The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-12
A BETTER CAME
 THAN DRAW POKER Arkansas City Learns Some-
 thing from a Stranger POKER WAS TOO TAME Played Bridge Because It Was More ellectual-Sometlmes Played
 Poker To See How Little
 Others Knew About 1t.
POKER WAS TOO TAME

From the Washington Post.
 "There was yap fm some'res up tn, | onto the boat 1 was on f'm Memphis to Helena," observed Mir Owen Pepper, what reckoned as draw poker was a sort of old-fashioned game. Said if a man was reely intelligent-like an was tryin for to keep up with the time he'd take up with somepin' new. Said ther was a game they called bridge they was playin among intellectuals like him what had poker beat to a frazzle."
 Didn't tell what sort of game this draw bridge was. reckon" said old man Greenhut, sarcastically. Likely he hadn't never saw poker played.
 "There is some Us that ignorant. Beats all what fool notions them pirates gets The Good Book tells how King Pharaoh was that stuck up t he had a new game made an called by his own name, just cause he done win tolable nigh all tn ! Israelites had playin' poker, an thought he cd improve the breed O game there was in Egypt But what did Moses do?"
 The old man paused and looked around trIumphantly. Nobody ventured a reply; so he answered his own question. He says to hisself, Whats the good O ! stayin in place where the heathen rage an these here king people imagine vain i things?' So he passed tn word an tn Israelites footed the community an went cut in the wilderness where there want no such peri dice ag'in poker. An f'm that day to this draw poker has been the ] one game the Lords chosen sure does | play skillful
 "Comin' back to this here buccaneer you was tellln' about, did he ptend to ! say he knowed what draw poker was { when he was shootin' off his mouth, like you tell?"
 Sure he did," said MT. Pepper. "He let on as he was the champion poker player up to Harvard college, where he l went to school.
 "'Pears there was a powerful slew O rich yonug fellers at school when he was 1 an he sxun 'em all to the bone. He lowed he knowed all there was to it an he said i that was why he took up with bridge, | bein as there want nothni' mo fir him to find out about poker. Said he was one t was al'ays a strivin' fer to inn prove hisself."
 'Mebbe If he was to turn over on the other side he'd dream some diff'rent," said i old man Greenhut dryly. But if he's reely loolxin for to learn things about poker strikes me he'd oughter keep on playin' 1t.
 Them that gets it 'lto their heads as they knows it all is sometimes the ones t sees a great white light some sudden. / c'n call to mind a Englishman t come ! here some years ago what was somepin' 7 like that
 i "'Pears he was on O them lord fellers. I disremember his last name, but 1t was ] Lord Somepin He was travelin' with a 1 keeper an they said his keeper had to shave him, bein' as they didn't dast to trust him with a razor nor nothin' else but money He sure did have money to i feed cattle with.
 Started Wave of Prosperity.
 "There was right smart O prosperity | round Arkansas City fr a spell a'ter he | done showed us how they played poker ] in England. Mebbe this here Harvard ! school boy cd be persuaded to come an show us what he's done learned about poker afore he tookt up with draw bridge. I Morn n likely, though, he's one O these here mouth players what sets round an tells how things had ought fer to be did, but four fushes when 1t comes to doin of 'em.''
 1 "Oh, I don't know" said MT. Owen | Pepper in his own peculiarly { Rsperating drawl There was some pirates"
 "Now looka here, Pepper" interrupted old man Greenhut. You needn't be so dodgasted p'ticklar about tellin' us what l.
 Besides, If you get started on that you won't never get through, S'posin' you | tell what you do know. 'Twont take but 1 minute, an besides that it'd be inter estin', just fir change" "Oh, don't" began MT. Pepper from the force of habit, then lodged a stick of fire wood that Sam Pearsall threw at hmi.
 well" he continued sulkily, "there o, mir frax ir' all r with the one-eyed man on the boat we | was on an the hull three on em set in ! to trim this here Yarvard man, an they played up'ards O four hours afore they give it up. When they quit Harvard had 1 just as many chips as he had when he | began"
 .fD'you say that was the one-eyed man?" exclaimed Jim Blaisdell, incredu- lously."
 "eure was" said MT. Pepper.
 "This here Harvard is a good one, then,' remarked Blaisdell. NO tender foot ain't goin to get away i'm old One Eye with any chips left 'thouten he knows consid able about poker"
 That's what was tellin ye," said MT. Pepper, eagerly. When they quit the three on em was fair disgusted, an Tar yard laughed at em an give 'em this talk I was tellin' about knowin' all the poker there was an talSin' up with bridge bein' an twas more intellectual like.
 Said he never played poker to win no mo, bein' as 'twan't fair to them he played with, but he set in sometimes just for fun O. seein how little the others knowed, like he done that time"
 Well, I'd kind O like to see this hero 1 phenombedon," remarked old man Green hut somewhat perplexedly. 70 course it's all hogwash about draw bridge bein' more intellectooal nor poker, bein' as poker Is the origin an foundation of all tn intelligence they is. The Good Book tells that.
 "But if Harvard stood off One Eye an his pals he must know somepin. Did he pear to have money?'
 Pulled Money Out of Ills Ear.
 "Slathers," said MT. Pepper, Hooked like he was nothin' but wads. Pulled 'en outen all the pockets he had, an cd ha' swore I seen him pull a hundred-dollar bill outen his ear one time he was in a hurry to call bet. Likely I must hal been mistaken, though. 'Tain't likely t a man'd carry money into his ear.'
 "No, 'tain't,' replied the old man. Anyways I wouldn't look for him to carry none away i'm here that away, if he was to set in with this crowd l set constable store by the moral influences of surroundin's, an the surroundin's in the back room is some diff'rent i'm what they is onto a boat. Is there any chanst O. him comin to Arkansas City?'
 q reckon likely there Is" said MT. Pepper. "He said he was travelin' fir