The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07

tom looked on with mild d~isapproval. y
reckon a hundred In chips H. enough q
begin with. IN play along with these I'll
! get the run o. the cards.
The run at first was not too rapid. The
ante was a dollar. call two and Tor half
called wal ten dollars.
Then came q Jackpot, which, sweetened
three times at q dollar Q throw, Amounted
70 e36 IL came to Wlnterbottom's deal
they had had before and Upte9rove, who
sat next TO the dealer, opened the pot fol
the size Of IL after looking at two cards only
Of theh hand that lay In front Of him.
Whatever the reason may, have been
Mr.. Winterbottom had not dealt himself
cards Of suficisnt strength to warrant him
In coming In. even after Bassett and blGis-
dell and PearsaI had each done so in turn.
On the draw Uptegroye took two cards
after examining his hand carefully but ne
let the two lie In front Of him while the
other players were being served. They
each. took two cards, and still without
looking at his draw he threw In q blus
Bassett saw the bet after hesitating a
little, having a pair Of sces and Judging
from Uptegrove's play that he might per-
haps be holding up a card.
Blaisdell, however, raised Il SEQ, where
upon Pearsall folded and UpteGrove
carefully lifted the corner Of one OF the
WV ~ la WV " A
the original three in his hand.
After looking under the corner OF his
Gard he pushed his entire pile, bills and
chips, into the pot. He did 1t neither slowly
nor swiftly, but with apparent indifference
so hat they could not tell whether he
feared a call or desired one. $500.
Bassett naturally dropped and Blaisdell
counted his money. He had barely $500
left and he hesitated for some minutes
whether to call for that, having three kings
In his hand, but ffally laid down..
They knew, we'll enough, when they saw
U~ptegrove's hand that he never would
have showed it after that play had he not
been the opener, and therefore obliged
1t was a biTr, we'll played, and they recog-
niSed IL and estimated the player 40
cordingly.
But II the play had been slow before
that, It was rapid enough thereafter;
Pushes and fulls were out together several
times and Jake W~interbottom even had
the rood fortune to catch a fourth seven
in the draw when there had been a spirited
contest between Baesett and Uptegrove
and he had trsiled along on three or four
In the pot, and said, -Mebbe l mought "a
did better 7 I'd flashed my roll afore playin'
like you uns did, but | reckon ! on play
along on this fr q SPELL
But the money went back and forth,
no one going broke, but all winning and
losing alternately for an hour, TIL 1t began
to look like a long session. Meantime,
The home talent, remembering what old
man Greenhut had said about the new
comer's understanding OF poker principles,
had been watching him closely to discover,
il possible. what principles he most relied
upon. They saw that he was q bold player,
but that he had good jud gment,, and they
felt bound to approve his general manage
ment OF the game. puzzled them
was TO understand on what he had built
IN his reputation,
Suddenly Jake winterbottom seemed to
see a great white light. He had called
for a new deck Of cards on his own deal,
and had run over them carefully, face
and back, before shutting. Then he dealt,
saying nothing, and the hand was played
out.
Uptegrove won the pot on three aces,
and after raking In the pot started to as
semble the cards for his own deal, when
W~interbottom reached over and picked
up the five cards Uptegrove had held,
which still lay where they had been thrown
in the showdown.
Handing the Ave cards over to Bassett
and dropping his own fingers conveniently
near the vest pocket where he carried his
derringer, the old man said: Hold on to
them cards, Joe, while ! talk q leetle talky
ak to this we're stranger;
stranger, we heer'd tell about you
I'm old man Greenhut, just afore you come.
Pears like you was a some skiful player,
'oordin' TO what Greenhut says, bein' az
Won pIavs 'cordin' to the principles o. the
game. We uns didn't know what them
principles wal I he was tellin' on, but I'm
free to say Z I've saw through EN-, an
Uptegrove looked at him with astonish-
ment. 1Are you craZy?' he demanded.
~Or are you looking for trouble2 II you
are and he moved his hand signii oantly
toward his hip pocket.
mo, l bent crazy nor you needn't
~draw-yet,' drawled the old fellow, with
evident enjoyment Of the others surprise.
"Greenhut don't X shootin' did on the
premises, an we most gently goes outside.
But hrst well thrash out them principles.
corner o. your little finger nail forI 'Tain't
a big one, but when l seen IL, ! reckoned it
were sharp enough to write with
Gentlemen, is this man crazy, or is he
Just plain drunk?' asked Uptegrove, looking
at the others.
well, / wouldn't Just call him crazy
said Pearsall, but I've knowed him to act
eccentric oncet or twioet, when he sus-
picioned suthin'. We uns al'ays humors
him when he gets these spells
Nov, Joe" continued Winterbottom, as
IL the others had not spoken. "Bein' as the
gentleman don't care to 'Xplain his finger
nail, s'posin' you look at them three aces
he just held. l dealt the cards an Ill
swear there want no mark on any one on
'em when / gin 'em to him"
At this U~ptegrove leaped to his feet with
his hand on the butt Of his revolver. but old
man Greenhut had entered. just on the mo-
ment, and seizing his wrist from behind
twisted it DIP behind his back, j~iu-jitsu
fashion, till he was helpless.
go easy said Greenhut, you heer'd
what Jake said about shootin' in the house.
Besides. you're interuptin'. How about
They're marked, ali right said Bassett.
holding up the three aces and showing a
deep scratch near the corner OF each card.
Now hunt up the other ace, Z he hain't
had into his hands yet continued Winter
bottom, remorselessly. There was no cor
responding mark on that. and the case was
deemed complete.
let me go, and I'll fight you. one at a
time, or all together said Uptegrove, and
he struggled Ike a wildcat in a moose. but
old man Greenhut's grip was like a wise.
Most gently we don't fight anybody we
catches playin' crooked said Joe Bassett,
grimly. Pears like there amt nothin'
IN IL. Bein' as IL m to a matter O. life
an death either way, we gently gives EN-
a choice atween bein' strung up an SWIM
min for the next town. l reckon it's up
to you for to SWIM
While the others were out Of the
old man Greenhut said to himself: Hit
sure looked like I'd get that forty back
outen the kitty. but l never reckoned it
were Roin' to turn out like this. Pears
like Jack Uptegrove must "a forgot at the