The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-07

that he would not contest. The pot there
fore wen. TO Blssstt without a showdown
And the Captain showed pair OF kings
az HE openers.
Significant gllnces wore exchanged, and
the game went on quietly enough till pres-
entity the Captain opened another pot on
Bodine'a deal. Thereupon Winterbottom
raised It ten Pears1l made Il ten more
Bodine dropped and Baesett, who had
previously passcd threw down his cards.
Again TIE Captain surrendered, saying
with a Nqht laugh, a double raise again
That's too strong for me- Then Winter
bottom dropped and Pearsall took the pot
Il was like taking candy from children.
A third time II happened that the Cap
tain opened. and was raised twice, but
when thew looked for him To lay down
he made Il twenty-five more TO play, Win
terbottom. who had been the first 70 raise,
looked carefully at his cards and finding
that he stili had three little ones made
rood. Pearsall and Bodine were already
out. and Bassett, who had raised on general
principles. threw down his oaIds. Then
Iarned took three cards and Winterbottom
two, and Laned pushed his pile into the
pot.
Winterbottom could do no less than
call, and the Captain smiled slightly a. he
showed down three jacks. 'Pays, some
times, TO take a chance he said, and they
realized that he had made more out OF this
hand than he had lost in the two others.
Thereu~on Bassett began to force the
game, and with the cooperation OF the
Others he succeeded in driving one after
the other to the boneyard till they had all,
including the Captain, bought repeatedly.
The Captain was six hundred In and had
nearly five hundred in front Of him when
the explosion came.
Again the Captain opened the pot. He
was raised twice and came back at his
opponents with fifty more. Bodine, having
three kings, made good, and Bassett with
full house, raised It a hundred. The
Captain made good and Bassett stood pat.
whereupon the captain took one card and
Clipped a chip before looking at Il.
Bassett raised it a hundred and the cap
tain then looked at his draw. without
word he showed his pile forward and when
Bassett called he showed down a straight
flush, queen high.
As he was about to rake in the pot he
was confronted with the muzzle Of re-
volver. Joe Bassett was behind the weapon,
and speaking angrily, he said we don't
open pots on four Pushes in Arkansas City.
reckon you might let go o. them chips
The Captain remained perfectly cool
and without making any motion toward
his pocket he said: Il didn't open on a
four flush: l opened on a pair Of jacks.
II you will look at that card under the chips
you'll see it Is the jack Of hearts. When
split my openers / secured the discard,
according to rule
THAT don't GO said Bassett. 'Mebbe
there's some rule like that in your book,
but We play poker accordin' to Arkansas
City rules. An we don't split openers
here, thouten we say So an say il out
loud
Is that sou asked the Captain, looking
at old man Greenhut who stood near by,
looking on but saying nothing.
Il reckon it is replied Greenhut.
Then l can't argue admitted the Cap
tain, but as your rule was not stated, 1t
seems to me it's only fair for every man
to draw down his money
An appeal to fairness was ordinarily not
without effect even in Arkansas City, but
il was a large pot and Bassett was by no
means inclined to give it up easily. He
winlzed at Bodine, who had some skill in
handling cards, and said; 'Mebbe we'd
better see first whether you had jacks.
jim, turn that card over"
Bodine reached forward and, picking up
the card in question, showed the nine Of
spades.
Then there was a babel The Captain
reached for his gun and exclaimed that It
was a trick. Bassett was denouncing him
as liar and was trying TO shoot. And
Greenhut was holding the Sheriff from
behind, seeing that Winterbottom and
Pearsall had seized the Captain
Don't shoot in the house, shouted the
old man. ITS agin the house rules, an
makes no end O. trouble afterwards. Take
him out an manhandle him IL ye want to,
but don't muss up the place
His word was law, and four men carried
the struggling Captain out Of doors. II
was too dark 10 see just what happened
but when Capt. LaTned reached the hotel
some time later he was bruised and di-
sheveled.
And as Joe Bassett ordered the drinks
in Greenhut's saloon he observed: L
dunno but what home made poker is as
good as the book game, alter all