The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-22

an he aint no ways strong on etiqueet. He means well. though, an he'll get right up an take his liquor with the rest of us, p'vidin' you'll be kind enough not to
 kill him f'r a few minutes" Set Up Three Glasses. Old man Greenhut, who had been look ing on incuriously while this happened,
 then set up three more glasses and the company drank. Then, at exactly the
 proper interval after the emptying of the glasses, the fidgetty man said, Have one on me- and peace was restored.
 After some general conversation, Whis- kers said. We uns is told as there's a game O draw poker played here "Hw an again, an we was some desirous O set tin in if there ain't no rule az In strang- ers.'
 Well I dunno" said old man Green hut doubtfully There has been some card playin in the back room, an f'm what they tell me I reckon there's been some poker. but I don't encourage 1t none Most O the boys has gave 1t up
 lately, bein' as it's too expensive an some immoral Anyway, you uns looks like you was too strong fir plain country men like us. You thought start game your ownself if you like, an if there's anybody round t wants to play likely they'll drop in on you fore the nights over.'
 The three outsiders hunted the bench promptly and sat down close together. For few moments they seemed stag gered with the sense of being ostraclzed. Then they began talking in undertones.
 They called on old man Greenhut for cards and chips and went into the back room, where they were speedily engaged in a strenuous game of draw poker Presently JiJm Blaisdell entered the barroom, and they heard him ask Any thin diddin?" And Greenhut answered,
 "Yes, there's a game in the pack room" !" Then Blaisdel came in.
 He had hardly taken his seat at the table after a little preliminary conversa- tion when Jake Winterbottom and Sam
 Pearsal followed him into the room,
 shutting the door carefully after them. so that the conversation outside was no longer audible.
 oreenhut ouots Good Book"
 It was perhaps well that this was so for while the newcomers were negotiating
 for seats old man Greenhut, chuckling arrogantly, said to Bassett, The Good
 Book says as how any place where there's carrion there's crows" only he pro- <nounced carrion in the peculiar, south ern fashion that defies spelling. 'l reck- on," he added, ''as how there'll be some tol'able dry picked bones some soon m wonder"
 came out to the bar and asked Green- nut for S400. ''I want thousand to go on with,'' he explained. "bein' as it's table stakes an we all began with that much. But I've ony got s6oO in my jeans Whats wrong, Jake?' asked the old man as he counted out the money Dunno" said Wnterbottom, briefly. Mebbe it's nothin', but that one-eyed man sure is a holy terror. He just held four aces on Blaisdel's deal" Well. four aces c'n be beat, said the old man.
 ..Yes, it kin, but didn't fill my straight hush.'
 Greenhut. ncredulously. well" said Winterbottom. T reckon linn done his best, but the one-eyed man l is settin' on his right want there nothin' dd?" asked Greenhut.
 ..Nothin's been did yet" admitted Win terbottom. You can't say nothin when vou hain't saw nothin'. not thouten it 8 on gen'l principles We'r kind O holdin' ready for that" And he went back into the poker room, leaving Greenhut and Bassett looking thoughtfully at each other.
 Meantime the players had reached that pitch of excitement at which word, or even look or gesture, was iiapie to pro yoke an outbreak. The game from the time the six sat in. had been the fierce, merciless struggle only to be seen among the best players, and each succeeding contest had intensified the strain. Yet though no man really dreaded the crash, no one was anxious to bring 1t about without a plausible pretext Pretext Not Lacking. When it came the pretext was not lack ing. Winterbottom had played along with his second thousand till that was sadly diminished and he noticed with grim dis 4t..x ond al 1e