Chapter 1 Up The Ante
The streets of New Orleans buzzed with life, the air thick with the scent of gumbo and the sound of jazz pouring from the lively taverns. It was 1868, a time when the city was still recovering from the scars of the Civil War, and the vibrant nightlife masked a darker underbelly. On Gallatin Street, in the heart of the French Quarter, where the gaslights flickered against the dusky sky, both the California House and Amsterdam House thrived, both hidden behind their facade of elegance.
Peter Johnson, better known as "Dutch Pete", owned the California House. Dog fighter Dan O'Neill owned the Amsterdam House. Dan had only owned the Amsterdam House for a few years. Both gambling dens which also served as brothels attracted New Orleans famous gamblers. Inside the California House, the air was heavy with smoke and the clinking of coins. Cigar smoke mingled with the faint scent of alcohol and perfume. Wealthy patrons and down-on-their-luck gamblers alike filled the room, their faces illuminated by the glow of oil lamps. Upstairs, in a private room, Pete and Dan had their own poker game going. The stakes were quite high.
Dan puffed on his Cuban cigar. He was a suave man with dark hair and a charming smile that belied his ruthless nature. "Why don't we up the ante of this game?"
Pete, with his sandy colored hair, was just as suave and ruthless as Dan. He removed the Cuban cigar he had been puffing on and set it in the thick green tinted glass ashtray that sat on the table. He took a sip of his bourbon. "The stakes are pretty high right now. What did you have in mind?"
Dan quickly knocked back the rest of his deep amber liquid before answering. "Our best saloon girls. Money is made downstairs at our places, but we both know just as much, if not more is made upstairs. If I win, Caroline Herring comes and works here. If you win, Kitty Russell goes and works for you. And let's face it. If you win, you're getting the better deal. Caroline may be your prettiest, but she pales in comparison to Kitty Russell."
Pete took his cigar from its ashtray and took a few puffs, while he contemplated his decision. He would hate to lose Kitty Russell. But then again, he made his living off taking chances. "Alright, I'm in. I'll put up Kitty Russell to your Caroline Herring."
Dan shuffled the cards with an air of confidence, the corners of his mouth curling into a sly grin as he prepared to deal. After the cards had been dealt, both men looked at their hands. Pete did not like the cards that he held. Dan on the other hand was quite pleased with his hand. He was confident that Kitty Russell would soon be working for him.
Taking two cards from his hand, Pete put them on the worn out green velvet table. "Give me two."
Dan took two cards from the top of the deck and dealt them over to Pete. "Two for you." Dan put two of his own cards down. "And the dealer takes two."
Pete looked at the two cards that were dealt to him, a three of hearts and a four of clubs. The four of clubs helped. With the two other fours he held, it gave him a three of a kind. He placed his three of a kind down on the table. "Three of a kind," he announced.
Dan looked at the cards that Pete laid down and put his own down. "It looks like we both have three of a kind. I'll shuffle the remaining deck. We each draw one card. High card wins. Aces are high." Pete nodded in agreement.
Grabbing the deck, Dan shuffled the cards and fanned them out on the table. He allowed Pete to draw a card first. Pete took his card and looked at it. Dan took his card and looked at it. Both men placed their cards on the table, face up. Pete revealed a nine of diamonds. Dan revealed a jack of clubs. Dan had won.
A smile slowly spread across Dan's face. He gathered his winnings and put them in his pocket. "Send Miss Russell my way this evening." He pushed his chair away from the table and started to leave the room.
"Not tonight," Pete retorted. "It's Saturday."
"So," Dan shrugged his shoulders. "What's your point? I won her fair and square."
"You know what my point is," Pete shot back. "Saturday nights are the best money making nights upstairs. Give me this one more night with Kitty as my employee and then you can have her starting on Sunday."
Dan traced his tongue around his teeth and sighed. "Fine, you can have her for one more night, but I expect her at the Amsterdam House tomorrow." Dan left the smoke filled room.
Pete cleaned the mess on the table. He hated the fact that he was losing his best saloon girl. Kitty Russell was a goldmine for the California House. Maybe he could win her back in the near future. Pete went downstairs to find Kitty and to tell her of her new future. He found Kitty standing next to the bar, waiting for drinks to be put on her tray.
"Kitty," Pete called, getting the redhead's attention. "May I please speak to you?"
Kitty looked at the tray in front of her and then at her boss. "Certainly, Mr. Johnson." She followed her boss to an empty table in the back of gambling house.
"Have a seat," Pete instructed. Kitty did as she was told. Pete didn't waste any time telling Kitty what he needed to tell her. "This will be your last night working here."
Kitty was stunned. She wasn't expecting to hear that from her boss. "Why? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, I lost a poker hand to Dan O'Neill," Pete grumbled.
"Excuse me?" Kitty did not understand Pete's answer.
"I lost a poker hand to Dan O'Neill," Pete repeated. "He decided to up the ante, our prettiest saloon girls. It was you against Caroline Herring. I lost."
Kitty didn't know how to respond. She was flattered that her boss thought of her as his prettiest saloon girl. On the other hand, she wasn't quite sure she wanted to work for Dan O'Neill. Kitty had heard stories about him. Not that Pete Johnson was a saint, but if Kitty had a choice, she would rather stay at the California House and work for Pete Johnson.
"What if I don't want to go?" Kitty questioned, even though she knew the answer.
"We don't have a choice," Pete responded. "What's done is done. In the meantime, make me as much money as you can." Pete scooted his chair away from the table and started to roam the floor.
Kitty too stood up and started making her way to the bar. Sandra Dell, another girl that worked there, approached Kitty. Sandra and Kitty had become close friends over the last several weeks. Kitty hated the fact that she wouldn't be able to work with Sandra anymore. It was nice to have a friend you could trust, when you worked the kind of job Kitty did.
"What did Mr. Johnson want?" Sandra asked Kitty. Her curiosity was piqued.
Just like Pete, Kitty didn't beat around the bush with her answer. "He told me tonight was my last night working here."
Sandra stood with her mouth agape. "What? You're the prettiest girl here. You make a lot of money for this place. If he's getting rid of you, what's that say about the rest of us? As much as I hate my life, I need this job."
"Don't worry. Your future is not in jeopardy," Kitty reassured her friend. "Apparently Mr. Johnson loss me in a poker game to Dan O'Neill."
"A poker game?" Sandra questioned.
Kitty went on to explain the poker game. "I don't want you to think that I think I'm the prettiest girl here."
Sandra looked at her humble friend. "Kitty, I've never thought that, and I don't aim to start. We should probably get to work."
"Yeah," Kitty agreed. The two girls set to work weaving their way around the bar, serving men their drinks and taking an occasional man upstairs.
The next morning Kitty was upstairs packing up her belongings. Sandra was helping her. Word of Kitty's departure was taken differently by each of the other girls that worked at the California House. A few were sad to see her go, while others saw it as an opportunity for them to make more money. Those girls seemed to be jealous of Kitty.
Sandra pulled Kitty into a hug. "I'm really gonna miss you. You're kind of like the sister I never had."
Kitty returned the hug. "I feel the same, but this doesn't have to be a permanent goodbye. We can still make plans and see each other. We don't work all day, everyday."
"I guess that's true," Sandra acknowledged. "I wish you the best at the Amsterdam House."
"Thanks," Kitty accepted. "I think I'm gonna need it."
After one last exchange of hugs, Kitty left the California House and walked down Gallatin Street to the Amsterdam House. Kitty stopped. Her new future was waiting for her inside that building. She observed its ornate wrought iron and brick facade before walking inside.
TBC