The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-08-14
TWO KINDS OF PLAYERS
Don't Care if They Win or Lose
just Want Run for Their Money

(New York SUM

(New York SUM-
HERE'S them that SAYS they plays
poker for the fun o the game, :"
said old man Greenhut. IAN they
puts up a bluff about not RELY carin'
whether they wins or loses. on'y SOS
they has a good run for their money.
Pears like there amt no limit TO what
a manU say when he sets out to talk
foolish"
Was you meanin' to say t there
amt no such folks as that? asked
Joe Bassett.
He asked the question without heat
or haste, not as one seeking TO pro
woke controversy, but rather with the
appearance of desiring information
but the old man did not seem to take
Il wen.
He looked at the sheriff keenly for a
Few moments before answering, and
then the veins in his temples began to
swell. Choking a little as he spoke, he
finally blurted out.
NO. ! want meanin' to say nothin'-
Pears like the good Lord made folks
in Arkansas City SOS there amt no
use sayin' things. If you was to say
'em. there amt nobody as d know you
was talkiu', or if they heeTd you they
wouldn't know what you meant. What
] did say, as plain as a mules hoof
was I Ghere was folks as said what
said they said What I was meanin
10 say was sOmepin' { couldn't be I'M
derstOod 'thOuten the Lord give sense
10 them that heerd it to understand
with. Pears ike there was them in
the community that was off on Yaca-
ton like, when he was givin' out wha-
sense there was portiOned off to Ar
kansas CITY"
Pretty Nearly Angry.
BY the time ne had flushed old man
Greenhut was pretty nearly angry, but
Joe Bassett sat smoking in silence, ut
terlys unmoved, 20 all appearances, by
the others display of i'll temper and
waiting for him 20 conclude, When
silence came he spoke up in his turn.
r Pears like YOU was tOla. bic het
UP. Gfeenhuf 'Taint no good gettin'
Tiled. -AlFs I was goin' TO remark was
4 / know quite a settlement o people
that was troubled with that same COM
plant you was speakin' about Didn't
make no difference TO 'em whether they
won or lost when they played poker,
an there was a. toTable stiff game gOin'
most O. the time"
The old man leaned his elbows on the
bar and looked fxedly at Bassett for a
long time. To all appearances he was
hesitating in his choice between throw
ing a bungstaTter at this most amaz-
ing liar and ordering him off the prem
3ses. After a while he spoke. as If
still in doubt, but there was a con-,
temptuOus sneer in his manner when
ne said. quite a settlement O. these
here sports. you was sayin'
Couple o. hundred, maybe" said
Bassett. imperturably
Might laf ffnaF1 e14f4ar7 cam E q IsTz- In
& graveyard. L reckon. with about
.lO0 o good dressed stone on their
chests. chiselled out with lies about
their virtues whites they were on
sirth."
Were All Alive.
Nope. They we're all alive an right
peart
We'll" said Greenhut. with a sigh.
there amt no use usin' strong Ian
Euage. let alone there amt none strong
enough Pears like it'd be a tot bic
good thing for some o. the talent that's
hangin' round here If you was TO let
on where this settlement is"
Up TO the state bughouse at Little
Rock" said Bassett with grin
Pears the superintendent had quite
some trouble keepin' the lunatics quiet
til he got em all playin' poker with
stage money. When they lose he gives
'em more, an when they win he takes
care Of it for EN-. so they're all get
TIN rich at no expense to nobody"
There was pause before the laugh
ter began. It seemed incredible that
anybody should jest at the old mans
expense when he was present, and the
little group in the baFr0om found ii
hard 10 realize that even Bassett had
shown such hardihOod. Then Jake
WmterbOttOm said: The drinks is on
you, 7 reckon, Greenhut," and amid
general hilarity the old man ac-
Rnowledged that they were
Bassett himself was so eIated at his
verbal triumph that he essayed fur
Their remark after the drinks had been
comfortably disposed of. There was
feller I knCwcd up to St Francis.
ne began, but Greenhut stopped him
firmly.
There amt no gre't popular de-
1naud, he said, for information about
yaps I'm up St. Francis way. whether
they come I'm the bughouse. or
whether they're on their way there
faint no ways likely, Joe Bassett as
Row you're goin TO strike twelve again
TINS night Pears like you'd better
stand pat. Your hands a little too
good to draw to-
Bassett Lapsed Into Silence.
BaSSett lapSed into silence. and old
man Greeuhut looked anxiouslv- around
as If 70 form Judgment in regard to
his having reinstated himself as Sir
Oracle. His scrutiny seemed TO saf-
1sfy him. for he smiled a small smile.
picked out a cigar, lighted il. and
walked around to his favorite seat bv
she window
Putting his feet carefully on the sin
NE pulled till he had the cigar well
aiiSht, and then said slowly: I en-
can 10 mind one game o poker I was
played up 10 Little Rock some years
ago, Z were q good deal like what we
was talkln' about. There was man
N Iompkins in the game Z lost
some at more'n $1,000. n quit the game
ike ne We're gettin' I'D I'm a possuIn
supper, havin' eat all he cd hold.
his name was Haskins an he hadn't
never been at Little Rock afore. Z fms
J Know but I'd heerd a lot about hin,
i m some Of the other Tompkins folks
while he was l1uoCkin' about Town for
q week or 50 afore he set into that
game.
Feared as how there were some
question o public buidin's in the Town
q. Thompkins. what was dividin' the
community all up. Some said there
wan I no use in spendin' money for new
buildin's, bein' as how the old ones had
nj feI, but others said therid ought TO
be state money appropriated by the leg
1slatur': an Rasbins was one O. the
last Feared he were contractor Z ID
likely get some o. the money if there
was any appropriated.
Nothing to Say.
He didn't have nothin' 10 say