The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-07-15
KENNY'S ROYAL FLUSH.
1T WAS A LONG TIVE COMING. BUT
IT PAID HIN WHEN 1T CANE.

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IT PAID HIN WHEN 1T CANE.
Old Man Greenhuts story to Show the vsluc
Of PcrSistence-A Bartender Who Stack to
His Theory Of Poker Through Many Ms
coarasements and Won Out at Last.
IT'S q most surprisln' thing" said old man
Greenhut as he set the bottles away behind the
bar, that folks don't seem to 'preciate the i'm
p~ortance O. bein' persistent. Now, that there
81 Walker. I Just COM In here an took a drink
an went out 'thout sayin' q word to no one. Is
a bright an shinin' example; never dom nothin'
worth WHILE. cause he don't never stick to II.
GIFTS discouraged like. an sets down an thinks
about IL. when II he'd on'y spit on his hands
an take a fresh grip he mouaht come out a four
time winner. Why, I tell you that man might
"a been a Justice o the Peace an married tho
Widow Baker with four hunred acres O good
farm land. no end o stock an farmin' utensils
an money In the bank, on'y fer that fatal habit
O. his O. not stickin' to II. Just give up. he
did. cause he got beat out In two lectlons an
wouldn't run fer Office no more. an when the
widow said no three or four times he lowed she
didn't want him an got out O the game. when
the blame fool'd oughter knowed that all she
wanted was a man with gumption enough to
keen on courtin'."
The old man turned his back for o moment
while he slyly poured a little water into a whis-
key bottle In which the liquor was running low.
and then placing It with the other bottles he came
out to his favorite seat by the window and sat
smoking for some minutes.
Beats all. no said after q while. how folks
let's 60 like that. Don't seem to have no sense
O. religion. The Good Book says. Go TO the
ant, you sluggers. Consider her WAYS and Be
wise.' Now. there amt no p'ints about an ant
that's worth considerln' 'cept their almighty
stick to-it-iveness. Stands to reason. It means
fer us to keep peggin' away till we git there.
F 81 Walker'd on'y pegged like the ants does
he mought "a been rich an respected.
There was Pete Kenney that dropped oh'n
a boat here some thirty year ago an lust STAYED
There didn't seem to be no reason why he should
"a come herein the frst place or why he should
"a stayed after he arrove. but he did. Some
said he must "a dropped onto the boat by accl-
dent somewheres up the river. an the captain
put him of at the FIRST landin', him not havin'
the regulation fare In his jeans. However.
twas he come, an he remained. More'n that,
he's well fixed now an pays taxes.
There W Amt no reason fer II. fur rs ANYBODY
could see. 'ceptin' Petes' ALTERED persistency.
He was a bright enough sort o man an might
"a settled down in usine fer himself, fer he
got a job as bartender down TO the hotel an
made money. They do saw as how q steady.
industrious bartender In a hotel where there's
O good run O. business an a boss that drinks
some himself can have a saloon OF his own ina
few years, an I reckon it's pretty near true. I
kept bar In q hotel myself when I was Young.
That wasn't Pete's lay. though. Pete used
TO say that there was one way OF establishin'
yourself In life thatlaid over any other, an that
was to hold q roval flush in a good stifY game O.
draw poker. Then. he says. It's on'y a question
, O. how much the others has got to inspire their
confidence an how much they has TO bet with
that axes the amount to be gathered in. on which
! q man can retire an be respectable fer the rest
o his natural life.
! Some O. us reasoned with Pete at times about
this. We told him that roval Pushes was sca'ce
! gam an that four of q kind was good enough
fer a careful PLAYER TO get rich on. but Pete
[, lowed that a roval flush was the on'v thing q
man could be dead sure OF. Seems he'd had
! four queens beat when he was young. an he'd
larned consid' able caution from tn experience.
AS to a royal flush bein' SAFE Pete says.
IT stands TO reason that a mans goin' to get
IL sometime. II he plays long enough. Stick
to IT, he says. an sooner or later yer goin'
to git a royal flush. The on'y thing needed
IL to stick tOit.'
CONSEQUENCES was that Pete. havin' found
his theory Of business success, devoted himself
to the workin' on II out. with a persisten"y
that would a growed wool on a nigger's heel
Z he'd devoted hisself 10 that particular form
Of effort. Talk about 81 Walker an the widow.
FL 81 had stuck to the widow with one forty
! 1eventh part o. Pete's persisten"y. tho widow'd
80 Z. IN. 49, L. . Lt.~k k-nN uYk-
Pete'd give his nights an days TO poker. He
never allowed bu mess TO interfere with a
game 'slong's he'd monev to play with.
Just naturally his theory Of the game In
terfered with his general success. Mostly IL
does interfere. I've noti"ed. when a man gets
theories In his head an plays the game different
I'm the ordinary run o people. These here
sharps that fggers out some particular thing
In the game as beln' q dead certainty. always
loses money on it, for you ian say what you
like about the great American game, but it
, certainly does beat ANYTHING else for the pre-
ponderan"e Of un "ertaintv that has to be "al-
| "ulated on. whenever you have a dead sure thing
Pete used to say with ondeniable wisdom.
"Pete's mind bein' fixed. SO to speak, on that
warped his judgment on the question o DRAWN
ards. Many a time I've seen him SPLIT a pair
Of ares. an draw three "ards TO- a are an queen.
or a~e an ten o. the same suit. One I even
seen him split two pairs, aces an queens, an
draw two cards TO the are. queen an jack O.
diamonds. an Joe Hooker says he seen. the
blamed hit split three kings to draw 10 three
hearts Just because they was all court ards
O. the same suit. An the first. "ard he picked
up In the draw was the fourth king. Shows
how q manll overlook the blessin's o Providence
right In his fist. rea"hin'out after things he hain't
no reason to hope for in tho natural course
Of events. Stands 10. reason a manW lose
money defyin' fate with su"h monkey shines
Is them.
He were IA obstinate "a a mule an. stu"k to
his notion o. gettin' a royal flush. like q sick
| Niger sticks to the Methodist Church. You
couldn't persuade him, One dav. say. to him.
questionable a good piece o. property, but what
show hev you got o. gettin'. one. You put me
out o. patience. Look at the pots You might
"a s~ooped with two nairs an three OF a kind
II you'd only drawed like a Christian says I.
instead O. putin your trust In strange gods.
an sarrincin' your good chips an the principles
O. the game In a strange an foolish. endeavor.
It's fyin' In the face o. Providen w. I saws To
him, an you'll 90 down TO your grave unhon-
ored. unwept an unhung Il. you persist In II.
ali tho DAYS O. your life"
But you couldn't convince him, There's
four royal Pushes In tho deck. amt thereY' says
as any other Ave, Amt .they3 An, there's
anything certain in this here world O. trouble
au'on"ertainty. IDS that a manll got EN- some
time. II he keeps on trytn'. An saw When
, I do get 'em II the Lord spares me till that happy
day, ] wont do anything but swat the gang.
The Lord IAN spare you easy enough
saws I, Disguised. an 80 ran the community
~ 20, 90 m tr,ip' 10 hraak nm our national in