The Savannah morning news., 1901-01-11


St, New York
small things. He were likely to be in
hard luck, even, for good while, an go
round shabby, an even to have to scratch
pretty lively to get enough tobacco an red
liquor to live on. An I've knowed him to
get a thorough good lickin' an not get
no chance to get even with the Teller
that licked him. But when it came to a
case o real emergency, like bein blowed
up off'n a river steamboat, like / was
.telln' You, or lookin down the yawnin'
barrel of derringer, with a ravin' mad
gafoot at the other end O. the gun, just
crookin' his finger over the trigger, like
| seen him once the sperrit o. that mas
cot would just get up an hump hisself
an kick round till you could fair smell
he'll fire an sulphur burnin'. Somethin
afays happened then that brought Jim
out on top, same as he landed on Squire
Hapgood, an he al'ays landed without
gettin' hurt Feared like the mascot
knowed he Were 'bleeged to look after
Jim an see that nothin real serious hap
pened ITO him, but he didn't like his job,
an took a cantankerous delight in aettin'
things go as fur as they could without
absolutely fatal consequences, fore he'd
interfere
But when the time RELY did come an
things was actually did, they. was some
times miracles for fair That shootin'
scraps was one O. them times. There
was a life insurance agent in the crowd
when it happened. He was after Teller
that was lookin' round the country for
business openin', he said, an was here
in Arkansas City lookin the ground over
with notion O. 'stablishin agency for
his company, but he never did it. He
Salo that there seemed to be openin'
mere, all right, for a brisk business, but
ne didn't see no way O. straightenin' out
MS figures SOS to cal'late the probabii
ties in the way o. profits. He said the
tables o mortality seemed to be warped
somehow, by the climate or somethin'. an
there wa mt no way o. figgerin' out The
expectation o. life here SOS to make tho
premiums fit tn policy.
We'll, he was in the crowd as 7 said
an ne told me afterward that he wouldn't
ma pald for stamp to put on policy
Tor Blaisden just then if anybodv'd Of
Tered him a hundred per cent. premium.
The way of it was this: There was a
little game soin' on in the back room an
jim Blalsdell bein' in it We're up against
some pretty hard luck 1t were a table
stakes game an he'd sot in with about
SIS an had shipped along faithful for over
an hour without winnin' pot. He were
careful player, too an never presumed
on his mascot to take no desperate
chances, KNOWN as he did that it
wouldn't always work except in emer-
gencies. But careful as he was his cash
capital had run down to somethin' like
SIS afore he got a chance to get ANYTHING
like even. Then there come a jackpot
with $40 or $12 in it, an Joe Higgins he
opened it for ten There was two Others
come in before it was Blaisdelrs say an
he skint his cards down careful an see a
Jack full pat i'm his hand. Just naturally
he raised it his pile, maxim it $1S to draw
cards. The dealer was still to hear from
an he stayed without raisin'. He were a
crossroads gambler from over in Missis-
sippi somewheres that had been here to
Arkansas City a couple o. times before
an got away winner The boys were pref
ty sore about it. but they hadn't never
been able to catch the feller-Maj Town
send, he called hisself-into no crooked
play, an they had to make the best of It.
Jake Winterbottom, he sat next, an
he come in Then Higgins made good an
Blivins dropped out. He callated that his
two tens want worth no such price to
draw to with a raise an three players
SEM the raise. Bill Post he'd stayed on
a four fish, though, an just naturally he
put up his little eight dolalrs. That made
over $400 in the pot, with five in, an
BlaisdelPs show for what there was on
re table seemed pretty good, though o.
course he couldn't bet no more, seem he
had his pile all in.
'Winterbottom he drawed two cards, an
Higgins took three. Post called for his
one an filed. Blaisdell, O. course. stood
pat, an the dealer took one. Higgins
found a third king, havin' opened on two
of EN- an he showed in S25 Post raised
it fifty an the dealer raised him fifty
int .I1aAf bod
the time, but he hadn't bettered 'em so
he just naturally sneaked an Higgins
want goin' to put UP no hundred dollars
more on three kings 50 the outside bet
tin all lay between Post an Maj Town
send, with Blaisdell still holdin' inter-
est in the original hundred.
Post figgered awhile whether to raise
again on his flush, but it was on'y a ten
high, SO he finally called. Blaisdell show
ed down his jack full, but the Major he
spread out two four spots an three acres
an reached for the pot
There want nobody at the table felt
none too good just then, but nobody but
Blaisdell spoke. There hadn't none of
'em seed what he did, an just naturally
it was up to him to do the talxin' which
he did, very deliberate, for he was a
man that want never in no hurry an he
talked with a drawl.
Hold onr he says, reaehin' out his
hand, too. 4 notice that one O. them there
aces is the ace O hearts,
Well says the Major, putin on like
he was sort o. surprised. What if it is
ace o. hearts? Amt the ace o. hearts
just as good as any other ace?
YES says Jim, drawln' his words
out, desperate insultin', the ace o hearts
is mighty good card 10 get when you
get it straight, But the ace O. hearts
happened to be at the bottom o. the deck
when you picked il up to give out the
draw, an l kind o like to know how it
comes to be in your hand in the show
down.
well, o course, a man amt got 70
right to talk like that thought he draws
first an talks afterward, especially when
he's talkin' slow like Rlaisdel was an
'twan't nothin surprisin' that Jim found
hisseh, fore the words was fairly out o
his mouth lookin into the muzzle o. the
Majors derringer, as l was tellin' YOU,
with the Majors forefinger wrapped
around the trigger an just in the act o.
Dulin'. II it hadn't ha' been for that all
fired husky mascot o. hisn he'd ha' been
In the happy huntin' grounds i'm about
half second more by the clock. AS
twas, somehin' else happened.
when Higgins had thrown his hands
down after shown his openers he'd start
ed to fill his pipe, an havin' 1t filed he'd
pulled match out of his pocket while
Blaisdell was a-talkln' about that ace o.
hearts. 'Tain't likely that many men
!.