The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-16
played o. high 40 y-ays-oeOt limit

sometimes when thered be three or four
OF ern that was pretty well fixed.
Mostly IL WAS five or ten-cent game,
they tell me, hue man can win or lose
considerable money even at that, an they
say Abner didn't hardly ever lose. l
hain't never heer'd nobody say right out
Z he cheated, an guess nobody ever said
IL, but they do tell ME that he had the
most amazin' luck Of anybody that ever
played over TO the tavern, an 'twa'nt
long afore he had all the loose money there
was amongs, all the poker players.
II hadn't never been over 10 zee EN-
play, but I'd played poker for beans quite
some good many years ago, an under.
stood the game all right, no when heer' d
lot o talk, like there will he In a place
l just says to myself that I'd 40 over to the
tavern myself an watch EN- play. An it
Just 80 happened that the very night |
went over was the time that they played
the last game that was played afore
Abner went away.
Il didn't say nothin' again his goin I.
neither when he told ME I he was thinkin'
feelin' that maybe twas just as well If he
did go. Feared like there was kind o
feelin In the community that twan .
healthy for q man to have such luck IA he
had, when II come TO playin cards for
money, an more especially want no great
advantage TO the rest O. the communit
for him to conti.er to play.
-They was five IN q n ia the game. Abner
an Hi Doolttle, an Charley Sprague an
Bill Holden an Jonatf an Whitaker They
want none on em more n 81 or 2s year
old, but Abner was the Youngest in the
crowd him bein' on'y just little over TO-
-There'd been some talk about him havir,
no license to be- seen in no such place as
a tavern, but there couldn't nobody say
t he was even known to drink not hin
20 there didn't nobody make no complaints
If they had, / guess perhaps they could
ha' made trouble for Cal Buckley, that
KEEP the place. but as l was sayin' they
didn't.
well. they started right in, playin
twenty-five cent limit an thew boug hit
three dollars worth of chips right slap Off :,
80 you cd see twas goin' to be a pretty
desperate game, an I wouldn't ha' been
more surprised if Buckley'd ha nut stop
to it right then, but alls ne did was to ask
'em to be as quiet as they could. an not
bein' no such a game in his house o.
course, they all promised, for there want
none on EN- that wanted to be talked about
in the neighborhoed
Il was a little confused at first at the
way they played, which was all jackpots,
me not havin' played poker for a good
while, as I was savin,' an not rememberin'
exactly about jackpots. They wasn't
played all the time when learnt, and I'd
kind o. forgot. IL most took INV breath
away, too, TO see how the money begun to
fly, right Pm the start. 20 twas quite some
minutes afore seemed TO get the hang o. II.
why, them fellers put In ten cents apiece
afore they even dealt the cards. an then,
il nobody opened the pot on one deal,
they'd ali put i'm white chin apiece an deal
again Tbey hadn't Ma we'd NO time at ali
aiore there was a whole dolar's worth a.
chips in the middle o. the table, an there
hadn't none on EN- SO much AS made bet.
/ tell YOU twas excitin' inst 10 set AM watch
how reckless thew was bnt thew ali seemed
10 be cool enough an cd see they was old
hands at the game an used 10 risLin'
money.
There was three or four pots plaved
for an won afore | rot the hang o. things,
an cd see thew was playin' careful spite
o. what looked 10 me like recklessness.
for when one ON 'em "a ntt in a ",,ar,sr
an saw Il omen il tina others n look at
their cards mighty shsrn boldin' 'em
close I'm so's noHndv I'd peal at ,em an
then they'd Law 'em down without bettin. ;
So seen thai mavhe thev wasn't coin,
to lose so much AZ if thew was bettin on
noor hands ' 10 II '''o' va" oo'''' VIA
.Prestv soon though thera uas a rot with
sevent v-five or ainhe, oante ;n i, tbot II
Doolittle onsnad for n o',ar,ar him be;n,
the first man m sav Ahnar riesl;n,
SSpraoue he ,hyoynad IN lie n,artar an,
so did Golden an, Wbi,taEa1 1an IL M
Abners turn dont know h an meant wn as
have me hut T seen hi. cards wills he Was
studyin' O. 'em an / seen ! be didn't have
nothin' but a pair o. Fights in his hand.
40 I caTistad ba was g6in' ~ throw iayn
down, for eiphts wa'n't no mortal good
In that scrimn1age: but no didn't do n0thin
o. the kind.
ale din't sav nothin, but he ,browed