“And twenty,” said the Treasurer.
“And fifty,” said Wingo, gently bestowing his chips in the middle of the table.
The Treasurer called.
The member from Silver City showed down five high hearts, and a light rustle went over the Legislature when the Treasurer displayed three twos and a pair of threes, and gathered in his harvest. He had drawn two cards, Wingo one; and losing to the lowest hand that could have beaten you is under such circumstances truly hard luck. Moreover, it was almost the only sort of luck that had attended Wingo since about half after three that morning. Seven hours of cards just a little lower than your neighbor’s is searching to the nerves.
“Gove’nuh, I’ll take a hun’red mo’,” said Wingo; and once again the Legislature rustled lightly, and the new deal began.
Treasurer Hewley’s winnings flanked his right, a pillared fortress on the table, built chiefly of Wingo’s misfortunes. Hewley had not counted them, and his architecture was for neatness and not ostentation; yet the Legislature watched him arrange his gains with sullen eyes. It would have pleased him now to lose; it would have more than pleased him to be able to go to bed quite a long time ago. But winners cannot easily go to bed. The thoughtful Treasurer bet his money and deplored this luck. It seemed likely to trap himself and the Governor in a predicament they had not foreseen. All had taken a hand at first, and played for several hours, until Fortune’s wheel ran into a rut deeper than usual. Wingo slowly became the loser to several, then Hewley had forged ahead, winner from everybody. One by one they had dropped out, each meaning to go home, and all lingering to see the luck turn. It was an extraordinary run, a rare specimen, a breaker of records, something to refer to in the future as a standard of measure and an embellishment of reminiscence; quite enough to keep the Idaho Legislature up all night. And then it was their friend who was losing. The only speaking in the room was the brief card talk of the two players.
“Five better,” said Hewley, winner again four times in the last five.
“Ten,” said Wingo.
“And twenty,” said the Secretary and Treasurer.
“Call you.”