Gloucester County Democrat., 1893-05-04
STEAMBOAT FRANK.

i
"What place was that?" asked tall
aristocratic planter, as the steame
pulled away from the landing into tn
dusky river.
''Kerry's Landing" said the man be
meath the black slouch hat, who had jus
stepped aboard. Good place to leave
nothing but swamps."
''How far to Davis plantationY
''Bout three hours. Another durnet
swamp. Step thereY'
''Yes. Got q plantation back from tn,
river piece. Swamp is right through
Three hours, eh?''
Eyes. Didn't suppose there was lant
enough along there to plant one."
"Oh, it's all right when you get to it
Going to be dark, amt it9"
''Should say SO. Got a good pilot
though"
''First rate. Do you playa"
Sometimes, if the games good. Who's
in itY'
Nobody much. Drummers and sucl
like. Oh. Wheeler Of Richmond. Know
him"
mo; who is he?"
mot muca; cotton edger. Safegame.
"All right; I'm in. That sprays little
wet, amt it,"
Rather; let's go inside"
whats the linitY'
"Two hundred. Have cigar?"
ssVoc fbo,11o Hava xrvo c~o
ANY room here, gents? Whewi it's
cloudy"
Eyes, lots of room. Hello, colonel;
come in," says voice from the smoke.
Bring out the drink, nigger. I say,
colonel, what you're going to havef'
Little whisky-rye."
Rye whisky there. nigger. Hold on,
there-I want another card. All right.
Don't your friend take anything"
Don't know; you had better ask him.
"I1l take the same, stranger from
beneath the hat"
"All right. How do they run, colonel?''
Fair to middling. Haven't been up
for some time. What's the newsS'
Nothing much. Queer about Nichols,
wasn't it7"
Eyes; how did that happen?"
well, there are several stories going
around. Some say they put up a job 70
do Steamboat Frank, and he got the best
of them. Comm in, colonel?"
"You, Stranger
eyes"
"All right. Never did think much of
that feller Nichols anyway"
"Same here; bad eyes,"
you're right. How many do you
want? Three. Frank killed two, didn't
he? Who was the other fellow"
"Don't know. Some one from Texas,
think"
II raise you So" here broke in a
Spanish accent from the lower end Of
the table.
"Hello, Sigl Right in it, eh2 I'll have
to raise you. How did that killing come
off anyhow? Know anything about it,
Wheeler"
"Oh, easy enough, from what hear.
They got to playing pretty stiff game,
and Frank took all the money. They
were hard losers and tough men gen.
orally. They accused him of cheating
and started the row, and he simply wiped
them out"
"And they were not the first ones that
he has wiped out either"
"No, you are right. If all the reports
are correct, he has pretty long list back
there, but they do say that know him
that he is as square as a die and wouldn't
kill chicken without he had to, but
when some one comes along and takes
him for mud fiat or sand bar the way
things jingle around that locality is a
caution to Christmas bells in a great
city,"
And then he branched out into several
amusing anecdotes regarding him; Of his
heavy games and ugly scrapes; Of his
cool nerve and ready wit; how upon one
occasion Texas ranchman had, by his
loud and braggadocio manner, contrived
to offend the more quiet tastes Of Steam
boat Frank; had been backed over the
taffrail of boat with cooked revolver
uncomfortably near his nose, and after
being towed for mile or two was at
last hauled aboard again and contained
less starch and more gentleness Of man
ner.
"But there is one fellow who has got
in on Frank, who don't allow any time
for fooling. He is big New Orleans
gambler called Blazer"
BLAZER? You don't tell me-" said the
colonel. Il know him; hard lot, they
say"
Eyes, you're right, and they say he is
the man who has driven Frank from the
river"
"What, Blazer? How is that?" asked
the colonel.
well, you see it is long story.
There was, as is usual, woman in it.
She sort of liked Frank best, 1 suppose.
Can't blame her much, after seeing
Blazer, eh? Face like Chinese funeral,
only more SO. Frank must be q corker
if he looks worse than she does. Well,
anyhow, Frank got the girl, and Blazer
has been trying to down him ever since.
Frank had asked him to come out and
settle it two or three times, but Blazers
peculiar gift doesn't seem to lie in that
direction. He lies some other way bet
ter. You see, he has O strong pull down
at the Crescent, and Franks case don't
have time to settle down as any other
man would. The fellows Frank settled
were great friends Of Blazers, and
heard rumor that the whole thing was
job cooked up to do Frank, but don't
know as there is anything in it. If there
was q job, 1t failed in its object anyhow.
Your deal, stranger. Bad for Frank,
though, just the same"
Thus pleasantly amused the time flew
by unnoticed, until presently the whole
party were aroused to the consciousness
that the quiet man at the far corner of
the table, whose face was concealed be-
heath the brim Of his hat, was winning
all the money in the crowd.
'You are playing great luck" re-
marked the colonel.
Eyes, easy money. first I've seen
lately"
The party became slightly nettled, and
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