Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1884-12-05

don't 90 much on the mother for
shakin' him-she takes consumption
or somethin', and it breaks him all up.
He quits drinkin' and gamblin' aud
tries to do the right thing by her. |
Then he goes along all right until the
doctor tells him he'll have to take the
daughter to the mountains or she'll
die. This don't make him drink, un-
derstand, but he takes to gamblin'
again to play out. When he comes
home broke he keeps the truth from
her, aid says he's investing in lottery
and it will come off IN a few weeks.
So, when l gets the lay of the land l
determines to do somethin'. l didn't
want TO offer him money, cause I felt
he would refuseit
1.-The next Saturday night gets in
the seat, thinkin' about that little girl
In that gafret room on the levee. The
game is runnin' light, understand, and
my partners are on the outside. Pres
emily the tall man comes in, and as
usual asks tor stack of whites. He
is lookin', if anythin' worse than ever.
An idea strikes me. l turns around
to the lookout and says: Johnny.
the game is light and you can take a
spin around the block Then l open
, ed up and commenced to deal the
humps for charity's sake. / sent 'em
his way, and every time turned 'em
right for him | thought l could see that
town., patient face smilin' at me across
a his shoulder. never felt so good as l
! did then-it just seemed to me l was
{ atoain' for all the bad / had done In
' my life. And bright look comes in
, his face, understand, and his eyes fair
i ly bulge out of his head with gladness.
But he never says a word as l pass
9 him out stack after stack of reds and
| blues. Toward the close of the third
T deal l am gettin' a little scared for
n fear my partner will come in and raise
!, a howl, and / says: Stranger, I've
n got all l want of your game-I'll quit
!, you He cashes in-just $1,000
!, The room begins to get crowded now
7 and who should come in but one of mi
:, partners. Understand, my scheme
NJ was to replace the money had los
e from my part OF the bank roll and say
Il nothin' about the play. But somebody
:, i gives my partner tip. The tall maj
=. I, isn't satisfied and he makes a bluff
III Heads or tails he says coolly, witt
:. any man in the room for $1,000
~, ~ steps in to take the bet. determined
~ that the little invalid in the garrett shall
3 20 to the mountains, but my partne
- sees a chance of winning back what
g had given away, and with scowl tina
ls q sent my pistol hand back to my poke
H. he says: Stranger, I'll 60 you !
- by.stander fips a half-dollar piece
d and my partner loses. He wants t
:: !. toss again, bnt the tall man pocket
II the $1,000 and walks out as stralgh
sc and proud as if he'd never made
q losln' in his life.
" "Then there was row. We cam
=. pretty near havin' KILN match, bu
~, l fixed the matter up. / voluntarll
l &c: pays my partners the Sc, 400 and pull
us ed out of the game with $3.50, abou
10 $500 less than 1 begins with. But
~ never regretted the deal to this day.
el- Ibid you ever again hear of til
p little girl Alice and her fathera'
iu- ayes, met 'em last summer. wa
III out to Helena, Montana, broke. Didn
,as have marker. Now, this affair dow
Sc In Kentucky eight years before is onl
." Renaissance to me, understand.
yer am walking down Main street whe
ne along comes trim, plump little lad
'e- dressed as neat as anybody. As sh
Is passes notice startled look on hi
ne face. / kinder stop, then she CONE
rus back and says, with the same timi
MS voice that spoke to me from the inv;
els lids chair at Louisville Amt you ii
nm sewing-machine man that called on
e little sick girl in - street, Louisville
u s eight years ago?' Well. you coul
oy have beat the life out of me with
'ho feather. Course 1 accepted her invit;
ne ton and saw her home. Were pret1
CTS near havin' a scene when she introdu'
ar ed me to her father, bat he and turr
els it ofF-says we met before-partial a
mo quaintance. There livin' in a fin
go place, understand, and he's makil
IKE money hand over fist, as dry gooe
yes merchant Nothin' is too good ft
ere me. l stay to dinner and then he an
ari- walk down town together. We hay
good talk l tells him how l cam
to start hun in business by dealin'
ah brace game the wrong way, and b
lux goes night home and gives the who
t &C., thing away to his daughter. Next tim
IN / calls at the house she says l save
IN her from death and her father frol
me degradation, and-well, what's til
IN use talkin' about it7 She was to
ct. good for a teller like me. l migl
W. have married her and been somebod
ks but couldn't make up my mind to Il
'eu gambling alone.
IN slave something? Well, see yo
ou1 later" and the gambler hurried INTO
'ur neighboring saloon to wash down Ii
' u lump which had gradually risen in h
DIS throat at the close OF his narrative
ian
.. "a THE "C0ON BELT"
uP 4 district In Indiana Where IuStIc