The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-16
THE DOWNFALL OF WATSON.
A CLEVER GAMBLER MISSED TEE
OPPORTUNITY or A LIFETIME.
Impressed By a Yankee schoolma'Am's Appeal
to HIS Honor Not TO fisece a Victim He '
Reformed-Old Man Gfssnhnt's Reflections
nm EINInE In the RAoa Of PrONldence.

Dy upl WIN Qulth tnOhkh ~ 49,
OF your opportunities n any other way ! know
said old man ureenhut. az he came around from
behind the bar and walked slowly toward his
~favorte seat by the window. There was a
pleasant smile on his face. which did not seem
TO be called for by anything that had happened.
so far as any one else In the room knew. but
which plainly Indicated hat the old man had
not recently missed any tricks that be knew
about. There had been a little mystery about
a transaction at the bar flew moments before,
when Sim Hawkins had missed a hali-donar
that was certainly coming 10 him In the way OF
change Old man 0reenhut had Just 40 GER
tainly put the correct change In front OF him.
for Joe Peabody. who was drinking with BIN.
had noticed II. but Sim had carelessly swept IL
up with one hand. catching II In the other, and
putting It into his pocket without looking at
II a. he continued his conversation A little
later. when he desired to treat again. he dis
covered his shortage When he spoke about
1t the old man had nothing TO say except that
he had laid the change on the bar. and IN Joe cor
roborated this only two hypothesis seemed
admissible. Either sim had lost itin some
unsccountable way or 1t had been left on the
bar and somebody else had picked II up Nobody
uggested that the old man had done 80,
but. IA WAS sale. he was smiling very pleasantly
Wien ITO Oiiuc hbNnu u lINuN wv "a iH'
remark about taking advantage Of ones op-
portunltieS
There's a good many people in this world"
he continued. after he had put his feet on the
window sill. and had relighted his cigar. who
don't seem to have no reli s ious sense, an who
don't take advantage Of the chances which
Providence puts in their way just naturally
they don't prosper. Pears like the good Lord
don't have no use for a man that don't tako
care OF himself when he gets the OBJ %ortunity,
an after maxim one or two openin's SOS 10
sort o test him, he Just plumb let's go an
don't take no further concern into his welfare.
Ieastways that's tho way II looks 10 me some
timos, conslderin' the onsorutable ways O
Providence.
Now there was Charles Watson. Watson
was a good lookin' Teller that knowed as much
as the next man about all the really useful
things Of life. He could pull a gun eXceedin'
rapid when he lad OCCASION to, though ] will
Nay ] never knowed him TO do II without proper
pTovooation And he could play a monstrous
good game Of poker. Somehow he had a fac
ulty In dealin' that was almost sure TO give him
as good cards as he RELY needed. when tho
emergency came. ne II sometimes will.
Charles used to play a good deal on the
packets between here and Memphis. an | have
knowrd him TO make enough on a sin gle trip.
lust after some o the planters had realized on
their cotton crops, TO pay all his expenses on q
six weeks trip down to New Orleans Ia the
winter time. an leave him en- ough for living
expense the rest o the year,
There was always something tho matter
with tie man. though. Even after he quit
the business an married an settled dcwA
up here In the country, giyln' up a. good a
..-g...Iz.aI z.,az-4gL- .. -z.tI
ask for just 70 please his wife, he used TO let
things slip that would ha' made another man
with proper pride and enterprise rich. His
wife was a peaked little thing Of a Yankee
schoolmarm that come down this way 20 teach
In a school in Little Rock, n she was al the
bottom OF it all. Women gently do make most
o the trouble that comes to men, 5 far IS I've
noticed, but anyhow she ruined his career
for him. Lea,tways II was her and his own
shameful shlf lessness that made lin let go
O. some o. the best chances a man ever had
1T was about ten years ago he met her first.
Seems he'd been in Memphis kind O takin
S TGils 6 % was tS 'Hs.' hs .d fslI TG IN NTH nus a w By,b N
that had a plantation a few miles NJ the river
from here, Bu,by had Just had his settle-
lc't him enough out Of. his crop to make any
body but a cotton planter rea-onably we'll
on II was 9, great. year for cotton. an Al
ho'd had for many u year. an Just naturally
he was fealin' pretty good There warnt
none O. the Iuxuries Of lie from champagne
L. poker that was too good tor him just then,
an he started In with tie champagne first,
calou ain 10 have sOme poker on the boat
tGnjty for Charles such as a. man don't get
mOre'n once In a lifetime an lac was lust cal
cplatin' to spread himself out big enough to
Just naturally hekept close to Busby I'LL he
was ready 70 tart for home. az tleu lie found
II convenient to come on the same bOot, There
M z,tF,a IAfbaT GnllaT- a fttFppln' m fnkip' NM
sage at the same time, an about half an hour
before the boat started Charlie, gave en- notice
that he wasn't goir' TO have 10 interference.
| Told EN- he proposed to 30 II alone fr all there
! wa H. IL, a. II any OF EN- undertook 10 rough
In they'd have 20 deal with him frst. There
bold game tor Charles Watson to play, but he
was called the coolest blIiler on tho river, an
he had Tue name o maxim his blum good in a
case o this kind every time.
Most likely II was considerations o. this
sort tlat made two out o. the ulree weaken
no trouble TO expect FIRM them, but Ito other
teller was a obstinate -ort O cuss, an he spoke
W. quite impudenf Ike ! don't know,s you
namc O tie boat they was a comm on, 4
dou't know "a you own the River Belle he
says, an l reckon I've got the price OF a ticket
CHARLES looked. at him for q half a minute,
Just to see II the Teller meant what he was sayin'
an thea he answered, very SLOW:
you 90 on the River Belle or not, but | have a
particular objection to your playin' poker on
The other man-Bm Haskin. was his name
he sort o laughed. contemptuous, an he says.
ii amt In the habit. he says, of askln' per-
mission when ! want to play poker, and ! a1u't
agoiu' he SAYS, 10 ask yourn.
-'Then YOU intend 10 play2' says Charles.
Yes, an be damned to you say. Bill.
Then III have 10 see that you don't saws
Charles, an before the words was out OF his
mouth he had shot Bill through the hight wrist.
lie howled, OF course. an the other fellss
started to draw, which Bill couldn't, for he had
neglected his education an couldn't shoot with
his left hand, but Charles had his gun all ready
oshoOt again. an they concluded they wouldn't.
Now SAYS Charles. we can talk sensible.
You - t. the hospital an III ssttle the bills.
An when you come out III fight II you want
tO. but YOU unde, stand by this time that | amt
a goin' 10 have 70 Interference IN my business
An ust naturally they understood.
That wa a situation that a man could take
some -atlsfactiOn In, Charles WAS a sta-tin'
on with a man chock full o champagne who
had all kinds ~ money With him an VIII thought
he could play poker an was hel bent on doin'
II. IL looked like q special dJspslSation o.
Providence, even II Charles had been obliged
doe. In order to get Providence to help him.
that night when Charles an Al was a Settin'
chips, ready for n quiet game. Everything
seemed about as perfect as 1t could he arranged,
for the Captain wasn't goin' TO Interfere, 'taint
ulaly lunxin' Iharlaa "a wall ne ha dtd anI