AMOS DECKER. 345 



frontier farmers, and, as I was in that class, we got along; 

 but it was evident that Amos had exploited me as a ma- 

 gician, for they were curious about me after we made 

 camp at night. They were satisfied that I was a Free 

 State man, for that was the first thing that a man wished 

 to satisfy himself on in those days are you friend or foe? 



This curiosity became too strong to be controlled, 

 and Joe broke out with : "Amos says you can see through 

 a pack of cards and tell how they will deal; is that so?" 



"No; Amos says many things besides his prayers. 

 Sometimes I make a guess at what cards a man holds, 

 and if I guess anywhere near right he thinks it wonder- 

 ful. Hand me that pack, and I'll make a guess on the 

 hand you have after you have cut the cards." 



This was a rash statement, for the pack was well worn 

 and dirty; but my fame was at stake. Running them 

 over in shuffling, I got the four aces and a king at the 

 bottom of the pack, and then laid it on the blanket. "Now 

 you cut the cards anywhere you like," said I, and he cut 

 near the middle. Catching the eyes of the crowd, I put 

 the "cut" back on top, and played the old trick of dealing 

 from the end of the pack, giving him a card from the 

 bottom and myself one from the top. When the deal 

 was finished I said : "It's hard to see through these cards, 

 they're so dirty; but your hand beats mine. Keep 'em 

 all together; don't spread 'em out; I can guess better 

 when they're bunched. Let's see! I guess you've got 

 four aces and a queen; no, it's a king, the king of spades, 

 I think ; it's a black one ; no, it's the king of clubs." 



He showed down the hand as I called it, and those 

 simple men were astounded. Both Warren and Amos 

 told me that the hand was dealt from the bottom, but they 

 had seen more of such things than the others. The com- 

 pany of these men was no pleasure; they were men 



