The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-01-04
From the Now York snn

~ IdIpelS Ter "a man NneI ne ann
'Xpeetin' on en-" said old man Green
hut when somebody mentioned Jake
N~interboltom's name. Mr.. Winterbot-
tom had not been seen in the saloon
for more than a week, and there had
been disquieting rumors in reference
to him.
There was a politician in Little Rock
name O Bijah Wilkins some years ago.
continued the old man. las useter &C
along Study as a clock FIR months te
a time, tendin' to business an maxim
his influence felt as long as his wad
held out. an times when it didn't wanna
no a frequent, bein' as he knowed
every man in the legislator, intimate
an made a habit O. losin' money to
EN- at poker. regular an abundant
Ihem days a man t cd lose money tc
n member o. tn legislator graceful an
Study cd al'ays get it to lose, if he
had boss sense enough ter know where
ter go for it.
I've saw Bijah set in 1T poker with
a state senator It was chairman Of a
committee t was c%onsiderin' some
statue t Bijah's friends was consid'-
able interested into, an I've saw him
Jay down a full house when 'tother man
called him on three tens. That was
the first time I ever seen any O his
queer stunts, am just nachully 1 reck-
oned he must be plumb crazy.
-, toN up aIl l6ll lIle room, ar
l 1ollered MIN out, thinkin' mebbe he
lnought be outen his head. When he
got outside I asked him how came he
made such n goddess play. He was sort
o. GRIMM to hisself when spoke, but
he Strengthened out his face am looked
monstrous solemn.
Fact is, Greenhut,' he says, TIM
subject to terrible twinges. There amt
no tellin' when they're goin' to catch
Inc, but when they do, I'd Law down
most anythin' for to get away am get
fresh air. Anyway, there want more'n
four hundred in the pot, am 1 reckon
that four hundred III make the senator
feel sort O. contented like
II was some p'voked. Feared like
tina wanna no way FIR no poker PLAYER
to talk, but l vas interested, too. am
says What pears to be the reason
O them there twinges?'
grabbed me by the fist an he
say nothin' about it, but the doctors
tell me I've got a %ingrowin' liver
well, that was on'y oncet, but T seen
the same thing happen half a dozen
times. Bijah'd he's prosperous as the
next, an I'm all you cd see he'd be
pawn, poker, steady an Industrious,
'thouten n business on tn outside to-
interfere. Then all O. a sudden he'd
get into a tol'able stiff game an get
took With a twinge. Then YOU couldn't
tell what'd happen.
Now, this here trouble O Jake Win
terbottom's pears to some O. the same
sort @, sickness. 'Tain't nothin' to do
hacker regular an abundant. an, to-
oacker's the best thing in the world
iyr the liver, but Jake's got a ingrow-
IN conscience, an every time he gifts
religion it ingrows on him amazin'
painful. -oN
FIN what I hear, he was took up to
the mourners' bench to a camp meeting
when he was too young to realize ap;
g1ttln, religion at that time o. life were
consld able more serious nor If wo,ld
a peen II ned been old enough to off
the best O the complaint. FIN that
time to this Jake's life's been a sort n,
a sad story.
Likely the reason is t Jake newer
had no what you moueht cali arlv adl
Nantages. His old man were a preacher
queer ideas. He wouldn't never
mex JAKE, ony FIR dom them things y
any young Teller has TO do. Licked hin,
II nghtln, every time. Some Teller
opened a night school FIR to teach tn,
youngsters how to play draw k an,
Jake wanted to learn, but tbi Old ,nan
ashed the hide off'n him. 'N''
lhen his nav took him to camn moot-
IN an come nigh ruin.n' him FIR life. lake
told me oncet as it took him more'n a vear
10 GIT over that first attack. When he did
he left home. NAo
so,e ION y 4ns knows how he's dedicated his
SELF tlll hes one o. the most reliable NAV
ers in Arkansas. but what YOU all don,+
Know is now he struggles with temnta
ton I'm time to time. That inerowin, CON
science O his'n gets innamed now nm,
;agln, an he has a wrestle with it siren
Gus afore he en- take a hand 'thouten
misgivin's.
.'Thpre NC owe IT,. -,
up here firm Nicksburg, with a nal q,
hisn t he called Hooper, an set in to do
up the Arkansas City talent. We uns did
n know Hooper then. but FIN what we
heer'd afterwards l al'ays, reckoned he
were a New Orleans spot t had tn name
o riff1in' cards beter'an any one else in
Lou'sianny.
I've saw a good many hot nights in this
mere saloon, but l dssremember any time
bilin' up over the lid like the way 1t did
p'tic'lar night.
Jake was younger n he is now. an,
Joe Bassett had on'y Just begun playin'.
Ihen there was Jim Featherbow. t give
promise o bein' a expert, but was took
or untimely a year or two later on one O.
the boats, there bein' some question o.
i've kings being held in one deal.
Il reckon that game had more to do
"leh siNlH Arkansas City the reputation
It has nor any other one game Us hen
ZeGe Butler sure did come FIR
easy money. an HIM an Hooper were a
lard team to beat. lift 1t hadn't ben f.r
Winterbottom's conscience / don't
reckon t d a ben did.
They played heavy, the hull on EN-
oe1n we'll heeled an the ante I'm the start
oein' five call ten. The way we feeeroo
I. though, We couldn't stand the strain
t the home crowd was to lose much
a thousand apiece. The idee was
20 make 1t quick. If we ed clean ont the
5wo by playin' heavy. we'd likely stand a
better show n if 'twace to be - long
game.
II will say t that there Hopper was a
i'm dandy FIR dealin', whether twas crook
"a or not. There was thre times on mis-
Zeal t him an Butler took In somepin' like
200 of Arkansas CITY money, bu. alter
the boys was wise, an they made q
every tine he hAsdled the deck.
Butler an Hooper was some suspicio,,s
an they wouldn't go very heavy on
lothin' they catched on anybody eese,s
leal. so it was the better part of a ho,r
fore the home talen seen any consolidate
raction O. what they'd lost comm back
o EN-.
Just then Jake Winterbottom picked
lp his chips an quit the game. Comm,
utside to where l stood at the bar, he