The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-17
\ GAMBLER WHO WASN'T
n HALF WAY DECENT.
jim Weston's Finish Came When
He Tabled the Fat Stranger on
the Mississippi Packet.

at is sure singular" said Caleb Mix
the veteran bartender on the Mississippi
River packet City Of Natchez, that mar
that don't know enough about draw poker
to last him home from Sunday school
should get it into his nut that just because
he's trav'lin' onto boat. he can stack
up again stranger an hold onto his chip,
for length O. time.
.Afou wouldn't think a small child WOULDN'T
know no moren that now, would yoni
But there's wise guys that shows up on the
boats now an again, that holds up just
that sort OF proposition, an sometimes
makes a terrible beef when they comes to
the material end.
There amt 40 much on il did now al
there was a good many years ago. I've
said that a good many times an it's just
as true al twas when said 1t first Mebbe
| moro 80. for there's no denyin' that poker
is pretty we'll played out on the boats now
Once in a while you may see game, but
Lord! faint nothin' to what they used to
play.
Once in a while, though, the gamblers
d make mistake in piokin' UP some Teller
I they thought was easy. an sometimes
there's things dom that'd make mule
leave his barley to look on. There was a
case like that happened one time on the
old Creole Belle that was burned afterwards.
that al'ays took heep o satisfaction
thinkin' Of just because there was one O.
the worst men on the river got come up
with peculiar
There was them that said there was
good p'ints about Jim Weston, the man
| v'y,, Iii, 81. 7
body has some friends in the world that II
speak as we'll of 'em as they can, But |
never heer'd nobody go 80 far as to say
anything special about what them good
pints aforesaid was.
| If he had any. he must ha' KEEP 'em put
away somewheres to keep. He never
showed none on EN-.
"He were good lookin' TELLER enough.
an he had bluff. hearty way talk in that
d make stranger think he were all right,
| 'thouten the stranger looked at his eyes
| an had wit enough 10 know what they
was sayin. He had greenish sort Of eyes,
somep'n like cats an just as wicked.
But, as l was sayin. he talked hearty
enough an used to get into game without
no trouble. 'thouten there was somebody
into 1t already that hnowed him. Some
times he would, even al that, for most
everybody that knowed him was more or
less afraid of him. He'd fight at word
an when he At. he al'ays tried to kill.
We'll, one time there come aboard the
| Creole Belle at Vicksburg the most amazin'
| little fat man ! ever seen in my life. He
want much over five foot high. shouldn't
think, an it sure did look like he we're six
foot thick o. course, don't reckon he
RELY was that. but when you looked at
him you'd swear his sides was further apart
nor his head an his heels
But you couldn't help noticin' that he
was spry on his feet at that. He moved
| quick. an he seemed 10 bounce up an down
when he walked like bubble will bounce
on the carpet. sometimes, afore il busts.
Feared like he must ha' been holler 10 be
80 light or else. il he RELY was solid. an as
heavy as he looked. he must Ina been mon
81 rous strong.
Jim Weston spotted him when he come
aboard, an made up his mind TO get &C.
quainted, for the little fat man looked
with him. Wore good clothes an dia-
! inonds, an had Two niggers travelin'
with him for servants, instead o ore, which
was enough for most.
Il herd afterwa'd 7 he we're a foreigner,
an some sort OF a Snowman, but l don't
remember his name. They said he was
famous in foreign parts. but he never give
no show in this country. just travelled
for pleasure, to blow hissef,
anyway he we're sport, an he talked
tolerable coed English, but. like most o
them dagos, he spoke his words kind o.
funny, like ne couldn't bite EN- OF! the
right size.
Weston got talkdn' to him. afore any
body else got chance, an the fac man
seemed to cotton TO him. right away,
Feared like he were a good deal Interested
an wanted to get acquainted.
Jus, naturally. Weston made that par,
OF i, easy to him. an want long after
supper afore they was ws., as thick as two
have a game o. cards, the fat man said
he'd like nothin' better.
II happened to hear tina, part Of it, an
says 10 myself that Weston was pretty
likely to have his wsd. an mebbe. his dis
monds an the TWO niggers. inside OF couple
OF hours. 1t want no ways likely. as |
fggered it up, thai no dago like that was
goin to hold his own al poker with reg lar
player like Weston. more specially TO
man that was as fat as that man was.
else on'y how fat he was when you looked
But. say, When they go, playin like
they did in a few minutes, both on en-
tho wav he rinled the cards t he didn't
need to take no lessons about how 10 handle
'em. He was as slick as they make EN-,
but o course that want TO Sav that he
knowed how to play Mississippi River
poker
Feared like he didn't know, neither.
for watched EN- a. well as could, comm
an qoin' as l was through the saloon where
they was playin', and it struck ME the
stranger was about IA easy as ANYTHING
I'd ever Keen. They was plavin stud
poker Weston sayin, that draw was too
slow game two-handed, an the stranger
bein' agreeable to anything Weston said
Il amt savn' but what he knowed
the rules o. The game all right, for he did
but when Il come 10 judgment he hadn't
none He bet wild sometimes, an then
again he'd lay down against bluff that n
fo'teen year old boyd call IL he'd had a
river education.
He didn't seem to mind losin his money
though An | reckon he must ha' lost
nigh a thousand dollars inside OF half at
hour.
But tho more he lost the more he seemed
TO get into the spirit o the game, an the
more eager he was to bet. Feared like
Weston had struck the softest snap ever.
al reckon there want another gambler
on the river. IL he'd had such game as
that on, that would ha' played crooked.
There want no need for it The stranger
was givn' UP as fast as anybody. could
ask, an the least Weston cd do an be half
wav decent was to give him n square deal
but az was sayin' he never was half way
decent.
at want in him. ] reckon. He couldn't
L., Loor anyth;n0 elae hut a va Ilar dog if