course, the knave of spades—l ad beaten the king with which Brownbeard would else have won the trick. There was assuredly no knave of spades among the cards originally dealt to Blackcoat. I glanced down enquiringly at those still remaining in his hand. The queen of diamonds was gone. What decision I should have come to as to mentioning my discovery I cannot say, for at the same instant my attention was diverted by a little crash upon the table, and turning my eyes I saw that the pipe had fallen suddenly from Brownbeard’s tightly closed mouth. For the moment he did not seem to observe what had happened, and it was someone else’s hand which came down on the little lump of lighted tobacco which was quietly burning a hole in the table. Then he seemed to recover himself, and turning his head with a laugh spat out some pieces of broken clay. He had bitten the end of the pipe clean off. ; Hai he discovered what was going on ? I could not help fancying he had ; and though his manner remained unchanged, it seemed to me that, even as he played, he was studyiug the faces, not of his black-coated opponent only, but of the litt’c knot by whom he was surrounded. Once I found his eyes for a moment resting silently upon my face, and, as he withdrew them, he smiled with what seemed very like an air of satisfaction. Presently the little occurrence above described took place again ; the ‘ right bower’ being the one so opportunely produced this time. Again I caught Brownbeard’s eye; and now there was an unmistakable question in it. 1 answered by an almost imperceptible nod, and he smiled again. But a spark hashed out from under the thick brown eyebrows, which recalled to my mind the epigrammatic little conversation of eight or ton hours back. lie Had certainly, so far, been a good bird to pluck Was he now going to show himself an equally bad bird to peck ?

‘Play, stranger’’ he inquired, addressing me across the table as 1 put this question to myself. ‘ A little ’ I answered, somewhat reluctantly, for, truth to tell, I was not too anxious to be mixed up in one of these ‘difficulties,’ of which I had hitherto managed to keep clear; and which, at times, involved more promiscuous shooting than was quite good for the health of uninterested bystanders.

‘Then just work the cradle for me a bit,’ he continued ; *my legs are cramped, and I’ll take a spell for a hand or two.’

I objected, with prudent modesty, that I was ‘ not good enough.’ ‘You bet!’ ho answered, laughingly. ‘Thar’s my pile— wffiat’s left f it. You go on that, and pouch half the plunder. You won’t slop over the dust much worse than I’ve been doing, any way —not with yereyes shut. ’

And certainly for some time I did not ‘ slop over the dust ’ at all On the contrary, Brownbeanl’s sadly-diminished pile now began by degrees to swell again. Perhaps Blackcoat was alarmed, and, playing on the square, I think I was a match for him. At all events, for the next half-hour the balance of succors was decidedly on our side ; and, during that time, Brownbeard, who had replaced his broken pipe with a cheerot, stood quietly behind me, smoking and watching the game with as r&uoh unconcern as though it had been my own money I had been playing with instead of his. The only difference in his demeanour was that, whereas before he had been almost silent, bo now kept up a perfect stream of ‘chuff.’

I our two opponents exchange glances and grin at one another. I could not help asking myself whether the Ibitter beer—at three dollars the bottle!—which had been pouring pretty freely down Brownbeard’s throat all the evening, might not be producing its effect. Most sincerely did I hope not, especially when, by-and-bye, our opponent’s confidence seemed to revive, and that, opportune ‘ bower ’ again made its appearance on my left hand. I hrice more it hap pened without t'>e slightest notice being taken by Brown\\e;vcd, who rattled on as merrily as ove p , and who had now turned the v pnversation~if conversation it conld be called, which was almost exclusively kept up by himself —upon conjuring tricks. I was beginning to think that I might as well back quietly out of the affair, when suddenly, just as the cards had been freshly dealt, and the new hand was about to begin, he struck in with—‘Bay, lads ! Just h?}d up your hands a bit, till I show you somethin’!' !’e spoke uo naturally, that even the rascal my left hand did not for the moprent take the alarm. ‘ What are you up to now ?’ ho asked, half surlily. ‘ Wal, 1 answered Brown beard quietly, Til show you. It’s a little trick 1 invented myself when I was snowed up three weeks down to Bluei\os§ y< ader, all alone with a pack o’ card a and a keg of Bourbon. Look hyar ! Clubs are trumps, aren’t they ? ’ e - Don’t take much conjuring to spot that,’ replied a bystander, jceringly. ‘ That’s so,’ rejoined I'rowubeard. * And tain’t thar the trick comes in. Look hyar, now. I’ll go five to one with any CUSS aefe

