The Savannah morning news., 1901-01-11
nv BLAISDELL's MASCOT.
o,D-TIME GAMBLER WHO HAi
A IVY NARROW ESCAPES.

abiucs That Are AIAese~ w
n.;na Luck at Draw Poker
D from the New York Sun.
.av some folks goes on about
...t an signs an hoodoos "hen 'h0s
l''N se+ into game of draw poker,
'", man Csreenhut, with AN expression
Sai' ,i-gust on his face as he spoke,
..,s is enough to make a man wonder
Tho long sufferin' ways o PROVIDENCE
81 ~ n thinkin' there Amt no more
lin, form o. vice that man can tail
as7 , when he lows hisself to git
lD'V ..-itio5,s. It's plump irrelfgious, too,
81. bein' a sure sign OF poor player
~. aip't no surer way for man TO
,,,,nav in the game than for him 10
al wrapped up, so to speak IN bino,
.nisb superstition, an lowin' it to
u,rn his judgment in the matter o draw
in to a four flush.
41 amt a sayin but what they is Things
.yarcfses a natural an undisputable
'H' ' n,,arful influence over the cards.
az the ways of Providence is sure
'-t.rious an Teller that goes round
MN of EN- is goin' to get sot on,
r. hard and oVerwhelmin', when the
~ a, Providence makes up its mind to
lpowed a Teller once that had
,5bt,s foot that was sure mascot. IL
,,i If i'm his pocket while he was play
n ala ,ert'nlv seem as if he couldn't
~. three pots runnin', an a man that
.toe i'm one pot in every three is goin'
y came pretty near maxim money out o
~ r,r7e if he knows enough TO play the
4 ~ two with any sort o judgment. But
II ,ba- there Want no plain, ordinary rab-
H tIt,s foot such as any fool niggerll put in
ID noeket when he goes out stealin'
obiekens It was one that was give to
him bv an old Voodoo priest that was a
n dave. on his fathers plantation befo' the
Il war This here priest he killed the rabbit
Il bissalf an he knoWed the trick. There is
Il feuers though that is that superstitious
Il bev carries round rabbits foots that
amt no more good than chickens tail
feathers an them is the ones that loses"
The old man was silent and polished the
eass he held in his hand quite in a per-
hnctorv fashion, as if his thoughts were
Il many miles away. At length he put away
the glass and walked slowly around to
his chair by the window. Putting his
feet on the window sill he smoked awhile
81 in silence and then resumed his discourse.
There was a Teller named Jim Blais-
dell that used to travel the mire a good
deal about ten years ago, that had a
mascot that laid over anything l ever
81 knowed of in that line, pretty much the
81 same as an ace-fiush lays over three sew
n ems It was one of them dependable kind
Il that just pixies in an does the hardest
n kind O. work when things look wust, an
81 fetehes a Teller out o. the meanest sort
Il O predicaments with flying colors, an
II all standin. Didn't seem to make no
n difference what sort of a scrape Jim got
ID iIt0 he'd always manage to pull out of
& it without any serious trouble, an if
Il there was anbody hurt it was sure to be
4 the other Teller.
THE very first time he come to town
q was a most remarkable exhibition O. the
hustlin' abilities o. that mascot. If any,
Il body else had arrove here tn way he did.
he'd a been carted off to the buryin'
ground in fragments after the inquest if
thered been fragments enough found to
4 -6d an inquest on, but Blaisdell he just
picked hisself up an shook hisself like a
Il wet dog two or three times an after feel
II in hisself all over to find out how many
bones he had broken, which he hadn't
8 broke none he inquired the way to the
nearest saloon an set 'em up for the
crowd as a sort O. pious recognition o.
B the al-protectin' power o. Providence an
the truly extraordinary virtues O. that
& mascot O. hsn.
4 THE way of it was this: The old River
queen was just comm up to the levee
on her last trip. She had been a great
Il ooat IN her day, but she We're plumb wore
out an folks was a lookin' for her to
90 to pieces every time she struck a snag
loF the last two seasons. There didn't
seem to be no reason, though, why her
owners shouldn't keep a running of her
as long as she'd hold together an she
We're maxim her regular trip from Mem
pms TO Nleksburg, an was just going to
make the usual stop here for freight an
& passengers. She were probably a furlong
away ON the levee when she bowed up,
un the entire country overhead seemed
70 be ehock fun O. folks an fragments.
n blalsdell happened to be standin right
over the boilers on the upper deck when
.Ae explosion come an naturally he were
n position to catch the full force of it.
mere want no tellin' how far I'D in
'ne arr ne went, but it must ha' been con-
s,u aole ways, for pretty much everything
else mad settled down afore he landed.
4 we was Just catchin' our breath after
e'e surprise when he come down on the
i9'ee' leet llrst. Leastways he would have
alueo on the levee if old Squire Hapgood
naon oeen standin'~ Just at the moment
oi 'ual identical spot that BlaisdeH was
%IiHel at by an al-wise an inscrutable
IioViaence, assisted, as I said. by that
'e .n, fkaoie mascot O. his'n.
Inc result was bad for the Squire. In
Iact' ne never knoWed what hit him but
,"lSueh insisted on payin' all the fun
oia 9i expenses an he sure did plant the
I nan handsome. 1t were a graceful
IL hIdlsdel's an even the wilder
-" ne couldn't be blamed for what
nappehed, even if he had been a little
"s ABOUT settlin' down the way he did.
i a. STANDS TO reason if he hadn't a had
NAV mascot right with him when the
Il ,tS'er queen bowed up he'd "a fell in
II -, 'Ner When he come down, or if he'd
h. SUucN the levee there wouldn't "a
Il ~ NOBODY standin' there handy to
H ian Ian inc force o the fall Them is things
Il eir,. too pam to dispute about, an they
aI no possibility O. doubtin' en. There's
H n., rs inference between recognizing act
Il uIfences, an givin' way to foolish
a p like some folks does
H tb,. 50. sort O 'quainted with Blaisdell
4 AN, s'Hle DAY. You see I was standin'
4 rope =" squire Hapgood when he ar
i as an nat rally was close by when,
an was tellin' you, Jim shook hisself
II ,1o aS the way to the nearest sa-
W.. could see FIN that as how he
Il me- a decent sort o. man that had a
4 any, appreciation O. heavens mercies
n.,,l.,j JUST steered him over here Just
n IN f' 'y ! want over on the levee look
Il 4 o business, but l want turnin' Of
Il may Helthar, when il was conoin'
n wen, Jim an me we sot talkfn, orite q
~, N an he tole me about this here mas
a. AIsn' Pears it were the little toe
n = .--- .LLna nA......r .l.....a