Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-19
STEVENSON AT POKER.
HOW HE l. THE AMERICAN GAME
N All.
An AutlIur at Cards-IIis Teacher
Kindly Rcud Him II Poker Homiiy
And Stevenson Laid Down
Four Kings.

hin"iH hfhd !" '"" "
-And Stevenson La'd DOWN
i""r N'"S
|
From ~" Chicago ll4ter ''ein-
Turner =. NurtAruD, IN" california grape
rrowar. who taught Robert Louis Steven
50, hoy >, r1,y maker snaut n few DAYS
n ,,,i.,l
IA NdSiiA-t'A 'aSI "t1h- ne y Il 'E4'''
California ranch owner in appearancs-the
sort of "a man that Stevenson indicated 4
rkirg- r.r r., ,rar,- Of his works.
~ s., -, r,.r, down 70
l nj H',''HsD" WIN ! ~ "
the Islands TO look after the cOHee-raiSing
business In Hawaii about eight years ago
la ~ %.,rlr,r, "S-pyanson WIS then
- ~. III. +, d, r,,fo-.,bla
-'."- ".s' ms l'ti."E - u - n"t
frame house At halhlhi' Il FF''Ig s""u'o
OF Honolulu. Every day lie would come m
To iHnueIulU Ia It Observation-Disclosures old
top buggy. driven by a kan4kt hoy. ON
these occasions he would dismiss his coach
man for an hour or two and prOwl con-
J,ntodlv through the streets of Honolulu.
IL would usually wind Hp these tours By
repairing TO tie docks, ~hCre he %onii en-
g.lga the kanakl IonGshoremen in talk
,hc could speak Their lauguaE" welD. and
pick folklore stories out Of them, treat
the while. comparatively short as Steven
sons residence was in Honolulu. l suppose
he got to know more of the kanakaS there
and WIS better liked by them than many
oi the white residents who have spent
years in the islands.
..Th,,,s Steycuson-
u was down n the wharf one afternoon
when the American steamer came in. n
ii"iYlIlu l'"sP!per nan VA ~ w ~.
stractodly against Il pie OF fruit crates.
watching tn. debdrkaIiOn of the pd$Sen-
gers. He WIS Il dark. Thin man. with a
~spotltSs white duck. and. pulled some
what over his large, piercing eyes he wore
q bread brimmcd straw hat with a wreath
of red and white flowers around IL
That's Stevenson my newspaper
friend told me.
The man that wrote the "Silverado
SuuattrrS"' asked, for ! had read the
book. and IL had struck me rs being l.
mighty fine book, although | didn't know
much about the writer. except that his
name WIS Stevenson. and That he was L
cousImptivc Scotchman. / told the news
paIer man that Ia like TO meet Stevenson.
SO he took me over to him.
Friend of mine from the coast. who
raises grapes. was the way the newspaper
man presented me to the Scntchman. Ste
vsnson seemed TO catch At the words. and
he sized me up and gave me a grip with
his long bony hand, which had "A lot of
strength in it for Il Ean who looked 50
delicate.
stevenson rolled cigarettes necessarily as
he talked. and his Whole left hand was yell
low with them. / mentioned this cigarette
should think those things would
damage you some. ! said.
''Dauhrl.Ss they do he replied. More
over. fear the vice is unamiable In the
uusirils of men not addicted to il. Yet I
hardly feel equal to the punishment of
abandoning them
- . ru
After the first visit Stevenson invited
me to drop round, States fashion, any
evening. and | WAS glad of the invitation.
Tor he was a good fellow-he spoke the
laiS.a-" Oh IN! mo as w SdE 9uL on
of times a week. always in the evening.
and generally in company with the news
paper man who presented me 10 him.
This utWSpaper man WAS a Chicago boy,
who now Owns Coz acres of the finest coffee
land in bearing on the main island of
Hawaii. The three of us would sit on the
second story yeranda of StcveuSon's house,
smoking. slipping whisky, and talking. 1
think Stevenson did most of the talking,
although never in an ohtrusive sort of way.
He talked in SO low "A tone that sometimes
we'd have 10 bend toward him in the dark
ness to catch his words. The dullest man
in ;hn word couldn't help but see that Ste
venson was n iirst-rater, a man among
many millions. after five minutes convcr-
sation with him. He was an admirable
story teller. too, and an excellent mimic
which latter fact I've never seen pointed
out ny the people who have written of
him. I happened to mention one evening
that when i was 4 pretty young fellow /
had fitted uD q schooner at san Fran
trad..lg IN thc south PacifiG. The inforrna-
tion had picked up on the voyage about
the Islands below the line seemed to in
terest Stevenson "A good deal, and he asked
me many questions that stumped me a bit
for he wanted TO know chiefly about
the personal characteristic of the natives,
to whom ! never paid more attention that
was needed To get the greatest quantity Of
their cochineaI and conches for the small
est quantity of cotton and beads when l
was trading.
a.. . no-,
:" """" ~
'0nc evening when the wind was pretty
high. and sitting on the vcranda was there
fore not pleasant. Stevenson invited us into
his den Cor "a game of cribbage. The news
paper man didn't feel like playing, for his
Tfe h"d clnEht ISN'T OF n ior OF Iuesr
library den. and he wriggIod out of the
game I'm order to have a chance TO look
Them over. So Stevenson and / played.
He was "A pretty good PLAYER. without be
ing particularly lucky. diln' take much
interest in the gam. for | never cottonod
very Earl 10 any kind Of n card game ex-
cent upksr. ANYHOW. After we had PLAYED
n couple Of games of c,ib. each of US win
ming one. said | 10 stevenson:
".Wh,r's IN, matter with a two-handed
game of benny ante pokcr?'
"-No,hiug whatever the natter said he.
'cvcrrt thur / can't play thu game. anxious
as ", been to learn ii since first | read
Rrs, Harrr- Are Won "a good player?'
well. This was Il Kind - mixing il I'd Il
hit with M. and the best | could do was to
,rl him that J. Knew The diTcremce between
49,, ..,rt - ,sr % go