The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-09

s'But what would ! tale up for side line,
as you call itf' asked Withsrs.
Berger he hssiteted little, an then he
says; pray poker - 49,.
We'll, reokoncd for q minute tho
he was settin' onto. An than he seys:
''You must be Grassy. How cd l.. o.
preacher Of tho Gospel, take up Q Sinful
game @ chance like draw poker, an gamble
like sermon.
sayin nothin' an not movin' till Wlthers
got through. Then he says. very quiet
IL knowed you'd fare up. Stands to
reason you would, you bein q man that's
never had no proper education outside o
books, an not understandin' the subject
Now want to set you right on two or three
'hin6Bs ,.r poker ain, no gam. o. chance,
in the first place-not II you know how
to play 1t scientific, 1t amt. It's game O.
skill when it's q game at all, but speakin,
proper, it's business that requires trainin'
an heap more intelligence Chan most
Fan F's as for its bein' sinful, faint no
such thing, It's one O the means Prov1-
dence has provided for divertin' the spare
change o. the incompetent an ignorant
portion @ the community I'm the channels
"
has sense an proper knowledge o what
TO do with It,
well, the preacher he sort O. laughed
a little, an he says:
was to be lookin' for side line for yourself
maybe you might do well to take up preach
in. ain't sayin' that I'm liable TO do
what, you say an, take up draw poker, but
II do / reckon it d be some time afore
cd play as we'll as you preach.
RIFT tollyin' aariOllR I'm allrDT1S6Q OF
what you say. Surely, q game that men
bet money on Is gamblin'. an II 1t amt
a game O. chance then I RELY don't know
what 1t is
earnest. You don't know what It's. You've
got the notion that most folks has. Now
you object to draw poker on account o
the bettin', don't you9'
"Then Withers lowed that was right.
II WANT for the bettin' don't see as
there's any harm into it, he says.
"'Well.' says Berger, there amt no
bettin' into the game O. draw poker he
says. Just look at 1t reasonable. One man
puts some money in the pot before you
begin playin', SOS there shant be no waste
O. time, nor no labor without some object.
That amt bettin', is it? Certainly, faint,
@'Then another man looks at his cards,
an il he likes 'em an thinks maybe they
mought turn out better n what the other
fellers has, he puts some more money In
Iu6 pOU. All bO ~ BOCp Iouho'
"'if Teller don't like the looks Of his
cards he don't put no money In. Il he does
like EN- he does put money In. That amt
bettin, is it2 Certainly not.
4'An' so it goes till they all drop out,
or gifts forced out. but one. An he takes
other players9 No. He takes the money
they've left up on the table.
"'They hain't got no right to II, cause
they've put II in the pot. "Taint theirs no
goes reg lar, aocordin' to rule. to the last
man in. Now I ask you II that's bettin'?
There amt no samblin' about it. You
give your money to the pot. You don't
lose 1t to no other player: Il you're the
t'other man takes 1t. That amt gamblin'.
But the preacher couldn't see it. He
were interested enough, but he KEEP on
arguin.
1t mus ct be game O. chance he Gays.
b bes the pot goes to the man that has the
Not always it don't, says Berger;
pure chance as you may think. But 1t
amt the man that gets the best cards that
man dealt ali the time, there might be some
sense in calm 1t game o. chance.
But skill an intelligence Is required
for to give man strength @ mind enough
for to stay in longer n the other Teller
a as &. osher fse ne That nt
chance Is IT. Certainly not
AN 80 they KEEP II up back an, forth
for hour or more / was listenin' an
learnin', for I was only young Teller, as
told you
aBut the parson he want convinced.
He lowed Berger'd made out strong. case,
but he had prejudices cd see I he hated
to give up, havin' been brung up to think
draw poker was gamblin' same as most
folks thinks even now.
But Berger was the first man / ever
herd talk that had the right idee O. things;
an says TO myself that twouldnt be long
afore the parson would see things.
We'll. alter that they KEEP, at each other
time fr the preacher to move. Berger
was tryin' to convert Withers, an Withers
he was tryin' to convert Berger, an each
man was tryin' for t'other's good, as well
as he seen It.
"Bimeby the truth win out, like it alays
will. Both on EN- was reas ona bic men,
an the preacher he seen he was wrong. He
didn't give up preachin havin' talent for
1t that was RELY surprisin''; but he started
In studyin' the science O. draw poker, with
him an Berger was takin' short trips 'round
the country on business, an II come to be
known that Berger's new partner were
about the slickest short card player there
was In the State.
There was some scandal about II for a
time. but folks realized that even preacher
had to make a Twin, specially when he had 4
sixteen children to look out for, an him
on'y 30. II come to he 30 in time that he
was able to keep on preaohin' without
lookin' for no salary, an after that there
want no more trouble. Everybody seen
what a valuable man he was to the church.
an they didn't make no fuss about him
havin' side line"
There was silence for a time after the
old man had finished this story, but at
length Jake Winterbottom said: