The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-17
LIS FIRST GAME
II AND ms LAST.
.cslsS hls Rsoaiis Iva Eplsgdss n
NE Days Bsfcvs tks wEt

NHN
sftN Neis ~ Hldh aNy yesF, asw \
terH oHtHa avef man en- ny asd CatHt
NE TN Veferta faHsntiar ~ ~ Ma
asigpi Nlepg paekea tIsy N Vafehas, 'aa'
ttHfe's ona thing als,Wt n 'peaSa ~ 10
afHyafta s4nst Ttafl W. rtteFa alHt sevtf
q day ~ = nidN bFW whHt Ne az nnt
ChMHela' an oAsa asn' aa' elNsuslH Nov
Ae's klak en- how ahe's NV NsW sh@'s
efaohef ~ q c8W'a eefh, an' w ata
Meafetfeha hNruig e,H eadssn ~ a feW
Wtls, bsvs aB' thsfv Hte shn'd Nf tlSrd n
isf bed ovpfnteha,
'rvs thguaht, ifpqpens, ~ hSw aka
wa'nt lkp asth lp' IN eafh ~ much ~ . bla
snahn, Wiaalla' hlaasif pstpetuai Oa'y
o mahg,i alssp sssnn. aew an aealn, an
\ tfNvN daat 'peart0 ~ NJ tine a. ail wbeu,
an o,s ttlpuislp, slesps, shes sswisaiin'
az tta tlans.
'An' everything on the Fivse en- hing thr
hanks 'peass ~ ehanss jua ~ steady
Tts towns aint thu aame, nor chs pianta.
siOus, aor tho Isvess, nof che bOais. nor The
people that travsls en-.
sYeaes aeo, afo' ~ yah. ne we're like
tahin' a'voyaes through sarange countries
for 10 a. In q boai I'm Nsw Orleans 10 IN
upper river. No, I don't mean that httls
scrap we.had with the daeoes. I mean ~
wah; the real one. whsn We ~ tho Moth
an thu end o. che world wa nigh hand.
Them days, when q gentleman had 10 60
10 Nov ORLEANS for 10 do business with his
factor or TO enjoy hisself on che proceeds
Of a good cotton crop. hs'd ride down to thu
levee, a>hosshack, with his Niger on a mule
behind. an he'd walk abo'd tho boat like hs
was goin' into n friends house. An when
he was abo'd no lived nigh about like he
was into his own house. People lived, them
days-leastways the quality did-hks there
was on'y one time a~oomin' TO EN- In this
world. Nothin' but tbs best was good
enough for EN- an they had plenty Of IL.
when one o. the crack packets tied up
TO the levee the hull town wa stirredjup.
The rousters was a-hustlin' tho freight
ashore an takin' other freight aboard, the
mate a-oussln' EN- an jumpin' round like
mad; knockin' 'em'down sometimes IL they
wa'n't spry. The dealers was buster n
bees fetobin' their live stock on or landin'
II; sometimes horses or blooded cattle, an
sometimes piggers, An the quality was
comm aboard or goin' ashore; meetin' their
friends; or their hin; or sayin' 'good-by-t TO
Ohp uhkayoh &oAopt hiuNth AnO b'MSSet
an proudsr "naSatan, hisself.
'Abner Crockett, tbet growed up on. o
plantation nighwhere Twas raised5iback o.
Vicksburg; was n O. the handsomsst an
one Of the riohest-young blades in Misaie-
sippi them days. His old mar died when
Abner was on'y 1o'year old, an the hull
estate fell to him, There wAs nigh 5000
niggers on the place; an the plantation
wal one o. the best in the State.
Just naturally the money piled up for
him till he come Of age; but he.made como
on IL fly afore that. There want nothin'
dom in vicksburg 't.hss didn't.hav q hand
into; an he growed upi Hike Che quality did
mostly; q crack shot with FfdeSan pistol;
q good dancer; q good cyard player an o
master o. HOSES.
sTwo or three times, year he'd 60 down
the river to New Orleans. there bein' nobody
at home L could stop him I'm havin' his
own way, an what he didn't learn In the
way o. deviltry nigh home he easy found
out at New Orleans; let alone some few
things he picked up ontthe boats.
'Twa'n't often there was q trip either
way, up or down but what there was g
game o. poker in the saloon; an 8 fur e I
know tnere want never q time t Abner
!, Crockett come aboard the didn't get in.
First time I seen him playin' he WANT
morn twenty, but he were growed up full
an had q mans mustache. 'Twa'nt every.
body t wore 'em them days. Mostly they
shaved clean, like they tell me the fashion 10
now comm in again. But he had one, an
took a pride in 1t, like q boy does.
Il reckon !. hadn'ttought for to call him a
boy, though, oven II he were on'y twenty.
He'd killed his man already in a duel, At
reg'la under the code In Vioksburg an he
wal a devil among the women already.
this here first game 7 I seen were a
tol'able stif one, but'twa' mt nothin' to some
t he played after. There was five on EN-
playin'. Him an a cousin O. his'n, Jim
Crockett, an a nelgbbor O. theirs, Harry
Bagot, that was goin' to New Orleans with
him, an there was two gamblers at the
table. They travelled mostly in pairs, an
this pair was two o. the sliclnest there was,
bein' George Newbold an Aleok Lamb.
They'd been travellin' tho river fr five or
six years, as pals an Lamb worked the
out.
days, an a limit game was sort O. looked
OONu on 80 Wuon tuey LOON u uunuf0u -
piece In chips It looked like there was liable
to be a heap more'n five hundred on the
edble afore the game ID break up.
"They played careful at first, like q man
does when he's playin' under The sky. but
'twa'n't long sfore Jim Crockett got stopabls
strong hand on Newbolds deal an raised.
Abner had the age and ha put up FIVE call
ten for q blind. a n Lamb a n Bagot had
stayed. Then Jim Crockett raised IL ten.
sNewbold, he skinned his hand down care
full an studied a bit afore playinI. but finally
he come back with ten more. That made It
twenty-five fr Abner Crockett to play, en-.
be laid down, not indin' enough in bis hand
to play on.
dBagot, he seem hetwo raises an Lamb,
he kind o. choftled an says; 7 didn't
like to raise It afoysTfear o. keepin' you all
out; but ! reckon these guards 10 worth
another twenty An he raises It that