The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-06-21

the Creole Belle at Vicksburg the most
amazin' little fat man 1 ever seen in
my life. He want much over five
foot high, shouldn't think, an it sure
did look like he were six foot thick.
O. course, I don't reckon he RELY was
you'd swear his sides was further
apart nor his head an his heels.
Was Spry On His Feet.
"But you couldn't help noticin' that
he was spry on his feet at that He
moved quick, an he seemed to bounce
up an down when he walked like a
bubble will bounce on the carpet,
sometimes, afore it busts. Feared like
he must ha' been boiler to be so light,
or else, If he RELY was solid, an as
heavy as he looked, he must ha been
monstrous strong.
Jim Weston spotted him when he
come aboard, an made up his mind to
get acquainted, for the little fat man
looked prosperous enough to have big
money with him. Wore good clothes an
diamonds, an had two niggers travelin'
with him for servants, instead o. one,
which was enough for most
Il heerd afterwa'd he were a for
eigner, an some sort of a Snowman,
but 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 hisself.
Anyway, he were a sport, an he
talked tolerable good English, but, like
most O. them dagoes, he spoke his
words kind q funny, like he couldn't
bite 'em off the right size.
Weston got talkin to him afore
anybody else got a chance, an the fat
man seemed to cotton to him, right
away. Feared like he were a good
deal interested an wanted to get &C.
quainted.
Just naturally, Weston made that
part of it easy to him, an tw'ant long
after supper afore they was as thick
as two thieves. An when Weston pro-
posed to have game o. cards, the fat
man said he'd like nothin' better.
Soon Got to Playing.
Il happened to hear that part O. it.
an I says to myself that Weston was
pretty likely to have his wad, an meb-
be his diamonds an the two niggers.
inside of a couple of hours. 1t want
no ways likely, as I figgered it up, that
no dago like that was goin' to hold
his own at poker with a regular player
like Weston, more specially no man
that was as fat as that man was. Pear
ed like you couldn't think of nothin'
else, on'y how fat he was when you
looked at him.
But, say! When they got playin'
like they did in a few minutes, both
on 'em bein' anxious to begin, you
could see by the way he riffled the cards
t he didn't need to take no lessons
about how to handle 'em. He was as
slick as they make em, but o. course
that want to. say that he knowed how
to play Mississippi river poker.
Feared he didn't know, neither, for
/ watched 'em as well as could
comm an goin' as l was through the
saloon where they was playin', and it
/ struck me the stranger was about as
easy as anything I'd ever seen.
They was playin' stud poker, Yves
ton sayin' that draw was too slow a
game two-handed, an the stranger be-
in agreeable to anything Weston said.
Il amt a-sayin' but what he knowed
the rules O. the game all right, for he
did; but when it come to judgment, he
! hadn't none. He bet wild sometimes.
bluff that a fo'teen-yea r-old boyd
call If he'd had river education.
He didn't seem to mind losin' his
! money, though. An 1 reckon he must
ha' lost nigh thousand dollars inside
| of half an hour.
but the 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.
II reckon there want another gam
bier on the river, IL he'd had such a
game as that on, that would ha' play-
| ed crooked. There want no need for
1t. The stranger was givin' up fast as
| anybody could ask, an the least Wes-
| ton cd do an be halfway decent was
10 give him o square DEAL but, as ]