72 Among Men and Horses. 



can play poker is bound to succeed in any calling. This 

 reminds me of the Yankee story of a young poker player 

 who asked the father of his sweetheart for permission to 

 marry her. ' Never/ replied the indignant parent, ' shall I 

 consent to allow my daughter to marry a man who plays 

 poker.' 'You might do worse,' pleaded the young man. 

 ' How so ? ' asked the father. ' You might/ retorted the lover, 

 ' let her marry a man who thinks he can play poker/ 



The Allahabad poker players all got 'broke' one hot 

 season, when I was not present, thank goodness ! A young 

 gentleman of the Indian Currency Department hoped there 

 was no harm at his looking on at the game of * draw/ 

 Though he couldn't afford to play it ; still it interested him, 

 and he had read all the papers from home, and there was 

 no new literature with which he could kill the time. ' Why, 

 certainly/ was the reply from the old stagers who shrewdly 

 suspected that the youth could not long resist the tempta- 

 tion of joining in. They were right, though he held out 

 longer than they thought he would have done ; just long 

 enough to know the exact style of game each of them played ; 

 and then after much pressing, he took a hand, and in a short 

 time won all their money, and all the * scrip ' they were good 

 for. He then purchased a comfortable annuity with his gains, 

 and has since that time steadily refused to play anything 

 more exciting than the violin. 



Mr Sinnet, as editor of the Pioneer, used to draw over 

 200 a month. Think of that ye Fleet Street scribes ! It 

 was, however, not enough to induce him to keep his newly- 

 found theosophy out of the paper ; so the proprietor, Mr 

 Allen, got another editor. Mr Allen is a man of great 

 energy, and has the rare gift of organisation. He com- 

 menced business as a chemist and druggist in India, at a 

 time when he could get a rupee (worth then 2s. 2d.) for what 

 one could have obtained in London for the odd coppers. And 

 quite right too ; for I don't suppose he went to India for 

 amusement or for the good of his health, any more than other 