. -V* present, that one of you three has got the “ right bower.” My Injun hasn’t, any way,’ and he took the cards from my hand and threw them on the table as he spoke. There was a silence as the throe players looked at one another, but no one answered. My own eyes were fixed upon Blackcoat, and I could see that at the ominous words ‘ right bower,’ a fear came upon him, and he turned sallower than before. His unoccupied hand too, hitherto lying idly on the table, was lifted quickly, and I involuntarily half rose from my chair to be ready to slip aside from the expected shot. But Brownbeard's eyes were on him, and, if he had really meditated anything of the kind, he abandoned the idea The hand just rested a moment or two in the bosom of the closetittiug black-satin waistcoat, and returned again to it’s resting-place on the table. I fancied he looked relieved when it had d'ne so. I fancied, too, that I could hear Br ivvnheard laugh under his breath behind my chair.

‘ Don’t think much o’that for a trick,’ said the player in the brand-new suit, who also had been evidently uneasy, and appeared now considerably relieved.

‘ Perhaps I’ll better it,’ replied Brownbeard, leaning over my shoulder, and quietly spreading out the reman ing cards faces downwards, with his left hand, but without taking his eyes off the ir.au in the black coat. ‘ See now ! Right bower’s somewhar hereabouts, I guess or sh uld bo. I’ll go ten to one—in slugs—with any cuss hyar present, that I plug a hole slic thro"gh it, whar it lays—fust shot.’ There was a profounder silence than before. Everyone sei-med now to understand that there rvas something wrong 'I he man in black turned livid, and half rose from hia chair.

But it was too late I Even as he moved, there was a sudden flash, a sharp report jus* at my ear, and with one stifled cry the man threw up his arms, and fell forward on the table —dead.

In an instant, a dozen repeaters had leaped from their lurkiug-places, and were pointed menacingly towards us But Brownbeard never fl uched. Throwing upon the table the yet smoking pistil, with five of its six chambers still leaded he folded hia arms and stood quietly facing the excited throng unarmed.

‘No hurry, boys,’ he said in a clear, firm voice; ‘no hurry. Ef I’ve done more’n I said, thars’a plenty o’ room here to fix a rope. Jest turn that carrion over, will you P’ The little knot of confederates aronud the dead man’s seat had disappeared, but a couple of diggers raised the body by the shoulders, and laid it back against the rail of the chair. Then at a word from the quiet figure still standing with folded arms at my side, one of them thrust his hand into the bosom of the satin waistcoat, and drew forth a c rd, soaked wuth blood, and with a small hole through one come , but still distinguishable. It was the knave of clubs—the missing ‘ right bower ’ —and the avenging bullet had, in truth, * plugged a hole through it,’ on its way to the dead swindler’s heart!

There was no need for further inquiry. The threatening repeaters went back to their biding places again. Not one among them but would have been used promptly enough to the same end In less than ten minutes, all trace of the affair was removed, and the play was in full swing again. Neither Brownbeard or I, however, felt inclined for more that evening, and we strolled homewards together. Next ‘ fall’ I spent a month with him. partly at his hut in Pluenose Cully, partly ‘ b’arhuntiug ’ amo n g the wild country, some fifty miles farther up towards the mountains. And a glorious fellow I found him. He was not much of a correspondent, however, as you may suppose, and I have never heard of or seen him since. But I shall not soon forget his Californian conjuring trick.