The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-05
THE PREACHER
l IN THE POKER GAME.
A Tale OF His Overthrowing by
the Charity Seeker Who Came
Sudden 10 Arkansas City.

factorily "and he was al'ays talkn' about
money. There's a plenty Of EN- comes
that talks money most o. the time, but
they'm the kind that breaches about putin
II in the hat when it's passed round.
This one was different. They said his
name was Elphalus Knobbs, or suthin'
re that, an he sure were a powerful hand
with the mourners when he got em up TO
the bench lister make 'em holler SOS
You cd hear 'em half mile.
But the Rev Eliphalus knobbs's strong
suit so TO speak. 'peared to be- prenchIn'
agin money He was al'ays a sayin' That
money want evrything I've heer'd others
say the same thing an there amt no doubt
hut there . sense into II II you look at 1t the
right way. o. course if money was evIy-
thing It a man needed. he wouldn't Have
no call to useit when he got it. He wouldn't
need tobacco. nor red liquor nor no other
necessaries, n any fool en- see how ridic'-
lous that ia. But them that says 1t don't
nsvsr pear 10 git tired sayin it
This here Knobbs he got talkin' with
me one day Feared like he thought he
we're goin' to git me up TO the mourners'
bench An he sprang this money gag on
me. Well ! says. L don't know but what
you're right. but what is it you reckon is
needed outside o. money? An he says
'Savn' grace he says,
so says to him I reckon you're right
again Savin' grace is needed ! says,
an needed bad, but there's other things,
too. A man ] says, has TO have savin'
grace. there amt no doubt, but he's got TO
have a savin' knowledge o. draw, too
What d become o the hull fabric o.
civilization says If the game o draw
poker was 10 be wiped out? There wouldn't
be no more progress. nor eddication. nor
nothin', an says, a mans got to have
money to play draw poker so there YOU
are Money amt everything. but It's
necessary for some purposes. An then
he groaned an called me n unregenerate
an went away. That's the trouble with
preachers mostly You can't never argy
with EN- 'thouten they gets insutin an
walks away when you shows em they're
wrong.
There was man come to Arkansas City
fore twas rs big place as it's now. He
want one o. the early settlers reckon
there want no early settlers here. FIN
what | en- learn, Arkansas City was al'ays
considable Of place, even when they called
IL Napoleon. fore twas Arkansas City
But he come ri ght smart spell ago, an
when he come he come sudden
The reason o. him comm sudden was I
he was bowed ashore III ole Queen o.
the Bayous busted her b'iler right 'longside
o. tn levee one day an when the bier
bust the hull boat 'peared TO he discourag ed
like. an got sprnkled round in little bits
Feared like the biggest on 'em want
more n big enough TO make a xe helve
outen. There we're folks aboard. o. course.
pvst, lnA round II
Mostly the pieces we picked up wa'n't
big enough to match easy when we tired TO
At 'em together. but Phietus Fraser he
come down all in one piece; fur,,s remem-
her he was the on'y one that did.
He had his skin onto him. Leastways
he had the most on it, some heln scraped
off AZ he cQme through the woodwork.
but he hadn't no shell. nor nothln cor
respondin' when he come ashore reckon
there ever were man come TO Arkansas
City with legs on hand in the way O per
vidin' hisself agin the vicssitude= Of
Arkansas City life n Philetus Fraser had.
No money, no cloes, not even hull skin.
Knocked silly an senseess. an 'thouten
n man. woman or child in the place I knowed |
him.
sJust naturally 'twa'n't TO be expected |
Z nobody was gon' to take no gre't amaNn
interest into him. but want quite natural,
neither 10 leave him lay there alone on the
levee, naked an half dead Some on EN-
picked him up an found old blanket
somewheres an wrapped hun up an toted
him OF to the hospital We hadn no
extra accommodations them days for
them = had to be took care of by the town.
but there were a log cabin down 10y the
woods 10 the west o. the settlement that
were sort o. set aside f'r emergencies
There was all sorts o cases took there,
bein' az twas IN on'y place there was,
but somehow nobody 'peared 10 prosper
there alter there was three niggers took
there with the smallpox; Subsequent
everybody died there till Philetus Fraser
was took TO the place, an beiu as he couldn't
be killed nohow like he showed when he
come ashore like he did. he laid there an
got well.
IAN that tire he hadn't had nothin in
the wav o. cloes but that old blanket they'd
wrapped round him when they picked him
up bein twas warm weather an him not
likely to live no ways, a. we was reck MIN
But when we heer'd that he were all right
again an was thinkin' o comm out on'y
for not havin no clo'es, there was some
considerable talk
"&ore'n likely we'd ha' got round 10
give him some in a few days, but Philetus
Fraser 'peared 10 be q hasty sort o man,
like he'd showed he was by the way he
come ashore. an about the third day he
come down the street in his blanket. maxim
Rone considerable OF scandal ben' as
rome q the women folks seen him.
They hustled him into my place, here
an We had a sort o pow-Tow over him
'peared like there was somepin' had 10 be
did an had 10 be did immediate. Alter
some talk they put il up 10 me. an | says
II was up to US to send for some o tho prln-
cipal citizens TO come round right away.
-All this time Phietus Fraser he sot
on a bench sayin nothin'. bein' as there
want nothin' f'r him to say. | took notice
% that an | says TO myself that he 'peared
to have sense enough TO keep his trap shut,
an that was somepin'
Pretty soon lot Of 'em come in, an
amongst EN- was this here preacher Teller,
Eliphaus Knobbs When ! seen him. |
says Money amt everything, parson,
but | reckon it stands for heap TO this
man Just now How he goin TO he decent
] says. 'thouten somebody puts up money!
An somehow Ehphalus Knobbs didn't
pear Ia be 70 quick about talkin' AZ he
mostly vas in the pulpit
There was considerable more chin
music an then they put 1t up to me. an
] GAYS / amt never seen hut one way |
SAYS Il a man en- donate money an not
feel 1t. Start game q draw poker says.
an have kitty, an let the kitty 20 to
Philetus Fraser
They all seen reason into that 'ceptn
Elphaus Knobbs. He began talkin' about
the sinful nature o gamblin' like preachers
does sometimes, till shut him up.
y saws That's our Arkansas City way.
parson, an II II don't suit, count o. hein'