Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1904-12-08

/ had. ! never right lnowed whether you
! cd call him u p'fessional gambler or not,
/ but | never llnowed him to do nothin'
else but play poker.
He were tall, dark chap, about forty
! years old when ] first khowel him; t
/ years old when | first knocked him: y
/ blood into him. Some said twas more'n
/ likely he had, bein' as he came I'm Vir-
| gmny, an they do say Injun Is reckoned
/ good blood up there. Mebbe It's Likely
there's different kinds of Injun, different
places. Anyway, his name was Gwalt-
ney, an they said Gwaltney was a good
name in Virginny.
This un didn't do nothin' down in this
part o tn world for to make It no more
! illustrious. First off, he drinked some
| PIN desp'rate.
Everybody drinked liquor them days,
'thouten twas some It had money to
drink wine constant; but this here
! Gwaltney, he drinked all the time. Pear
ed like it didn't take no holI on him,
neither, on'y to make him quiet an ug-
! ly lookin', which he were ugly enough
without it.
He warn't no great fighter, though.
'Peared like he was satisfied if he was
let alone. / never seen him draw a knife
but once, nor shoot but once in three or
| four years that he travelled the river. An
when he did fight, he didn't pear to take
no satisfaction into it, like a good many
does.
! He just fired once, an when he seen
his man drop he turned an walked away.
An when he drawed his knife an the
other feller backed away FIN him. he
! just laughed, sort of contemptuous like.
an put it back in his boot
But it was poker [ started to tell
about 'Peared like he played it differ
cnt I'm most. There's them that PLAYS
it for excitement, settin' into a game
whenever they gets a chance, an playin'
for bi" money all the time, but not car
in none too serious about the money. fur
as anybody en- see, whether they win or
lose.
An there's them chat plays for fun,
casual like, whenever its handy, but not
Ioollin' for it special an not pearin' to
care whether there's a game goin' or not.
Then, o. course, there's p'fessionals that,
aIays watchin' out for game, an al
ays playin for the money an nothing
else maxim a business of it. cold blooded
an scientific but not talin' no interest
in tn excitement OF it.
well, Gwallncy want like none o.
these. 'Pearcd like he war like man t
goes out grnnin' for bear, t don't take
no notice o. potbin' else buf hear Nav
DE he'll see squirrels or patridges or even
deer when he's out. an not rive 'em no
notice. If he don't find bear he'll come
home with his gun loaded. lust like ii
was when he started out.
That was Crwaltney. I've saw him
travel FIN Memphis, plumb through to
New Orleans, 'thoutcn ever touchin'
card, an I've saw him play two DAYS an
three nights 'thoutcn leayin the game
ten minutes.
1t was this way. He wouldn't set in
to no game on'v with p'fessionaIs If he
cd get two or three Of 'em together
that'd play with him, he'd set in f'r any
money they liked. an he'd play right
along, win or lose, till they'd quit, or
somcpin' d break up the game.
But if anybody else d set in that
want a pfessional, it didn't make no
difference how good player he mought
be- Gwaltney d drop o the game in no
time 'Peared like he hadn't no use for
sucker money. He al'ays had plenty of |
his own, wherever it come from, but he
were Keen as a hawk to win I'm gam
bier.
He didn't never say nothin' about it
to nobody. 'Peared like he didn't never
care nothin' about talllin' to nobody |
ABOUT hothln'. never seen him talk to
no'O"y n'e minutes at time. Nor |
never see nm readln' nor dom nothin'
else but drink an play poker
there n fFp1n on ha'I