The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-25

have to take the meanin' on I, not what's
printed"
Anyway" continued the narrator, tom
Baxter was powerful Industrious. He'd
set up nights playin', an he'd work day
times practisin' on the rifle an the deal
till he had 'em down fine.
He didn't never go in fr no fancy
stunts. like shufiin' with one hand or
jugglin' chips, but fr ~straightaway reliable
business. When IL come to gettin' good
cards, he sure was remarkable.
Went on hathaway fr some years till
Tom Baxter come to be looked on as the
leadin' citizen in our parts. Feared like
he was gettin' all the money an a good
Dit o the prop'ty o them that played with
MIN. an them that played got poor, ac-
| cordin'.'
That's it. said old man Greenhut
a~pprovingly. The Good Book says. Him
that has wins. an him that hsih't got
nothin' loses Draw poker is similar TO
all the other ways o. Providence"
We'll, I don'S know. said Owen Pepper.
Them that was losin' didn't call IL Provi-
dence. They said it was hell. an there
come a time when some on 'em agreed t
somethin' had to be did.
Tor Bakers reppytation was some
considerable by this time. an there want
none o. the crossroads gamblers round
that part O. the country felt like tacklin'
him; but some o. the citizens got together
an sent to Memphis to asst Aleck Mumford
for TO come or TO send somebody dow
7 d do up Tom Baxter. onderstandin'
bein' . a share o. what was took often him
should go to them t was putin up the
game.
1Aleck thunk il over a day or two, an
then sent word he'd conn hisself, an fetch
a pal o hisn along, SOS to make it more
bindin', an n o. the townsmen or two,
IL they p'ferred, cd set In, to make sure o.
the towns share.
Just nachully Tom Baxter heerd about
IL. Tom had friends, even il he was mon
strous lucky, an a Teller told him what was
diddin'. l amt sayin' who twas, but he
had the same nam as me.
s Tom says, I amt skeered o. no Men,
phis sharp, nor nobody else, but IL they're
goin' to play four or five strong agin me,
G Ill organize a gang o. two my own
self. Jim Dalton he says, knows my
game tol'able well, an l reckon him an
me II make a team
This here Jim Dalton were a tol'able
good player an a regular daredevil. so when
he heered there was liable for TO be trouble
he come in, joyous. Tom put him up to
three or four wrinkles, an they was 'lowin'
they cd play agin any team I was liable
for to come to town.
Went along a spell, an then Aleck Num-
ford come down FIN Memphis with his pal.
a Teller named Corkins. They put up to
Skaggs's tavern, bein' twas the on'y one
there was, an give IL out they was liable
for to play poker T they was p'voked some.
Dave Bailey and Dick Carter lowed
they'd set in 4 there was a game, an Tom
Baxter an Jim Dalton was there prompt,
so they was just settin' down to a six handed
game when a stranger & had been slouchin'
round fr half an hour. nobody knowed
who he was, up an said he lowed he'd take
a and Z there want no 'bjection.
THE custom o the house was a open game,
so nobody kicked, an he set down. He
KEEP his hat pulled down over his eyes, SO
nobody seen just what he looked like, but
quick, some like a cat. He flashed a wad
an bought chips, like the rest, an nobody
thought nothin'.
"Mumford begin a mouth play i'm
mediate.
a'What limit do you play?' he says, kind
o. lofty, when he was buyin' chips, an
fore anybody else cd speak, Tom Baxter,
What do you mean by limit' We plays
poker
stakes, then. That suits me- But Tom
whats table stakesT He seen what
Mumford was up 10.
WELL says Mumford, IL you want
Ri. ss S9ss' Hos sa maa aoS y "a. . man S.n SeS go in
"He en- bet as much as he feels like
says Baxter. That's draw poker, amt it?
On'y,' he says. very serious. we don
reckon it's healthy fr q man TO bet more'n
he en- pay on the spot Z he sh'd lose
seem his mouth play didn't go. An they
begin plsyin'.
Say, it was some rapid. Bailey dealt,
an Baxter snted two White chips, bein'
two dollars call five. Carter dropped an
"Then the stranger he made II ten. an
the others dropped, on'y Baxter. He
trailed, an Mumford made it a hundred
TO play.
like he was anxious to push il along. Feared
like the stranger want lookin' fr no such
play as that, an he skint his hand down
again, extry careful, an then he dropped,
putin IL up to Baxter.
Tom never said a word. but he covered
inc nunuFeu Win nus CIIpb ana tnen lalu
a thousand dollar bill acrost the pile. Mum
ford was a good player, an I reckon he
had a tol'able good hand, too. but want
no thousand dollars worth no more'n Tom
Baxter's was, an he dropped.
Then i come Baster's deal. an Mum;
ford an Corkins both stayed out. They'd
heerd about his dealin'. But when it come
Carter's deal an Mumford's ante the
stranger stayed, Dalton dropped, Corkins
boosted. Bailey dropped. Baxter stayed.
Carter stayed an Mumford boosted.
Then the stranger raised. and Corkins
came back at him. Baxter seen what was
diddin' an he dropped, an so did Carter,
and Mumford raised again.
-The stranger wa'n't no fool. an he
throwed his cards down, cussin' a little when
.Mumford the pot.
There want much said, an the game
goes on. uneventful, a few minutes till II
come Corkins's deal. Bailey made the same