The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-21

is my best holt, an / I ain't met no galoot
up an down the river, not yet, as ON keep
much odd change in his pocket when | get
him into a game. Playin' on the boats,
he says, is too ~doggoned easy, an l come
here special to find out II you uns RELY
does play the game everybody says
well, Sam was gettin' red Cader his
collar at this, an he was goin' to say some
pin hasty, nj Jake Winterbottom speaks
up, quiet an easy, like he does hen he's
dangerous, an he says Pears like there
amt no trouble in fndin' out II the gentle
man dasts to try
Then Pizen Riley laughs again, an he
says, I dast, all right. but I don't play no
baby game. ! alays begins a table stake
game with five hundred in front o. me, an
there don't nobody set in with less. faint
fun I'm lookin' for, it's money
$50 Jake seen his chance, an he says, III
that's what you call reel money. ] reckon
Blaisdelrd play you a few games o. back
CANNON, We don't play poker for pennies,
hut II you've got a actual wad an amt
afraid TO risk it, we might get up a game.
A thousand apiece ia our smallest
"A thousand goes says Pizen Riley
very short. I reckon you all can buy again
a. frequent IA you feel like An Jake
seys, That's your privilege too So, bein'
as they was good an hostile for a start
they begin a game in the back room.
There was Winterbottom an Pearsall
an Jim Blaisdell an Pete Kenney. maxim
a five handed game. Likely it'd "a been
six handed. on'y fr Joe Bassett bein' out
lookin' FIR some niger t done stole a mule.
-Bein' some curious. an there bein >
nothin' doin' at the bar. I looked on at the
game till my feelin's got to be too much
fr me, an | come out after my bung-
starter. bein' as it looked like somebody'd
find a weepin handy il things was TO go on
long like they was goin'.
First | noticed of anything surprisin'
was when Pizen Riley scooped in a corkin'
big jackpot on a blum t a boy ten year old
would a called. an Jake Winterbottom
laid dowa meek. There was SEQ in the pot
when Pete Kenney opened it for the size
of it. an Pizen Riley come in thouten
raisin' OF IL.
"Pearsall dropped an Jake winterbottom
boosted IL a hundred. Then Blaisdell
folded, an Pete Kenney looked at his open
ers some doubtful. hut seein' as Winter
bottom was more'n liable for to need some
Uclp III X JlhSlt VII FlItO hlIeV, ne come
in, an looked to see What Riley'd do.
We'll. Riley didn't do nothin' more'n
make goti. an when it came to the draw
he too three cards, same rs Pete did. an
Jake stood pat.
Then Pete throwed in a white chip
an Pizen Riley he bet a white chip an FIVE
hundred. Then. o. course, everybody looked
at Jake. an just nachully Jake looked at
Riley. just what he seen ! don't know,
on'y firm what happened to me later. hut
he sort O. shook hisself, like he was shiverin'
with the cold. an he throwed down his hand.
IL were the worst blum / ever seen. hut I
couldn't blame Kenney fr not calm. him
shown his openers which was two jacks
an he hadn't bettered.
-Next time IL come Blaisdel's deal I
was lookin' fr Some sort of a surprise.
KNOWN Jim's talents. but I'll he horn
~swoggled il he didn't look up. an catch
Pizen Riley's eye, an go TO shiver in like
Jake had. Then he fumbled the deal like
a clumsy niger.
There was some other things like that,
but none on EN- Z you cd 'xactly put a
bungstarter on. an call IL criminal. but
when I left the room | seen Z Pizen Riley
was gettin' the best o. tn boys one at a
time. till the bungstarter was liable for to
be the on'y means o. restorin' public con-
hdence. An Pizen Riley was nigh fifteen
hundred ahead. There want no manner
o. doubt but what somepin' had to be did.
tol'able sudden.
While | was out behind the bar, thinkin'
o. how it'd be best to begin, the hull FIVE
on EN- come out I'm the bach room, with
Pizen Riley leadin' of EN- like a old bell
wether. He come right mp to the bar an
called for drink all round. an when I'd
served EN- he put two pocketfuls o chips
on the bar, an he says, You en- take the
drinks outen that
well, he had more'n five thousand dol
lars in chips. There want none o. tn
boys had more'n two or three hundred
left. an Pearsall hadn't nary a chip. I'm
free TO say IA il looked sort Of irreligious
for TO pay out all that good money to a
outsider, an | started in TO give him n game
o. talk while | edged over toward the bung-
starter. case o. him arguin'.
But he just turned that gimblet eye o.
hisn on me. an I'm hornswoggled II didn't
feel it borin' clean into my innards, an
my knees begin 10 wabble, but all's he said
was. Il reckon the old house rule holds
Roon itrt, uOn u| IL y Ct1pb LOT money
an money for chips. aim IL"
We'll. l don't p'tend TO say what the
matter was. but I give him the money an
after he had IL in his kick he says, very
pleasant like, Il don't See what they hnd
about your game here is hard to beat.
not If he en- see the crooked play It's goin'
on as plain as | can. Fur as my friends
is concerned I'll make il a pint to tell 'em.
but I reckon you'll keep on dom the other
suckers right along
Then he blowed TO another drink. an
went away. nobody KILN OF him where
he stood. There didn't none Of us onder-
stand il. hut there want one Of us didn't
have wabbly knees till after he'd gone.
The on'y thing there was to do was to
give Joe Bassett a warrant when he come
in. an he took the next boat down the
river. He lowed we was all drunk. but
'twa'n't So"
Sandy Hooper listened in silence to this
amazing tale, and shortly after the finish
he went back to the hotel, where he con-
fided to the landlord his private opinion
that old man Greenhut an his gang had
, m roma h,uba,,ao