The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-06-26
MEEK PREACHER
HELD THE CARDS
It Was a Sinful Game of Poker, But
at the Conclusion the Pious
Man Had the Coin.

Sh1't 0@@S5 ana WneD the correspondent
went down to see him the colonel fell
on his neck
Yes" the colonel said. I've been
away down to New Orleans for mine.
watching the nimbie pieces Of horse
flesh. And. say. there was just the
hottest old poker game down there
YOU ever saw or heard tell of. by gum
When 1 registered at the best look
Ing shack | could find l began looking
around Not finding even so much as
a smell OF anything doing in the poker
line, ] decided to ask questions. You
/ see had not been in real poker game
! for some time. and every once in d
while I would rub my hand along the
outside of my vest to see if the four
} thousand green one-dollar bills were
still there intact. They were there
generally until 1 entered this game
I couldn't find hide nor hair Of
poker, and finally I approached the
hotel clerk. with a jolly. which seemed
to annoy him a bit The clerk, after
F, thinking a minute. answered in the
phraseolOgy Of the day that he reck-
oHed that, seeing I was his long miss
ing friend for whom he had been look
ing ever since the penitentiary let
. loose the last bunch of cOnvicts, he
guessed he could steer me TO a place
similar TO that / had mentioned.
We climbed 334 steps and at last
found ourselves at the very top of the
house. There were several other fel-
lows in the room, and when the hotel
clerk had introduced me- we had some
conversation about the crops, alliga
tors and other things they raise down
i'm that country Finally there entered
the most meekish looking Teller YOU
ever saw. ] wish I could have rope{I
him and brought him back here. S4is
face was long and narrow. and ! his
eyes had d way Of turning up t6ward
the ceiling. as if he expected aT angel
to come through and get him. He
carried his hand clasped on nis storn-
ach somewhere, and in the hands he
carried a black book With red borders
and a rubber band aroun4 it. He was
dressed in d black suit with a long
preachers coat, and I'VE Immediately
judged him to be a Preacher that had
strayed among a lot of sheep that
were slightly dark we greeted him
as brother, and hef thanked us-though
for what I do ngJt know
one OF the DelIers finally said: As
TINS IS sometE ping of a dull day here
abouts, suppose we pass the time away
oy lndulglI9E in little innocent amuse-
ment? 1ne response was immediate
We hauPed a little table out into the
room, JSOk our places and began play
ing AFTER some preliminary skirmishing
arolYhd. The preacher Teller asked us
IN II quavering voice if We had any OBJ
JSttion Of mis- remaining and witnessing
/he sinful game that he had heard of
all his life, but never had seen. We
assured him that the party never would
De complete without HIS presence.
We played an hour or two and
then one of the fellers dropped out,
saying he had promised to take his
family nag driving and couldn't wait
to play any more. We were sorry he
had lost all his money so soon-
counted my winnings and found that
they amounted to SLIGO I felt some
whatly good upon viewing that pile
Of welcome green things
After this Teller had gone, the
preacher man trOts up to the table and
says Gentlemen. all I have picked
up one or two points about this sinful
game while I have been watching you.
and would like to play a little if you
have no objection to kinder teaching
me along little. | have not been
provided with much filthy lucre by my
flock, but have seven or eight quar-
ters and picayunes that I would like
to wager
As one man We turned and told
him it would pain US to "a heavy eX-
tent if he did not play with us. so ne
took a chair.
well. by much explaining. We got
him to see the most important points
Of the game. and in an hour OF two
had a very good little old play going.
The preacher had won d dollar or two,
and had likewise dropped some of his
dimes onto our sides of the table The
play went on, and we still had to ex-
plain some things to the preacher
At last there was d big wad OF
money or the table. and everybody
boosting the pot for all it vas worth
glanced At the preacher feller. and
there was, \ look on his face that was
Chiidlike and bland. He was smiling IN
satisfied way at his cards. and when
his time came ne said If I had an
other one Of them little red things I
would have four cards that I would bet
or some
Well we looked At our hands and
concluded that he had some harmless
cards that would not do any harm 80
we condOIed with him. Next deal, how
ever. he said. All. here she is Every
Teller there had made up his mind TO
boost that pot and take everything the
preacher had.
Il lifted the receptacle with d thou
sand, for I had what would be called a
good hand. being an ace high straight
flush OF spades The other fellers lifted
IL twelve hundred apiece, and [ sweet
eutd her again Then the other fellows
laid down They had nothing, so far
as ] could see, that would induce them
to put up so much money. but it was
their property, and | hated to take it
away from them. Then I laid down my
little old straight flush and reached
for the money. But there was an arm
clothed in ministerial black in front of
me. and d timid voice said: Wait d
minute. brother ] don't know much
about the game, but wouldn't this
bunch Of cards take that piece Of green
cheese there2
And that derned preacher laid down
slowly, one by one. the ace of diamonds,
the king of diamonds. the queen of dia-
monds, the jack OF diamonds and ten Of
diamonds We looked at that royal
flush minute and then ] glanced down
to where my little measly spade flush
was lying Then as one man. we arose
and said. We cOngra tuIate YOU broth
er. The little pastebOards YOU have
there shore does take the pile
Then we bowed to him and left
There was no further use for me in that
town. so I packed my handkerchief and
went TO the desk to pay my bill. My
friend. the clerk, was there, and as
paid up ] noticed A grin on his coun-
tenanCe- Then that derned little one
mule clerk looked me over and said:
'Cunnel next time you get gay with
a hotel clerk, first make sure that said
clerk knows no one who can play
preacher and likewise play cards
And then ] shook the dust of the
city from my feet.''-Orangeville CKy)
Cor. y. Y. Telegram.