The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-09-20
HARDEST RIDDLE
II OF THEM ALL
It Is What a Beginner 10 Liable
to Do in a Game Of Draw,
Says Old Man IGreenhut.

Kina Solomon, an he dent pear to
been so hell roarin' wise as he moughi
ha, been, seein' he married more women
nor any man cd have any Use for 7 he
had boss sense. But he sure did say
some right peart things.
.I reck on they called him wise count
n, him KNOWN there was things he
couldn't understand. Takes a damphoo
t. know everything. There was one
little story he writ about what was toe
much fr him to fgger on.
said there was things no Teller cd
find out. One OF EN- was how a snake
cd get along onto a smooth stone not
hevin' no feet, an another was how
twas I boats get along as wells they
docs In food times. Then he said there
want nobody cd tell what a man was
liable for to do case he got stuck on his
maid servant. Showed his sense pickin'
out them three things fr c'nundrums
bein' they IN some O. the deepest mys-
teries o. natur'.
.Th' amt no record O. him bein' a poker
player, but stands to reason he must a
been, bein' as wise as no was an 'cumu-
latin the, property he did. what faint
reasonable for to say he o'd'a' did 'thouten
he played astiff game. That's what makes
1t sort O. mysterious to me t he didn't
mention what a beginner Is liable for to
do In q game o. draw, bein' the biggest
o. o'nundrums they Is. II there was any
body t cd fgger that out he'd be wiser'n
Solomon ever dared to be-
"Oh. ! don't know" said Mr.. Owen
Pepper. Looks to me like you cd
reckon onto q beginner doin' the wrong
thing nine times outen ten. By the time
he gets so's't he on do thearight thing
four or Ave times in ten he's a tolable
click player
Old man Greenhut looked at HE in
serrupter In mild surprise. and instead Of
breaking out with an indignant reproof,
as the others In the room expected him
to do, he seemed to be considering MIR.
Peppers speech with something like
genuine approval.
well. Pepper he said after a little
pause, IL that want 70 hell roarfn'
biggity an 30 almighty stupid l sh'd
say 'twss nigh about the most sensible
thing I ever herd you tell.
you sure can fly In the face o. Provi-
dence some safe. bein' as a man amt
never struck by hghtnin' when he's COCK
sure o. bein' hung eventual. But there's
a heap O. sense in the tail end o what you
was sayin' even II the first part was a
blasphemious mapiac ravin'.
The 'mazin' part > that there speech
o. yourn is't you pear to understand
what good poker playin' REILLY Is. II a
man was to do the right thing more'n
half the time when ne plays. / reckon
he cd hold his own with Professionals.
But the blasphemious nonsense lays in
you reok onin' as how a beginner Is dom
the wrong thing all the time.
Likely IL you was TO SEQ a %greenhorn
set in at a full grown mans game an
stand two raises afore the draw-havin'
opened a jackpot under the guns-an'
then II you was to see him throw away
four treys an take four cards to a king
you'd hee-haw like any other jackass,
c%onsid'rin' the matter with toploftical
spurn an settin' the greenhorn down
In what you'm pleased to reckon as your
own mind f'r q hopeless idjit.
Right there's where you'd make one
O. them monst'ous mistakes what makes
you as famous as you be, not KNOWN
how the good Lord makes a habit O. usin'
the foolish things on airth for to bring
the wicked to confusion. like the good
Book says.
Il seen a thing like that oncet. what was
convincin' proof to my mind as Provi-
dence REILLY does the right thing meet
In a while, even II faint did o. purpose.
was tendin' bar up to Little Rock afore
l come to Arkansas City, an in back O.
the barroom was q back room some
like this un o. mine. where the boss an
some o. his customers useter set in to q
game o. poker occasional.
odd Jimeon, him t was bo6s, didn't
had no greet head fr business. an he
hadn't no such system g I've done stab
lished, an all's he 'peared to care about
was a kitty. but he looked alter that
tol'able steady, an done we'll enough,
on'y he never got rich, an what was
picked up I'm suckers ven to outsiders as
frequent as 1t did to the house. ,
-More'n that there want no c'munity
o. interest among the players an no local
pride what's been the maxim O. Arkansas
City. 30 6 TIA couple O. yaps I'm up country
was just as liable Q anybody for to set
in an do the local talent good. Even the
boss got stung frequent.
There's al'ays suckers comm into a
poker room though, n take 1t by an
large Jimson done tol'able well. bein' as
the kitty is a sure winner. an Jimson was
a fair player his ownself. Only thing I
helt ag'in him was 7 he hadn't no prin-
ciple about lettin' one outsider do another
'thouten declarin' the house In when
he knowed It was goin' to be did.
There was a low down crossroads
piker, name o. Jack Tooker. set in one
winter every night regular, what II he'd
had s much nerve g he had cunnin'
would "a win a everlastin fortune at the
game. He sure was slick. an il he hadn't
been a natural born tinhorn he cd a.
playei into the biggest game in the
hull dun country.
Pears like he was plumb scairt to
death though when there was more'n
$50 into the pot. an I've knowed him to
lay down to a bluff O. twenty when he'd
stacked the cards bis ownsef an must
a knowed he helt the winnin' hand.
He was a yaller dog, an the wonder was t
be had nerve enough to Get in at all.
'More'n that he were q miser outsiden
the game. Never knowed him to loosen
up a dime f'r anythin' t was did for him.
no matter what twas. just naturally
everybody come 10 hate him some bitter.