The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-01

l of StraWDridge he Studles pll, dl theh sees the raise.
 Then he calls fir two cyards an Pap grins an takes one an puts up his hull pile.
 "'He come night gettin' away with It, too, bein' as ol Strawbridge peared to sense fours out az him. l recoken It must a' been count O the one cyard draw, but he'd pulled pair O treys to his kings, an a king full was big enough f'r even him to lose on if they was reeiy fours, so he calls.
 Pap hadn't bettered, so 1 seen it was up to me to be a Strawbridge ngger IT spell. but that 'peared to be as good as Twin in tn old cabin, bein' as I'd get better grub, so l didn't say nothn' an Pap went away, sort O solemn. Next day he was back, though, with brother Jim all stained up like me. an they played another freezout, an oP Strawbridge lie win again.
 "'I reckon pap must "a did some tol = able tall hustlin' fir wa'nuts fir the next two or three weeks, fr he came trailln back most every day with another young un all stained up, loolSin fir another freezeout an gettin' 1t every time. Ol Strawbridge he chuckled some, an he says he hain't saw no such easy way O gettin' more niggers, not f'r long tlme' an he kep on playin' day a'ter day.
 ." I dunno what he thought, seein em get younger an smaller every day, till he was playin' fir pickaninnies, but he didn't say nothin' an pap kep' on fetchln us till we was nigh all Strawbridge nis- gers Twin on better grub we d ever had afore an gettin' fat.
 "Thered be days when pap d win two or three of us back an then his eyes gleam an he'd p'pose for to double the tf must "a fingered it out t that was the on'y way he'd get all O Strawbridges niggers, but tn old man he done got some het up over the play an he stood Tor It like a spot.
 "'Twa'n't noways hard for to see why neither bein as ne cd "a kep' on douolln fir a hellova while, thouten losin' no gre't number considerfn' all t ne hao. put he win out every day.
 "I didn't rightly know my own self lust how many there was of us, but 1udg- in Tom the size O them twas comin In lords the last I reckoned we must be toF- able nigh all in, an l begin to wonder II pap'd reely go broke, seein 'tWa nt no- ways likely t ol Strawbridge'd play TT dogs.
 .'"rhen one day when we uns was recls,nin, t the fun was nigh over, pap come to the door with marm an the last baby, an p'poses to play them in, him havin' stained 'em up with wa'nut same the rest of us or Strawbridge he didn't look overly anxious for to play no more, but he said he would an the cyards an chips was fetched again.
 This time it were nigh onto null day afore they quit the game. Pap win four freezeouts hand runnin', an beln as they doubled up every time he must A ben oWnin' a dozen or so O StraW- bridges niggers one time over an above redeemin' his own fambly from pono- age.
 or Strawbridge set tight though, an never weakened Feared like he knowed Pap's luck wouldn't stay with him long, so when Pap said he'd just play fr the dozen velvet he had ol' Strawbridge said no He'd play double or quits, same as befo' but he wouldn't play no other way .,..,4
 "O' course" said old man Greenhut, ''that was the time fir Pegleg Hlsem- stover to- jump the game. lie sure oono noble up to this. showin' hisself nefVy nlaver. even if he wasn't so hell roaring astnte an he'd win out enough TT to keen him conf table, but he 'peared 10 ps some vocechous, an moren lkely ne sot hisself to win everything Aepuiol Strawbridge had, so he says II so' pintin' one more moral into the nun in- structiVe tale , ,,. Did you see any O them morals run min loose?' inquired Jim Baisdeli cotto voce. of Jake Winterbottom. Mary one" said the latter, put Wal. Tn old manIl tell us what they areF "They played on accordin', continued old man Greenhut, "an' just natural Peeleg Higginstovers luck changed, hke it had to, some time. l., "Him havn' pat flush ace hlgn, he bet his pile on it, an Zebulon straw bridge drawin to threes, catched fou th' so that settled it. Pegleg Higginstover went forth into the cold world bereft or his hull possessions, an want never seen ag'in. a,. e.. ho {. 'rwant no wasted life, thoufih, TT he done showed once mo- what's been snow cd so often, as how poker Is the most eleyatin moral influence there ls "What was that you said he done snow ed?' asked Joe Bassett after h''ie pause. ..,a.,o ,,anv
 "Well, he showed consid' able many 1 things said old man Greenhut thought | fully, 'but mebbe tn most important Was l as how draw poker's one O the sttonseel proofs O Holy Writ what there IS.
 .I wouldn't mind hearin' how you hg- | ger that out" said Jake Wlnterpot.on'' l looking puzzled. ,,a
 "Why. Jake, I'm s'pris ed at ye,' sad l old man Greenhut Don't the dooo DooA | say, Him as has gifts?
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