The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-05-31
SOME STRAY TALES
 HEARD IN PASSING
BY PAUL COOK.

, pipe. The surgeons leaping out began to l examine with cool. professional air, the mangled. inanimate objects lying scat tered about. The driver and his assistant chuckled over a good joke. I seemed to be the only one who was at all affected"
 Tale of a Gambler.
 Speaking of gambling and gamblers" said the man about town, T know lit- tie story of a man who was once known far and wide over the west for his won derful skill at draw poker. His earnings at times were enormous, but his hon esty was never questioned.
 Tt was not generally known that he ever had a wife, but he figured in a rather sad experience in his early days which he never seemed to get over. The only person in the world he cared a straw for was his little daughter, about 12 years old at the time of which I speak, whom he kept at one of the most select schools of the east. This child was fair ly worshlped by him and he seemed to live only for the time when he could go once more to see her.
 These trips were made regularly once year, in the spring. Then the father and daughter would go to the mountains or seashore for a few weeks and be supremely happy. He never did any gam bling while on these trips, not much. He would not have had the child know his profession for anything She always thought he was a wealthy ranehman out west and was constantly pleading for per mission to go out to visit him. This was never granted and he took care not to undeceive her in regard to his life. "The fellow, who by the way was named Thompson. was one of the most reckless and abandoned fellows l ever knew, but they say that when he went east to visit his child he was gentleness itself. When out working the cards, how ever. he was more like devil than any thing else. never saw h ln but once and then he was down on his luck and ready to cut the throat of the first man who crossed his path.
 Thompson carried on his operations in the west for a good many years, always coming out more or less at the big end of the horn. The girl grew into a beauti- full woman and married an excellent fel- low who was considered rather wealthy. Shortly after the marriage Thompson was stabbed fatally by a Mexican ranchero in a drunken brawl.
 "The daughter had the body of her parent inferred at her home and erected a costly shaft over the grave She grieved long time over his death and firmly believed as long as she lived that her father was all that he pretended to be-"
 The Pers -nalIty of Carrie Nation.
 What has become of Carrie Nation?" asked man about town the other day. "She seems to have dropped out of pub He notice rather suddenly People in gen. eral, and saloon-keepers, especially, look on Carrie as something of a holy terror, but I found her a jolly old soul when l met her and was agreeably surprised. Tt is true that she can be jolly enough when she feels like it. but tongue-well, have never found another one like 1t. It has the slashing qualities of a double action bucksaw and is just about as quick as thought.
 | 'I always considered Mrs. Nation one l of the biggest cranks the country has | turned out in recent years. but could not help admiring some of her qualities. When first saw her she was being escorted out of town by four policemen, and was be- l ing marched down the center of the street with an immense crowd following. She was joshing' the cops with vim and | was replying gaily to the cries of Hello Carrie" that came from all sides Most l people would have lost their tempers un- l der the indignities which she endured, but she arrived at the station serene as a May day.
 "In about fifteen minutes I heard her speeches 1t has ever been my good luck l to listen to, but she has a tongue, and 1 just a wee bit of temper, too"