The semi-weekly messenger., 1903-05-19
BILLINGS WAS A WONDER.
Old Man Greenufs Pride in Arkansas City Roughly joed by
Stranger Who Licks the Sheriff and Does Up
the Home Talent at Draw Poker.
Bv .aVid A. Curtis,
Copyright, 1903, by Robert Howard
RusselL)

Copyright, 1903, by Robert Howard
RusselL)
There amt no manner o use losin'
patience with a man count o him
bein' a fool" said Old Man Greenhut,
after he had listened one evening to
the recital of a peculiarly exasperatlng
; circumstance, which Sam Pearsan gave
TO a small group of Greenhut's custom
ers as they sat together around the
barroom stove.
"If a man is a fool. he's fool. an
that's all there IS to it, an don't sees
there's any way for him to help it.
'Tain't likely, 1 reckon that any man
sets out TO be fool, deliberate. The
reason he is one is just because the
Lord made him that er way, an he
can't help it, no more't he can help the
shape of his nose. Don't the good book
say that no man can add cubic inch
TO his statue? He's made the way he's
made. and that's all there is to it. But
It does seem sometimes like the good
Lord had more use for fools nor a wise
man can easily understand. If he
didn't have, He would never have made
so bland many of 'em
There is time though, when It
pears like even q fool wouldn't feel
Ike it was his duty to be no bigger
fool nor the Lord meant him to DE, an
tain't no more'n natural for other
folks to get provoked with him. It's a
good deal like drivin q mule. You
know he's a mule, an you reckon on his
bein' ugly at times, an. kickfn' when he
sees a chanst, an balkin' when you're
in hurry, but when he gets in a tam
trurn an does all his devilishness to
once an then looks round an hee-
haws about it, it's no more'n human
nature to lambaste him with a Dig
stick if there's one handy. You don't
expect him to be no less Of a mule just
for q lickin', but you do have some sat-
isfaction lettin' him know what you
think of him.
Now this here yahoo what Sam is
a telling about, may be fool an then
again, maybe he amt. Pears alto
gether likely he is, judsin I'm the way
he butts in, him not bein' acquainted
none with Arkansas City ways, an
seemin' to have more confidence in his
self n any man had ought for to have,
in Il strange place. Then again, mebbe
he ain't such a fool as you'd think.
You say he lickeG Bassett?"
Good an proper." said Pearsan.
Don't seem no ways likely" said the
old man. :" thouten Joe was drunk,
n you say he las sober"
Sober as a Judge" replied Sam.
well. I dor-t see no reason why you
ah'd come round here an tel no such
yarns as THAI, 'thouten twas so, but IL
it's so, I dent never want to hear no
question IT. sed again about that little
story o Jonah an the whale. II
there's ary man in Arkansas. more
l., h. nrsl-
trict thai can come to town an get
into a : t.o-handed game o draw with
Joe Baseett, an then take his gun away
I'm him. an lick him with his bare
hands. I'm ready to believe I Jonah
swallowed the whale. an 1 en- lick
anybody that says he didn't. old as
be
IF this here stranger amt fool. Joe
IA, n 1 don't say that count o his
gettin' licked, neither. When there's a
fight somebody gently does get licked.
an 'tain't al'ays the one you're beetfu'
on, neither. But what 1 can't under
stand is Joe playin' freeZe-out with n
man Ike that. when he cd just as Easy
brought him round here an introduced
him to a game where he'd "a been like
ly to learn somethin' about draw-poker
stead o gettin' the notion thai the
Arkansas City game is the kinC Joe
Baseett pays
THAT amt to say nothin' agln Bas-
sett's game under the right conditions
Joe is n good reliable player enough
when he has moral support. He en-
hold UP his end all right when it comes
to q question o cOnbinin' the home
talent ag'in the unprincipled attacks o
strangers that comes here to get Ar
kansas City capital. He knows as
we'll as most, when it's up to MIN to
give it a boost with nOthin' in his
hand, an I will say fr Joe that there
ain't no discount on his nerve. If he
had as much sense as he has courage,
he'd-well he wouldn't be playin' no
hundred dollar freeze-outS with Strang
ers. like YOU sa he was doin' when this
here tumult began.
Then again. as understand it. there
was some discussion along o the
stranger nOticin' somepn t looked like
a card showin' in JOe's sieve You said
he kind o got the notion that Joe was
holdin' out n ace. didn't yOu?"
Ace o clubs" said Pearsall, briefly.
Now there you are continued the
old man. The most disgutin fool they
Is IS the man that amt satisfied with
doin the kind o stunts the Lord give
him talents for, but has to go initatin'
Others that knows how to do things t he
amt fitted 10 do. Holdin' out cards for
talents that Bassett amt gifted with.
No man had ought for to try II, never.
'thouten it's a case o real emergency.
an he en- do it 'thout bein' catChed.
It's part o the game if it's did proper.
but if a mans catched at it. it's nothin.'
more nor less'n cheaten', an any
mans a fool to get caught cheatin'.