The Savannah morning news., 1902-02-02
WILL SONS LAUGHING BEAR.
,,sopE OF A STUD POKER GAME
I'm A POWERFUL RAkE-oFF.

Boar in Exile.
From the New York Sun.
u, WAS reading in the paper the 9TH
a,,r said Uncle Hiram Westfall,
.,iriscently, to the crowd at the cor
,sr grocery store, about the ofncer
~ laughed at the Car and the
lift humping his career got from such
.,utineIy gIee. 1t sort of reminded me
= ron, Wilson and his famous laugh
ing bear.
"7,on, Wilson was the proprietor of
.,o only tavern in the town, and while
SI0 dienensed a good deal of JOY and it's
so5ucers. he always was unpopular
P!vb me religious element. That ele-
,ent didn't furnish the bulk of his
.sede and Tom was bearing up brave
" under it's disapproval and making
good living, wheh ms own sreeu proNeu
his downfall.
zone day Tom took a trip to the
o,tv 10 buy a stock of such things as
n,ake glad the heart of man. While in
ne city he strayed into a place where
some men were sitting around long
tsbIe covered with green cloth, playing
A game of some sort.
,brough he had acquired goodly
stock of experience and parted with
considerable coin of the realm. After
came broke up Tom had a little chat
1sith the man who was running it,
so that is what they call stud poker
is III? observed Tom, sort of thought
fuly Seems to be mostly case of
rake off. Seems as If the house had the
hest of the game"
"The man who was running the game
agreed that the house wasn't in the
business as a charitable proposition.
When he heard Toms business he ex
planned the intricacies of it to him.
land remember this said the house
man in a kindly way, placing his hand
on Toms shoulder, as Tom was leaving
the place, if you are running the game
yourself the great rule is this: When
in doubt, rake off twice."
"Tom thanked the man for his kind
advice, and when he came back to town
started up a game of his own. For a
few nights everything went WELL and
il begaln to look as if there wouldn't
be dollar bill in circulation outside of
Toms tavern.
"Then one evening Uncle Allison
Foote drifted into the tavern. Uncle
Allison is a prominent members of the
church and a good and pious' man. But
it gave him rheumatism of the fingers
every time he let go of a dollar.
Seeing the new game he thought it
Gus as he called Tom Wilson. So he
took hand. BY the time the rake
off had got in it's perfect work, Uncle
Allison had his shoes and shirt. That
was about all he did have. And he was
justly indignant man.
AZ don't mind a little game of pok-
er,' he said bitterly as he was leaving
the tavern, for then 1 get a chance to
cssl once in a while myself. But this
game where the house does all the deal
ing ana in the intervals between deals
uses both hands and its teeth a rNk-
ing off, is an invention of the evil one.
] don't see how an outsider can beat it,.
"Tom allowed that he hadn't intro
duced the game to be beaten. When
Uncle Allison suggested that Tom had
better return the money he had, lost
Tom jeered at the good man and said
II was up to him to retire a long way
back to the rear. Then. Uncle Allison
was mad.
Elder Seth Elkfns Is going toI be-
gin a series of revival meetings next
week., said Uncle Allison in tones of
moral indignation.I'll bring the Igoings-
on in this tavern to his attention, Tom
Wilson. He'll stir up a sentiment
against you that will drive you out of
this place, or at any rate give you a
lesson on the evils of springing a
double-back action rake-off on a
worthy old man.
And Uncle Allison strobe away, his
chin whiskers fairly bristling with in
diguation
Tom Wilson pretended to joke over
the matter, but he was considerably
worried over what Uncle Allison said.
There was no denying that Elder Seth
Elkins was a powerful exhorter. Just
then Toms fat trained bear came
swinging around the corner, and am
liable grin on his intelligent counte-
nance Tom frightened up.
That happy smile on your amiable
tace would put a dyspeptic in good hu-
NOR my cherished pet said Tom. sort
OF half talking to the bear and half to
himself. Now, if you could carry it
little farther and laugh and chuckle
us my belief no one could see you
without laughing himself, no matter
now solemn the occasion happened to
pc And if people are laughing at a
lear it is hard to stir them up to any
great Indignation against the worthy
owner of that bear
Now, in the whole state don't be-
heve there was bear that was the
equal of that pet of Tom Wilson's for
intelligence and learning. He knew
now to box, could drink whisky traight,
and some people said he knew the
value of poker hand as well as Tom
himself
Inc weather being pleasant and the
crowds big the revival meetings were
Delng held outdoors. The next after
noon Tom Wilson and his bear started
ior the grounds where Elder Seth FL
hlhs was holding forth When they
got near the place Tom pointed it out
to the bear.
=, Go FORTH he said to the bear as
Il 1t could understand him. Go forth
10 the meeting. For myself having
neither thick fur nor an accident in
surance policy, I'll remain in the back
ground.
In his heart 1 believe the bear un-
ueIstood the job he was expected to
put through and being sort of rep
Iooate bear, despite his winning ways,
thlnk he enjoyed it. Anyhow. he
naHed right over to the revival
Everybody in town knew and re-
sPected the bear; he was accustomed
wandering about the village at his
VMh .L, sweet will. so no one thought any
nnlhg OF his coming to the revival
tt,ngeetng. t,g The bear sat up as respect
cd c.. as could be, listening to Elder
I'm I'm Elkins. But after. a while the
51 51Uou elder began to get stirred up.
Iri, yris arms began to go around like small
90 ,Brethren. he shouted at the top
Vi ms ms voice, 'Brethren!'
,,ou nut no one was paying any atten-
com ul 10 the elder and his heart to heart
nj M, Every one was looking at the
,ar The moment the elder started
~ ~ swing his arms the bear began to
buucEle. Then he rolled on the ground,