The sun., 1908-03-22
AAR OWEN PEPPER
Nl SPINS A POKER YARN
Bot Wisely Leaves Old Man
Greenhut'S Place Before Con-
elUding II.

Takes q tol'ahle good man. said old
man Greonhut. thOughttully, 'for IN know
what's wrong with him. The good lord
done made most Of us with twist o. some
sort In the machinery. les moron likely 10
make us bet on hand I amt wuth shuoks
when ID comes IN a showdown Y elsa to lay
down whom we hold the winnin' cards.
There's millions o. different hands I en- be
dealt In draw poker, but they amt but four
royal fiushes In the deck. an similar there's.
monstrous few human critters y amt got
somo shortoomins into EN-, an "a / was
sayin' II takea tol'ahle good man 10 know
Just eggsaokly what the difficulty is with
bis own Self.
There's some I knows Now an again
YOU II come acrost man ten put his finger
onto his own weak spct thouten maxim
no mistake But it's a helroMin' capable
man I II 60 10 work an straighten things
out 20 st no on get the best Of his own
weakness. There's some y tries. They see
what's wrcng With their hand an they'll
draw 10 IL the beat they knows. but mostly
they don't al. When you find man Z n'n
I'll his hand soon as be knows what's lackin',
you've got a good poker player, an when
you find one I II fix up his own Shortcomings 9
~ a I he on make itself right all tho way
through you've oome onto a reel phenono-
NOUS, sure enough.
There was a man lived nelghbor 10 me
In Greenville I come tolable nigh bein'
all right, most any way you cd take him.
ony IL al'ays 'peared like he'd come just
a loetle bit short o. bein' right about any
thin Peared to mean we'll, an al'ays
'peared TO set out to do the right thing
but just as he'd get TO the pint O. doin
suthin' or other Z d make you size him
up as a superior sort o. citizen he'd quit
sudden, like the strain was provin alto
Rether too much for him,
Dave Wimple his name was, an he come
o. tol'abe good stock, so g 7 there want
no prejudice agin him into the c'munity
Bein nachully well dedicated man an
some Of a good locker he was oonsid able
well liked, but there didn't nothin' pear
TO do him no gre't good, count Of his habit
O. four hushih'. They was al'ays a card
missin' into his hand.
There was times when he'd have a call
for to preach, seein that was a good busi-
ness an not too wearin'. An he'd set
about IL all right, reck'nin' on jinin' the
ohu'ch first, like he'd have to, O. course,
but he never got no further along o the
mo ners' bench He'd get there reg'lar
every night 8 long 8 revival was on, but
somehow camp meetin' d be over afore he
was reg lar convicted O. sin an took into
the fold, an then it was all on year.
Then he went into the liquor business
an done tolable well fr quite a spell, havin'
some money an apowerful slew o. friends.
Started in all right too, with fair stock
o. booze an the proper rules about cash,
but just about the time he'd got we'll es-
tablished an d ought for 10 been maxim
money he got drinkin' some heavy hisseli
an took TO givn' credit.
Some later he took 70 spec latin in hosses
an niggers, an bein' as he had good judg-
ment an everybody liked him, 'peared
like he'd got on the right track. He'd
fetch in a horse maybe rom someres
way on an fix him up fine so 3 I he 'peared
to be all right, an he'd get a customer I
was ready TO buy, p'vidin there want
nothin ser ous the matter with the critter,
an Dave Wimpe d tell about him en-
thusiastic. like he'd have TO, bein' a hoss
trader, an then someway he'd stumble like
In his yarn so 3 I the other feller d shake
his head an 60 way. Peared like he
couldn't even lie consistent, an 1t ruined
that business for him.
i useter reason with him. Dave VIM
pie | says. 'there'd oughtcr be more into
the game fr a man like you nor you pear
to rake down Natur'' | says, done gave
you q good start and good looks, a fair
amount o. talent, an more eddication nor
the average, instead o. which | says,
you go four 1ushin every time"
There's others said Joe Bassett gloom
lily, and an Omlnous hush fell on the party
30 heavily II almost seemed to thud,
Old man Greenhut smoked a while in
silence with puzzled look as If doubtful
Of his own ears.
Al length he said with suspicious mild
ness, Il can't call TO mind as was holdin'
IN Dave Wmple as th' on'v four fnsher =
ever set in, but mebbe that want just what
you was shootin' at, Joe, when you fired 30
sudden. F you had somepin' elso onto
your mind you mought feel better I you
was to take another shot
NO, said Bassett, amt sure as had
anythin onto nv mind at all. was Just
list'nin'. Speakin' o four flushin', though,
there's some I starts In with line o moral
maxims as sounds like they mought mean
somepin an then goes cavortin on toward
Greenville thouten any ostensious reason
an picks out citizen o. that there town
what never did nothin' TO US. reckon
under them circumstances life amt worth
livin'. Not in Greenville 'taint.'
'Oh, | don't know. said Mr. Owen Pepper.
Il seen a good game O. draw In Greenville
| oncet"
Old man Greenhut started instantly to-
ward the corner where he kept his bung-
starter and Joe Bassetts right hand moved
toward his hip pocket, but before either Of
them had taken decisive action Jake Win
| terbottom spoke up.
There amt no sense in bein' overhasty.
he said "You uns IN kill him later fyou' re
hellbent that way, but pears like Peppers
pint is we'll took. Life sure Is worth livin'
anywheres where there's a good game o.
| poker to be had. motion he tells us about
H. n s'ter that hahn I no interest in what 9
| did 10 him.
! The others recognized the soundness Of
this reasoning and they ceased hostile
demonstrations, while Mr. Pepper himself
|