A MOKE MYSTERY.

Thames Star, Volume XV, Issue 4746, 24 March 1884, Page 2

A MOKE MYSTERY.

There was do game at the Thompson street Poker Club on Saturday evening. Mr Gus Johnson was engaged to sing at a revival in Hoboken ; Professor Brick wrote a note to the effect that his coal man had prevented his recuperating sufficiently to play on the cash system, and Mr Eube Jackson, who had promised to call upon Elder Boss Jones of Florida, and steer him against the game, failed to put in an appearance. . The Eev. Thankful Smith was relating the experiences of the previous meeting, when, with the saddened air of a man who had lost his grip on his reputation, Mr Tooter Williams and the odour of. a Bowery cigar entered together.

•'Whad do madder, Toot ?" inquired Mr Smith, with the easy familiarity of a man in luck. " Yo' looks 'spondent." "I done loss dat sixty-fo' dollahs I winced on de hpss race," responded Mr Williams, gloomily. " Sho !'* exclaimed everybody present. " Yessah," continued Mr Williams, addressing himself exclusively to Mr Smith, " an' I done loss it in bettin' agin' icokes, too. Dats whad makes the remorse bite.''

The deepest interest having :. been aroused, Mr Williams proceeded to enlighten the members as follows :

" I was stonnin' in a do' on Sixth aveyou, an' up comes a wite man in a plug hat, an' sezee, ' Why, hsel-10, Mister Eobinson, how is you?' " "Bunko," remarked Mr Smith, with the air of one who had had experience. " Dats what I thought," said Mr Williams, " bud I kept shet. So I sez to him, ' How is yo'?'"

"' Ise a stranger yar, Mister Eobinson,' sezee, ' and I mus' say as I never did see so many mokes togidder as day is on Sixth aveyou. Dey's mo' mokes dan wite pussons.' 'Oh no,' sez I, 'dey's mo'wite pussons dan mokes.' 'I'll bet yo' two to one dey isn't,' sezee. 'All right,'sez I. So off he goes an'comes back wid a fren' who weighed 'boat two hunded, an' had a bad eye."

"Yo' had a spf spec," observed Mr Smith.

" Den," continued Mr Williams, not noticing the interruption, "sezee, 'No, we'll bofe put up a hundred dollars wit dis genelnian, an' "stan'^yar in de do*. Erery wite man passes, he'll giye yo' two doliahs, an' every moke passes, he'll sire me a dollah.'" , . .

" Well J" said, 2£r ( Smith, who #■■' growing excited.';..'■"'':.•/',\; " Well; fusfc deycbifcfes along two white men, and de man wif de bad eye says dat was fo'doliahs to my credit. Den comes six wite men, en' hei say dats twelve' doliahs mo for me. Deo comes along a buck uiggah an' den I lose a dollah. Den fo* wite men an I win eight. Den fo* wite men mo': den one niggah; den two^niggahs, den seven wite men, an' de man wif de bid eye, he says I Was fbhty-two dol« lahs ahead." . „.'■-,;?.■- . ; - tr .,..;,. F : '.y. " De soffes' lay I ev^'^said'Mr^iSiiitli whoes eyes were glistening pver Mr Williams's winnings. ! * '; vAj. • " Den comes along'fo* wite men," said Mr Williams, an' de man wif a bad eye he say dat was eight doliahs mo', and den -——" here Mr Williams paused, as if his recollections had overpowered him.

"An'den?" echoed everybody, wildly excited, .

" Why, den said Mr Williams, desperately, " den come 3 around de cornah—."

"De oops!" breathlessly asked Mr Smith.

A niggah funer"* said Mr Williams.—