Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-05-24
CHANGED THE PACK.
LOST WITH CARDS, GUT WON THE
WHOLE ROLL WITH HANDS,

The Strangers Beat the Local Poker Play.
ers Down to the Last Deal. When the
LanLy Man Raised the Colonel and Ills
Partner Up Tree.
81 wouldn't advise stranger in the
back country of Arkansas to play poker
with the NAT ives FOR he is as sure TO lose
in the long run as the sun is to rise 50 said
the colonel, picking the orange slice out OF
the plaes and chewing il up 'Thcy amt
so strong ON holding or PLAYING their cards
after they get em, but when the game
breaks mp they get I'm their fine wOrl; pow
erfully heavy. Like to hear about 'cm?
"Wcll. what + IN going to tel you is gos-
pei truth and no foolishncss. : long about
1850 l was down in Little Rock when
partner of minc camo in from Indian Ter
ritory and proposed n cotton buying trip
through the lower part of the state. 50 we
went We made some pretty good deals
for small crops and at last reached a place
called Cutters store There were half "a
dozen houses and blacksmith shop in the
town, but seven miles away there was
lively burg named Horton Center. A
small railroad passed there, and it was tie
gathering place for all the railroad hands
and countrvmcn for miles around. They
fought chickens all day sunday and play
ed cards ali night every night in the week.
TObo Jenkins, my partner, and myself
concluded we'd go over there one day and
take whirl with the animals, so we start
ed out early to tramp it. The road was
good and mostly through IA dried swamp
close grown with trees.
alt didn't take us long to ret acquaint.
ed in Horton Center The glad hand was
put ont everywhere, and there was % jug
or a ticklcr back of every one. Aftcr u
couple of hours Of this WELCOMING bust
ness somebody suggested little game OF
draw just to pass the time, and u tall,
lankv man said that as it was pretty warm
we might as well go to his house and play
on his piaZZor, as he called it. After the
game had been going on half an hour or so
Tobe and just looked at each other 1t
was the sofpst, easiest outfit we had over
struck The other four players just throw
their money away, making the bigrc.
fool bets anybody ever saw. Fact is. they
couldn't have been worse poker players II
they hadn't seen card before in their
/ lives BY o'clock at night we had all
the money in sight, and Tobc said we'd
/ better be starting out, as it was a Ing
walk home, and the moon would be get
/ ting low down before we could reach
there The tall lanky fellow begged us
to stay all night, but we had to refuse
We started home for Cutters Store through
the woods just loaded down with cash and
pretty near $3.50 winner, when all of q
sudden we heard dogs baying behind rs
We both recognized hounds TObe said he
rcckOncd somebody was coon hunting, but
thought it was IA mighty funny time o
the year for 'em to do it, and ne began tC
tell about coon hunt he had gone o.
once when he broke off.
" 'Purd he hollercd, get Il tree Tho-e
dogs are after us
II Skinned up one, and Tobe took an
other, and in two minutes the mcanest lO
of big mouthcd, NANCY hounds You eve
saw were cavorting around under us howl
ing like hycna- We both hoped somebody
would como, and pretty soon somebody
did 1t was the tall, lnnEy man. He cam
up ara uuictod the dogs and then LEANED
on long harrecd gum and proceeded t.
address us. He said hr was mighty lninc'
to do what he had TO do. but the fact va
that IIurtons Center i.ud been Niciimilc'
ever since the raj r4ad came d. poker play
ing strangers, Wh1camc in and cleaned u
all the rcudy money in the community
He was surrr to say Chat we had 10, urno
the cordial hospitality cXtcndcd to us i
the same cruel way We had gone in,0'
game with TIE mayor the town mar-hal
the leading mcrhnntand the county treas
urcr, which was himself
The county treasurer had stakcd tn
other gentlemen with all the aNailal.
public funds, and we had skilliully-h
would not say dishonest ly-won them all
1t was his duty, therefore, to require Il
to hand the winnings and any other sma