The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-07-22
DARSON W1LBROD
i SAVES A SCANDAL.
Bluff In Old Man Greenhut's
Saloon Wins oUt the
Church Money.

| N-I e@
q m1n'l chip In, 'thouten havin' the cards
Mini me o. what the Good Book says
Fools chip In where angels fear to bet.
Stands to reason there ain't nothin' to be
made playin' poker when you hain't got nc
hand, not 'thouten you're reck'nin' on
bluf1n' IL through. An when II comes to q
matter o., bluff they Is most gently o chanst
o. studyin' the difference atween genius on
talent.
Most any man o. respectable talents
ON learn to play draw poker toi'abIe sldlful
II he'll give his days an nights to It fr the
first half Of his life.
@When It comes to blufin' though. pears
like there's q call fr somepin' more'n plain
ordinary talent. A reel, first class blum
Is liable for to show the highest kind o
genius. I've saw many o man start IN TO
bluff outrageous when he hadn't no provoca-
ton to it more'n q general sort O. notion =
he kind o. felt like 1t. Stands to reason
a bluff like that's moron likely to be
called.
Likely the best man on Q blur Y ever
played poker in Arkansas. 'thouten It
mought a. been some p'fessional, was
the Rev. Abner Wilbrod, u used to preach
in q little Methody chapel just outside o.
Little Rock. How conn I fust iknowed
him was some curious, bein' as I want
gunnin' fr preachers VI he want lookin'
fr heather at that p'tio'lar time, which
he were ongenteel enough fer to say I were
a heather, hasty like, afore he come to
know me better.
I Il we're up to Little Rock one winter, an
friend o. mine name O. Stevens were In some
trouble. His barkeeper had been took
sick, an bein' ss barkeeps was sca'ce, an
the saloon had to be KEEP open all the time,
count o. tn Legislater bein' In session,
Stevens was some put to 1t fr sleep. He'd
been workin' fr forty-eight hours steady
when I como in, an he was bleary eyed fr
fair.
sHit were q act o. Christian charity for
to run his business for him fr q few hours,
80 / made a dioker with him to tend bar till
he come back, mo to have the receipts.
He kicked on paytn' any more. N Ilet 1t 60
at that, bein' as he were my friend.
Il reckon 'twa'n't more'n ten minutes
I'm the time he went away when the door
opened easy an this hero Rev. Wilbrod
kind O. sneaked In, easy like, rubin his
hands, an sminn', oily an some disagree
able.
-He asst f'r Stevens an 7 says he's gone
home fr to get some sleep, an then Rev.
Wilbrod he says t bein' as he In q ordained
clergyman he is in tho habit o. gettin' akwy-
witty I'm Stevens without money an without
price, an he'd be obliged ~ I'd let him
have about four fingers o the best corn
whisky on the same terms. An he said 1t
faoetious like.
II couldn't see nothin' in that r. me, An
I told him Stevens must "a mislaid his
bottle OF akwyvity, but corn liquor was
two dimes q drink, with q strong prejudice
in favor O. payin' In advance.
.He got some red In the face at this an
made remarks about mo bein' q onregen-
Grated heathsn, but ! says to him 7 II there
was preachin' to be did maybe he'd better
wait dill he got into his pulpit.
-'When your in tho pulpit I says; you
ON say what you like, an I dassn't to talk
back. But here I says. it's consid'able
different. I've got the same rights as you
has, round here. besides havin' q bung-
starter, an faint real healthy for to talk
too dodgasted free
"'Twa'n't what you'd call a real friendly
begiunin', but Rev. Wilbrod he were a man
o. som sense, an We come to q understand
in, an I let him have a drink o. corn liquor
] q buOTt Ult, DClu dc - WCToa buIO cuOuBu
preacher, an hadn't any moro money.
An after that We got acquainted.
"'Peared he had considerable conscientious
scruples ag'in poker, an he never played It
'thouten a previous period O. meditation an
prayer, ana c~onsid'able need for the money.
II my congregation was to pay me a better
salary he told me, I wouldn't play cards,
bein' as I consider 'em pernioious: but the
Good Book says the laborer L. worthy of
higher pay. an I feel like I Just had to have
II. Only, o. oourse,u don't play near homo,
count o. the example,
Il told him that 'peared to be reasonableS
an I mentioned t there was q game In my
back room, frequent. Want %a-thinkin,,
special, about him a-oomin' there, but it's a
good thing for to let poker players know
where they ON get a ohanst to.
Il reckon it VAN more'n a month alter
that afore Rev. Wilbrod blew in one
night, ookin' considerable anxious like. He
were some tight listed, Rev. Wilbrod were,
even when he had money, an the first thing
he asst afore settin' EN- UP was whether
he'd get the benefit o. the clergy In the
matter o. price, but he set EN- up all right
when I told him t I didn't make no dis
count on'y to my " pasture.
Rev. Wilbrod lowed mebbe that were
good doctrine, an then he told me t he'd
left Little Rock an didn't know whether
he'd 60 back or not. AL depended on
whether he'd be able to make up a little
matter o. $500 o. church funds as he was
shy. Feared he hadn't stole the money,
but he were a poor bookkeeper an wouldn't
get no credit fr his honesty thouten he
showed the cash, 30 he'd etarted fr the
river to see 7 he couldn't pick up the money
on the boats somehow or another. He
want 'xactly reck min on takin' up COL
Lotions, but he thought mebbe he mought
scoop a few pots II he played prayerful an
steady.
Then he happened to think O. my back
room, an he said II come to him like a
Interpolation O. Providence to save him
payin' fare on the boat, 30 he'd come. If
the boys hadn't no religious scruples eg,in
p,ayin' with a preacher, he lowed mebbe
he'd set in.
Il told him I'd find out, an I asst Joe
Bassett an Jake Winterbottom about 1t,
KNOWN the others d do what they did.
They said first OF they didn't want to play,
bein' as 1t looked irreligious, but I told EN-
it looked to me like 1t were a sort o ; Christian