The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-06-21
BEAR WAS FOND OF POKER
Was Good at Game But Fell Deac
When Owner Forgot Signals.

Had a pet bar cub once, said Zeb-
ekiah Hagin. the most venerable land
lord in Kansas. Didn't git it by dept
in t out NV pity cause twas an or
phun-me havin' shot it's mother in the
wilds Nv Arizony-but / took up q
claim rite on it here in my hotel on the
unly an main street NV Dodge City.
Belonged to a Dago what had bin stop
pin at my place. The bar cub an a
han organ was his uniy place NV biz
ness. Count there bein' sundry games
NV draw poker goin on. the Dago didn't
pick up enuff mummy to settle the boa'd
bill fur him an tn bar cub. He took
the han organ with him. on his jurney
but the bar cub stayed with me as
Security fur his bOa'd bill.
TOOK a wond'ful likin' to me- did
that bar. Eyed me as keerful as if 1
had 81, 900, 600 in my kick, an laid aside
me in the bed when the billiards got
their w'uk in on Kansas ter'tory. Be
in a mOughty obServin' cretur, il soon
cum to learn all bout the game NV
draw poker. 1t mOught have bin cause
it wuZ born in AriZony or count of
keepin' such close watch on me that
il got wise to all ms 6 nd outs Nv poker
an cum TO know the value NV cards
as nat'ral as if t'WuZ bern in Arkansaw
1t couldn't deal. SEEM its fingers wuz
dH Tues. II USbu 10 HSlD HE out mo
considbur by standin' benin the 10th
er mans chair an putin me wise to
the strength NV his cards. At sight of
full hand it would wiggle its left ear
to and fro, and times when it stared at
four aces twOuld lay both it's ears close
down to its heal. T'want like stakin
the cards or ringin' in a cold deck fur
the bar to do this, so | didn't make
no objectshuns Anyhow, t'wuz the
bar cub that play'd crcCked, not me.
'Seein as he had a pow full Iikin' fur
draw poker, l soon cum to take pity
on that bar. / had him go with me
on all my bizness trips and be a silent
partner in the firm. All had to stake
him to out of my winnin's wuz a squar
meal NV vittals. sech as bar cubs likes
On these bizness jurneys he never
failed to take his part in the game
Whenever those two ears dropp'd close
to the bars head 1 laid down four
kings without seem the rae If unly
one ear wiggled I bet my four kings
fur all they wuz worth. I soon BEGUN
known to the bunch s the mos skill
full card player on the cattle ranches
made a bar'l NV munny-"til Eph
Scott Nv Blainsfield, Neb. cum to take
hand in the game.
Somehow or t'other the boys hadn't
got together as customary on the night
that Eph Scott drew up his pony in
front NV my place. There couldn't be
any five-handed session. so Eph and
sat down to a doube-handed game. I'd
never herd Nv Scott person'iy, but
had heer'd a heap bout BlainsfeId
Neb., where ne hail'd frum. That there
town had bin cuttiD' a putty lively fig
ger in the newspapers, an mos NV the
news had bin bout rOugh-house card
games endin' in shOOtin' matches 1t
had cum to be said that man wuznt
doin' his duty as a citizen NV Blainsfield
th'out he'd cut twenty notches in the
handle NV his shOOtin' iron. The cub
bar shuffled round the table to its Gus
tOmary place fur watchin the tOther
mans play.
cards didn't run very int'rustin in
the fust half hour NV the game The
tizzy little slit in the green cloth got
mos wv the muny that had bin i'm ac-
shun. Then there cum a jackpot fur
$40. Bein' the dealer, | had dealt my
self four aces. 1t wuz Eph's fus' say,
an he didn't do a thing but pass 1
opened it fur $25. Eph stayed. an
ask'd fur four cards. l dealt myself
one card, not that my four aces could
be helped. but that Eph mought think
was holdin only two pairs. 1 picked
up the card, SOS Eph mousht think l
wuz bluflin'. Being as 1 wuz the open
er, l finally bet $50 / thought it like
findin muny when Epn put in the $50
but / felt diffrunt when he RACED it $500
more. I had sech confidence in them
four aces that 1 hadn't even thunk of
lOOkin' at tn b ar. 1t 'peared to me sech
a lead-pipe cinch that I didn't need any
out side assistance. When the 5000 raze
was made l took a squint for the bar
/ had seen him standin' benin Ephs
chair a moment befo', but the cub was
nowhere to be seen. Raisin' myself a
leetle in my seat. ! saw the bar lyin
stiff an stark on the wooden floor. Its
shaggy fur wuZ steamin' with cold
moisture, an its fOTefeet wuz stretched
out at full length as if in agony Wv
death. 1t cost me 5000 mo- to caF Eph' s
rae. but I found out what had killed
the cub. He had dropped dead when he
saw Eph make a straight flush with
his fOur-card draw.
KNOWN draw poker as we'll as
do, l can't Exactly blame that bar"