The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-10
HOT GANE Of STUD POKER
WAS PLAYED TO ACCOMMODATE
AN AMBITIOUS STRANGER IN
ARKANSAS CITY
ONE MANS USELESS EFFORT
Tried to Do Up the Town tn Various
Ways, but He Had the Gus
tOmary Fin

was nor still less I couldn't never under.
| stand now twas none of EN- ever got
away with the proposition, but somehow
or other, just as things looks the darkest
come capable citizens always jumps in,
| just at the nick O. time, an comes to the
| help O. tie Lord against the mighty. an
| the very cleverest buccaneers that ever
| comes mere goes down like mullen stalks
( in a cyclone.
I Whether it's fghtfn' or hoss-stealin'
/ or poker is their game, they gets beat
/ lgnominious an either leaves town for
| the buryin ground or some other place
where there's less excitement than there
is here or else they makes up their minds
| to stay here an grow up with the town.
| Some O. the very best citizens we has in
| the place come on GRAND O. plumber an
| destruction when they first arrove. but
they settled down here after theyd learn
ed the great natural advantages O. the
city.
There amt no crossroads gamb' er ever
come here an got away with the towns
money, though some of EN- has made Il
! powerful stagger at it at times, an
similar, there amt no bully ever Travelled
/ the river but what he stacked up against
little harder proposition than he was
| lookin' for when he tackled Arkansas
! City, an we sure have had calls from
I some o the best equipped fighters ON
the hull Mississip'.
| Seem that all this Is true, an all the
| Oldest citizens O. the place knows it sure
| IS true, it, does seem curious that feTers
will keep tryin' it from time to time
4 Take the matter of poker, which reckon
/ is the leadin industry O. the place, least
ways 1t brings more money into the town
| than any other, an it's prob'Iy true
that the very best poker that's played
| anywhere on the river is played right
| here i'll this town. That's what brings
| good Players here, 1 reckon, for every
blamed one of 'em is just yearnin' for
| the distinction O. dom up Arkansas
City
The old man paused after this, says the
! New York Sun, and looked meditatiyely
out of the window for a few moments
! before saying anything more. Then he
chdckled to himself as if at some par
| ticularly amusing recollection, and walk
| ing slowly around to his favorite seat he
pulled out fresh cigar and, lighting
| 1T, smoked until it was burning salts
factorily.,
Then he said: '"There was a. Teller
come mere about ten years ago that pro-
| Vided all the excitement we wanted for
| somethin' like a week. His name was
Blenkinsop, or leastways he said it was.
! an there didn't nobody take pains to
find out the truth. He was sure a slayer.
! don't remember any other stranger in
5OOS
that that lasted for a week. but Blenkin-
! sop was sure sandy cuss, an he had
a Wad with him when he came that was
thicker than his leg
He struck the town some different
from the most that comes. Most gently
they comes in quiet, and makes acquaint-
ances sort o gradual, keepin' their eyes
peeled for chances, an lookin' out for
the best men to know, but Blenlkinsop
didn' t.. He comes off the boat a hootn'
an a hollerin' like a niger preacher at
campmeeting. 'Peered he'd been loadin'
up for two days on the boat an he had
a most genteeI jag right along with him
1 when he got off. ST.
HE grabbed the first man he met and
! shook both his hands like he was his lost
! brother an told him who he was IAN
asked him to drink before the Teller
knoWed what had struck him. An
inside O fifteen minutes Blenkensop had
| twentyfour O. the best citizens of the
place ranged up alongside O. my bar
drinkin' red liquor as friendly as kittens
over a pan O. milk
He kept that up all night the first
night, an just about sun-up he said he
wanted to go to bed. 'Taint that I'm
anyways sleepy he said, sort O. like he
/ was apologizin', but if I don't get some
sleep once in a while I amt no good ,
So there. was a delegation took him over
the hotel an put him to bed. He order
| ed up a couple O. rounds while they
was undressin' him, an made EN- all
| promise to meet him later in the day
when he'd had a little slumber
Il don't reckon he slept much, for the
| landlord said he called for drink about
| once an hour after that, an he had a.
| free an easy way O. calm the niger
| that was a little unusual even in Arkan-
sas City Wouldn't ring the bell. The
| rope hung right alongside his bed, but
| he said twas too much trouble to reach
| for It, SO he just fired his gun when
he wanted anything. They didn't like
| 1t much in the house, but he said he'd
pay for everything, so everything went
''Well, he kept that sort O. thing up
for about three days He'd come over
here to my place, long about noon, or
a little later an keep things going till
| daybreak payin' for everything like a.
| real gentleman, an putin away more
| red liquor than was really good for his
/ constitution. It didn't seem to have no
great effect on him, though.
He was good and drunk when he
came. but he didn't get no drunken, an
he knowed what he was dein' an sayin'
all right, all the time Some few of the
| boys was seem bugs by the end o. the
| three days, but BIenkensop wasn't no
nearer to them than he had been at
first an toward the end O. the third day
| he 'peared to get Il little discouraged
like
''At last he came to me an called me
| one side, an he says: L reckon faint
no use, Greenhut, 1 started in to get the
hull town drunk he says, but l hain't
| laid out more'n twelve or fifteen men,
an I RELY believe the strain is beginn n
/ to tell on me. I don't reckon I ed keep
this up more n three or four days Ienger
! an there's men here he says, that
seems to stand it as well as do i
reckon I'd better try somethin' else
! Does anyone around here play poker?'
well, when ne said that / seen his
7 game all right. I'd been a thinkin' up t.
that time that he was Just a BLOWN his
self on the strength O. havin' mace a
I good stake someIS;leTes up the river, for
| I knowed he WIS a gambler. well elou h
I'd heer'd of him afcre, an besi5es that
| I cd tell by his looks an ways. But
when he asst about poker I was lookin
straight at him, an I could see that a /
this bottle play was a part of his little
scheme, so I answered him SORT o crafty.
Il just says to him, L don't reckon I'd
give IL fer a day or two yet. | says
It's true enough that the hull town amt
| drunk yet, but several O. the most re-
! sponsib,e. citizens is done for, an il
you're half as husky as you pear to be
| you'll have a lot more Of EN- Oh the
run in couple of 6ays
Just naturally I was Win to see him
keep a goin 1t made business goad en-
I, knowed he must have a reasonable Wad
left, on account of his wantin' TO pay
poker. Bes. des, 1 knowed the capacity OF
some . the mon in Arkansas city bet
tern he did, an I was Eookia' 10 see
them knock him out over the bar. It
wouldn't ha' proved much, perhaps, but
it would ha' been credit to the city.
''Fwarn't no use, though. He was wide
awake. even If he was loaded. an he in
sisted that he wanted to switch off from
Go1I0r oor6c ha