The sun., 1907-08-11
CREENHUT SHOWS
A PUSH WILL DO
All Billy Bluefoot Needed Was the
Proper Impetus Of Poker.


feet on the sill, smoking and gazing out
ward with meditative eyes, its n heap
,iif'rent with n mule. You take "a reel,
irst class mule an try to push him along
an he'll not on'y go BACKYARD but he'll
inore'n likely kick your head of doin'
e IL. Same with a woman.
But somehow, PEARS like a man has
more sense. If he's ben' pushed he most
csnly sizes up what tbs 'ts pushin Of him,
on IL it's somepin' he cant push back -
lay its a food OF a elephant OF a gun or
whatever he'll mostly get out o the way
+ he can.
Take the case o that Lem Gorkins
what's comm up the road right now some
Conside able hssty. They tell me there's
heen a strong feelin' in the c'munity in favor
% him leavin' town. He's been told, over
an over, Z he was more'n likely to be tarred
nd feathered II he stayed. but there hain't
sen no reel pressure put on him till now.
But, l reckoned last night, when Joe
Eassett got word o. him beatin' up his wife
some hardern customary, I more'n likely
Joe'd take steps. He's takin' 'em now,
notice. nigh about fifty yards to the rear
o Lem, an there pears to be some question
% which one on EN- en- travel the quickest
Il sh'd say there was some doubt whether
Lem is aimin' f'r the river or the railroad
depot, but bein as there amt no train goin'
out f'r conside' able time, an bein' ss swim
min is cheaper'n ridin' on the cars, an
Lem amt liable fur to have the price, il
looks more like he was headed for the river.
Shows what I said. There amt no tellin'
how fur man'H go If he's pushed. Joe
sure is a pushin' of him, powerful hard, an
| reckon LEND ruther drownd nor to be
shot"
The old gentleman fumbled in his pocket
for match. and having found it proceeded
to relight his cigar. When he looked out
again Joe Bassett was walking leisurely
back from the edge Of the levee and Gorkins
vas no longer in sight.
What become o. Lem?" asked the old
gentleman, and two or three Of the group
Of loungers who had been looking on with
no keener interest than his own replied that
he had gone overheard.
Joe Bassett. when he entered the saloon,
corroborated this. Il told him to keep on
swimmin'. longs he'd got started" he
said. -bein' as 'twant no good him thinkin'
o. comm back to Arkansas City,
Good job. too said old man Greenhut
'On'y thing is he mought possibly keep
up long enough to land somewheres else
-Well, reckon he won't como back here.
IL he does" said Bassett.
True" said the old man. -sn' he sure
was pushed proper. Queer what pushin
Il do f'r man Sets him up to the top
or lands him in the river. 'cordin' to the
man. There was Billy Bluefoot, srowed
up with me In Greenville. 'peared to be
,tsk. - ~ at,h all fha H.. txiN IL
walked on. FIN the time he was a prattlin'
child. an look at Billy. nowi
He want more'n 8 year old when mis-
mother got religion considerable severe
an old Marin Bluefoot 'peared to think il
was her duty to get Billy up to the mourner's
bench every year. I'm that on. but Billy's
father. he alays drinked consid' able more'n
vas good for him. an he swore he'd be
hornswoggled Z any son o. his was goin
10 join the church. not IL he cd helpit
so Billy was tore at two ways. His
marin KEEP his face washed. an licked him
FIR tearin his clo'es when he was little,
an his dad tored his clo'es lickin' him f'r
not doin' what his marm wouldn't let him do
Then when he got bigger tn old lady done
ell she could to keep him in the broad an
narrer path. an the old man teached him
TO drink an swear an be man gently. An
Billy Bluefoot just nachully didn't know
which way to turn.
However. as the Good Book says. It's
a long worm that hain't got no turn an
just about the time Billy Bluefoot come
to the conclusion as he'd been trod on about
all he cd stand. he took turn.
He come to me one night, an he says,
'Greenhut, amt there no way f'r a young
feller like me to make his way in the world
alone?'
so | tells him what I'd begin to see f'r
myself even then, afore long 'xper ence
had proved it, as draw poker was the one
great instrument in the hands of a all wise
Providence for settin' everything right.
Well, he were a sensible sort o. youngster.
an he seen was right after we'd talked il
over spell. so he gets him some cards an
goes on to a hidin' place he had some
where's round home an he begins prac-
tisin'. | reckon it took him some longer
fer to learn what cd be did with deck
o cards nor it would IL he'd had anybody
To show him. He was workin' at it nigh
Two years sfore he tried to play into a real
game. but even IL it did take longer, havin'
no teacher, there was some advantage into
II. f'r Billy had some few private stunts
Of his own. an he'd fggered out tolable
nigh all the old ones f'r hisself.
i will say { Billy Bluefoot was thorough.
He didn't do nothin' half way. When he
seen Z he had a good workin' knowledge o.
the cards he set out to learn the principles
o the game. Pears he had nat'ral head
i'r figgers an some things seemed to come
10 him thouten bein taught. He was the
first player | ever scent would fgger up
how much there was in the pct an how
much il cost him to come in afore he'd
draw TO four flush. Tws'n't much. but
Il showed he had a nat'ral gift.
They was lot o. yousg fellers round
Greenville them days, like | reckon there
~ now, Z played poker consid able. an
Billy begin playin' with them just f'r prac-
uce. I'm goin' at this thing systematic.
ireenhut. he says to me. I'm either goin'
10 be grit player or won't play at all
An there amt nothin' about the anne I
amt goin' to study
so he played with these young fellers
t'r maybe a year or two more, just prac-
r'~in', you understand. an not tryin' for
10 win much more'n he IOae hut studyin'