The sun., 1900-09-30
HIS LOST OPPORTUNITY:
THE CASR or SPLIT POT ~ a
POKER CANE ~ ARKANSAS.

UnsatIsfactory Ending OF Match In Whiel
Two Men From Missouri struggled WIN
the Local Talent-The stranger VINO spIi
openers Against the laws OF Arkansas
Pears like one q the greatest troubles 1t
life that most folks has 10 contend with eWa
old man Grrenhut, - not KNOWN wha'- rlEhl'
fully belungln' 10 'en, or If they do know u
not bein spry enough ornut havin' -andelouk
10 step up an git H. even # they has 10 hHh' Iol
It"
lie leaned Oh his elbows over The OaI
for u few moments ~ II pOndering the import
ance Of his own words aud then. att"r looking
carefully around the room 10 see II anybody
wa- likely to treat the house, he slowly 'trugh'-
eued up. Picking up the stump oi cigar
which lac had laid aside awhile before h'
carefully rehghted 1t and walked AROUND 10 MS
favoritc seat by the window.
"rhe ways o Providence" he said musingly'
-is sure mysterious. Pears like the good Lord
proyide, enough for everybody. sames WON
an throws out corn enough for whoIo noVh
o. chickens. but ne don't cal'late Oh picklh
each chicken up separate an chokin' the corn
down their throats. II they hain't got gump-
tion enough 10 Kit right into the scramble an
nick il up for the.rselves, He don't seem ~ take
no further responsibility In the matter. al II
any one o. them chickens don't dast 10 night Tor
what he's got onto. he's monstrOus likely 10
Laye IL took away from him by some y the
others. It's Just that way with folks. The
world seems 10 be- plum full q Halooth tha'
hain { got sense enough to pick up the corn that :
laviu' right under their feet. just hatu
somebody else gets II. an serves the DIANE
fool good an right.
lie paused tor moment and chuchIed W
himself a., he looked around and his gaze leH Oh
Anuer stokes, who sat By the fire sound asleep.
There seemed 10 bee some connection III lA" o'"
mans mind between Abnor and the phloo"ph-
cal reflections in which hr himself was lhduH
ing What il wa he did not explain, but II "a-
remembered that Abner had not walked up when
Joe Bamberg had treated the crowd WhIe b'-
fore and then joe was always careless aDohV
counting hl~ change.
We'll. said the old man at length, "AOher
Stokes aiut the uu'y man in Arkansas city a. las
squaudrrcd the opportunities Of lit" by 'ndu'E-
ing Ia sinful sluthlulur--. Ihc'e~ bee" 'A-
stances right here in this town that I've watched
careful that would make the hair ol any sell
respeCtin' Christian stand on end. lh'T" was
Abner STOKES uncle, Jim stokes lac was Jl-I 'hr
same sort oman. Il does pear 10 run IN the
family. like | recOllrCt one time JIIu STOKES
was q crossin' the river in canoe all alone an
he picked up a dead body chat was h"auh IA
the water. Pears II wa, some feller had Tell OH
"a boat an hadn't been missed time enough 10
save him. and he'd just hoated.
Well. Jim he just pulled the body into the
canoe au' fetched II ashore without even taAW
the preclutiou to look in the feuer's pockets
Hadn't no prudence at all. Well, the coroner
took charge an the next day there was news
come that the fecr's widow was looklu Tor
him. an she was notified an come ON the heA'
boat, an the Coroner had to turn over about
500 that was found in the feller's clothes III
good money. There was witnesses around
when he found the money, so OF course he
couldn't keep none Of il, but there was that
blame sluggard Jim Stokes, hadn't the strength
O character TO lay hold O what was right square
I'm his hands. an no one the wiser. just natur-
ally, he never amounted TO nothtn. Died
poor. There wasn't uothin' else to expect Of
"a man az shif'less a. that,
That wasn't nothiu', though, to what
knowcd him 10 do once In gam" o poker
For jim Stokes was a rip-snortin' good poker
player in his day. There amt no denyin' that
even If you wanted to- an it docs seem TO go
AKIN the grain to say that sch ,hf' loss cre'tur
as he was could ha' had talst enough to play
] l..
