The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-08-26

flush an he bets real reckless on it.
There must ha' been a dollar an half
in the pot an Pete, he raises it another
quarter. The stranger hesitates a lit
tie at that an he calls. THROWN down
his flush. which it was king high.
Pete, he looks at it careful an he
says: That amt no good An he
throws down his cards an reaches for
the pot. The stranger he looks an he
looks again, an he says: Hold on,
thar. You don't mean to say he says,
that three aces beats fiush,' he says.
Why, no. says Pete, mighty inno-
cent like. but don't you see, he says,
that I've got three aces an big an
little casino? That's six points. he
says, an six points wins An he
scoops the Dot.
The stranger he looked kind O. mad
an kind O. puzzled, an he says: They
amt no such thing as that ever heer'd
on in draw poker where l come FROM
he says. an I'm damned if i think it's
fair, he says. You just hand over
them chips he says. I won't stand
for no such play as that
81 oh, yes, you will, says Pete, very
cool an deliberate. You'll stand for
it. That's the rule o. the house when
we play with the joker he says, an
the game O. poker always has TO be
played accordin' TO the rules o. the
house where it's played.
well, the stranger he fumed an
cussed some an asst me about it, an O.
course l says Pete was right. Casino
rules was good, L says. when the game
" played with a joker, an finally the
stranger he give in, an skin't another
two spot off'n his wad an asst FIR some
more chips, for he was nigh broke in
chips. l give 'em to him an the game
went on.
''Twarn't more'n a couple o deals
after that when the stranger he got
four deuces an just naturally he bet
toPable heavy on 'em. He put up the
limit, an Small, he raised him back
the limit. They had it back an forth
two or three times. till they both had
all their chips up an the stranger he
called. 1 don't know whether he'd play
ed more on his hand or not but Hn-
nings was the dealer an he's putty
spry with his fingers. I'd seen the
stranger look at him once or twice like
be mistrusted something, but he hadn't
said nothin'. / reckon he wasn't sure.
well, the stranger he showed down
his four deuces, an Small he showed
down pair o red jacks an the ace
an nine spot o hearts an the joker.
An then they both reached for the
Dot.
What do you mean,' says the
stranger, when he see that Small was
gOin' to grab the chips. You hain't
got anything better than three jacks
there. An then, when he see that
Small didn't draw back, he pulled his
gun. l amt sayin' but what he was
good grit.
Take yer hooks off'n that money
q
OATH or I'll blow the top O your head
off, you damned Arkansas thief, you
We'll, l just naturally expected to
hear some shcotin' after that an l
went behind the bar, for l didn't want
to interfere an the stranger RELY
brought it on hisself by tryin' to intro
duce his new-fangled notions into the
great American game, but to my
amazement Small spoke up as mild as
a sheep an he says: Why, what's the
matter with you anyhow? You don't
seem to understand the rules o this
game. Don't you see what I've got?'
Sure 1 do says the stranger. You
have got a pair o. jacks an the joker
That counts for three jacks all right,
but three jacks don't beat four deuceS.
That pots mine.
oh no. faint says Small as cool
as ever. I've got a good deal better
than three jacks. I've got the joker,
both bowers and the ace an nine o.
trumps. That's good for a run any
way you play the game. an a run
counts double. l was just gOin' to
count up the pot to see how much
more you had to pay
This seemed to be little more than
the stranger could stand. know it
was too much for me. an l bust out
laughin' fit to kill, but the stranger. ne
didn't laugh. He raised his gun again
an fired. If his aim had been good
Small wouldn't ma played no more
jokes, but Pete Barlow knocked up
his hand an the bali went through the
ceilin'. OF course, after that, Small
was obliged to fire in self-defense an
there was quite little gun play for a
few minutes.
1--WE never knowed the strangers
name, as 1 said afore, but we give him
a decent burial in the old cemetery an
there was enough money in his pocket
to put up a respectable grave stone
1 didn't think it was just the thing, but
the boys insisted on having an inscrip-
ton put on the stone that read: Served
him right. He tried to play poker with
a Joker