Gambling Extraordinary

The John Simonde was one of the finest steamboata 00 iho Mississippi, ! plyiug betweea St. Louis and Niew Orle nu, uul bar Cuptiiiu, Johu Scott, was thé most popular 011 the river. Sueh 1 sup'erb boat was sure to bealway erowdi(l, and so t-sl i was, aiao, on a warm Jane afternoón in 1K5ÍÍ is U10 hour drew ñoat for her departure from íát. Louis. Xbe heil had rung out tl 1 e apceliií sigua] aa two men stopped hriskly on board of her, ascended the broad stairs k'ading to the iirst saloon, anl walki'd np to the Gaptaiu'B oflioe, where the passenger regist(;r lay open. Ono of these mea was UU, stout, t lumfrli not fleshy, with recular, iinely-chisl(il, even aristocratie features, in posture ereet and almost military. Taking the pen, he wrote Leisurely, liubwitli a lirm hand, ('.. Vandrrliilt, New York. Tlie was not quite so tall, but evidentïy oí a muscular frame, somewhat rotuiul, and liso of ruby i'ouutenanee, indicatinp; that he was not averse to Ihe gpod thiiifrs óf this woiid. IIi ran the peu r :pidly over the page, and the elerk read : " Grtorge Law, New York." Both men were wellknown. George Law as the huilder of the Panama railroad and the chief organizer of the Atlantic and Pacific Mail SUamnhip CoiupimioH, and Vuuderbilt as tho originator oí' the Nicaragua Tïausit Oompany, running his BteameMS fr;m Nu Vnik to San Francisco, in oppositidii to the other. Suoh great, wealthy and iniiiri;int personages wore natiirally trealed by the oilieials Of tlio steamboat with unusiial deferëncp. uul whcii oach of thom asked a state-mom l'or hinisolt', some other passen gors wepf at otaoo preváíled üpon to surrenae,r thouTS. Tho Jokn Sinionds had bwiiiií; jut into the river and started ou hor journoy, jwhen Yandorbilt return od to the clork and ré1 (iicst('d him to dépostt in tho safe a paekago oontainiug drai'ts to a larga amount and tweuty thousand dollars in Bfthk-notefc A few minutos (leorge Law conuqp with u like rpijuest, and Im was also aoconunodated. Of course, lo sisk eitBeir of tlicni for I lui r laye wmild havo been pröposteroiiö, and in a very ahprt timo pyery ona on board kuciv that (Wiiolius Vauderbilt and George Law, J tho oontending giants of stéwn on tlie ocean, miro fellow paaSengers. Yef tho two aeemed to bo wholly I gardless of the aUciition oblrmlod npon th(mi. They walkod anl ! talkod of Central America, tho West Índice, and tlie Paoilic, and aftor supper liad a tat)Të (ixnd thpinsolvee, asked for onnlx, and ciiMinienod playing ii friendly game of euctoo fora bundred dollaru a ;;:l"(' of best tliroo iu live, " justi lo mako it interest in.y, jon know." They oared not for tho musio, the dancing, or the minstrels, but playod on tiü Gteorge Law ad won a thonsand dollars, whioh Vaudcrbilt paid on tho spot by gotting a bank-note tot tho amount out oí' tho packiifíe in the olork'o safo. Noxt morningtho jolm Símonds mado a sliprt stop at Cairo, at the mouth of the Ohio, where i notcd rivor oharacter, Captain Aloxaiulcr, Mme aboara. Cap. Aleck, as he was cftllod for short, made gambling on tho toainboats upoa the Mississippi liin profession. Kvorybody liked htm for hin good humor and jovial manners, though everybody know üiat ho couldn't liaudlo oarda without ahoatipg, doing it so dextrously tliat ho was soldom dotected. " Cap," said tho elcrk of tho boat, to him, "wc havo twoiof tho richost birds in tho country on board - Commodore Vandorbilt and Qaorge Law - men fond of tho game, too." That was onough íor Caps Aleek. In tho ai'ternoon the Commodore and LLvo Oak Geoxge wen' agaüa at play, and (lap. had taken. a sat al tho table, oöoriW ti joiu iu the game: But euchre was only ; esting whon playod by two, and so draw ■ poker was substituted alter snpper. The game then losted till midnight, a iiumber of othor passengers taking part, all losing heavily, Cap. Aléele risÍDg from the tablo soine ton thousand dollars j ter oh thim wheu ho sat down. "This will bo tho best trip I over mado," said the Captaiu to tho clerk, as they charnpagiêd at tho formor's expense. Tho game was renewod tho next morning, contümod all day, and by supper timo Yanderbilt had lost thirty thousand dollars. To pay it Captain Seott, of tho boat, caslied several of liis drafts, as ho did íor (íeorge Law, who had also lost heavily. Whilejsuppeiwas beingaèrved it was announeod that tho boat would in in a fow hours arrivo at Vioksbiifgi Vandorbilt Btepped up to Captain Scott, saying : "I havo a suspieion that this man Alexander is cheattug. 111 bo d - d if I don't iind him out, and Law and mysolf will arrest him, and take him ashoro at Vicksburjjf to mako a charge against him. Should ho return us our money, or tho largest part of it, wefll lot him go. But you must asaist us, Captain, will yon? "With all my hoart, Commodore," said Captain Scott, and promisod socrocy. Aftor supper tho game proccodod, and jnst as tho John Simonds was veoring round the bond at Vieksburg, tho stako ou tlio deal then pending was already over five tliousand dollars and Captain Aleck was raising it lügher overy time. At last VanderbiH, being tho hoavio.st botter, " oidled " Aleck, and the latter laid npon the tablo four aces and a king. All ftood aghast at suoh an extraordinary liand exoept A'anderbilt, who jumped from his ciiair, grasped Aleck by tlu fliroat, and shoutocl : " Scouudrcl ! I'vo caught you now. Thoso aoes came from your sleove. Thero isn't nu aeo in tho pack you dealt from, for I took them all out ; aere they ' are," and ho producod the Jour aces from his coat pocket. " ( ieorgc, wo'll tako this thiei' into Vricksburg. We are uowwithin tho jurisdietioii of the city ; take hold of him." Poor Oaptafal Aleck neither resisted nor beggod for nierev, and tho gang-plank Imving been ahoyad out, ho was led ashoro. Kut lo! a re-' markable ohttnge mnv occurnxl. WMle Captain Hcott and some of tl jiassengers wero still on the plank to follow Vaudordi'rbilt, Law, and their ])risoiier, tho throo started on a run up tho stoop rivei bank, jumped inlo a wagon with four lioises attachcd, that soeiued to be j Lug for thein, and liurvied oll' at a top B] I. "'HuiiiIn yon, gentlcin.'ii," erii-d Yanderbilt; " wlieucvcr you seis the ('ommodoro, give him my best resiieets." " The saiiK! l'rom me to (ioorge Law," exclaimed the scamp who had pcrsonated that gentleman. " That's tho Jast. you soo of Captain Aleek," said tho gambler. A fow shots were iired al'ter tliem without cllcet. Whou at NowOrleans the owners of tho John Himonds stopped paynient, thoyascortained that two of tóe wiliest rogucs of tlio country, oombining with öaptein Alock, had fweeed them out of more tliau lorty thousand dollars by l'orged di-aCts and couiitetlV'it 1 1 1 u ■ : 1 1 n i dollaf bilis.