That's what makes IL all the more reIndrkhbie
| l never kuowed mal afOre or since. that ndt
! h. the ADVANTAGES OF a good moral rairit ,sIDi
as playiu' poker undoubtedly l., That hadl
rultiN ated his character sufficient to open il
eyes to the ucJ essliy o maxim ~" most ol hl'
! chances. But stokes didn't seem 10 he no mar
| nj ali when IL come 10 loOkiu' Ter hi, own self
i've known him. repeated. 10 skin som" ieuel
| out OF his last dollar IN hard long game. an
| then give the ieller his money back, lust De-
| cause the feller needed IT, had wife. or chill
! dreu or sunethlu IlLn that an Jim thought
/ he'd oughtcr take 4 money home 'stcd o
| ri,kiu' II like man un the chance - makiu
| more on Jim Stokes was poor woik-iHludeC
| cre'tIr eve II he did know how 70 play rip
/ min good game.
''a'I Used 10 labor with him sometimes. Told
/ him over an over that he va wo-tu' his uir
! portuuities IL life, an tNII sinful Tor him "a
| make light o the ohauc/ PT"vd@nGe was
! puttin' IN his wnv. Don't We soc ] s.ty- f,
! him that the good Lord has gave You a Errl'
| talent IN the way Of skill ~ poker, an YOU re
! only dOin' what the uupTultlDi" servant Ia Tie
paradox did. You're Just, a wrarpin it,up @
| a table cloth an not putin II To- no valuable
| usn | SAYS 'iOu might lust as Welt | SAYS
! play poker for beans as vast" yer time IN any
o them frivolous Gtstimes a. Is only d"tri
! rneut 10 your moral uatur a. TO give NJ good
| money after you've fair won -
! But JIM lie only laughed iu "A sCurutll sort
! man. only you don't appreciate the higher at
| tributes a. human natur, lc says. NOu cam
see. lac says. that play. poker inst for th" flr
there i init, an thore ain,t no tln into tie game
couldn't keep no mans money cf 1 knowd h,
| was a ncedin' Of it.
That's IT, says It's the higher AZ
] tributes o. humanity I'm talkin' about Nou'v,
| got a dull glimmerin Of en-, must dCk knOwlcdge
! Tor YOU Kin play poker an that's one o Ia,
| highest of all the attributes but you can
| see that poker is the Lords chosen way fo
| money to find It's way into the hands o hin
| that had oughter have IL. It's plumb Sinfl
| to quarrel with His appointed ways, ! sny-
| But twlnt no llSe. lie Just Went on an UlttercC
| hisself away, like
| "One % the worst breaks | ever knowd hin
\ To make was right here In this room one nigh
| when there was a good game on, an he had ,
| chance to make an all-fred good brgluHiu
| toward a competency. There was a Cpup,
| o. strangers had come 20 town like they do some
| times 10 clean w what money they coul,
| out o. th. community. You strike that sort u
| thing once in a while in all the river towns
| but Arkansas City always did get a little NOR
| of IL than most places, cause we have a repu
| tatiuu for pldyin' here. an there's always
| sun game u be had. 81 every smart AlrCk outh,
| rly.T after hr', cleaned ont two OF three utAr
! towns always turns .OwaTd Arkansas city aS
| hart shifts after the water courses. Pear
| like they amt none Of 'om satisfied tin thD
has "A try here. Most Of 'cn - fully sltlSn.,
attorwurd. That Is they're satisfied To- 1T u
| alone. Why, its on" o the main sources N
the towns revenue, this takin' In stranger
en- teachin EN- the true Ia arduess q poker
| But they keep on comm, sometimes alon
an sometimes in pairs, an they're alway
| welcome.
a'Tlt,s, two Vas "A mir a. crossroads gam