“Lucky cards,” said Britton, and no other comment was made.
Again there was no play and another jack-pot was made. It was not opened for two deals, but when the cards came to Long Mike in turn, Stumpy was fairly amazed to find that once more he had three kings.
It did not look right, and if it had been Britton’s deal he would have hesitated about playing them, but Long Mike was above suspicion, so he opened the pot with cheerful confidence.
Again Britton was among those who came in, McCarthy and Long Mike both finding enough to justify a play, but they all took three excepting Stumpy, and he was quite easy in his mind when he bet two dollars. Britton was the only one to call, and he said, with a laugh:
“I’ve a notion to raise you, but maybe you have them three kings again.”
“I have,” said Stumpy, and scooped the pot again.
They all stared, but Britton was the only one to speak.
“If I was you,” he said, in a nasty way, “I wouldn’t play them kings so frequent. You might get beat on ’em next.”
Now there are men to whom a remark of this sort may be made without immediate trouble, but such men are not Irishmen of the peculiar redness as to hair and beard that Stumpy had. He flared in an instant.
“Oi’ll play thim cards whiniver Oi do be gettin’ thim to play,” he said, with great heat. “An’ if ony gintleman i’ th’ room, f’m La Crosse or any other place, has anything to say, Oi’d loike t’ hear what it is.”