The sun., 1908-09-13
A PREACHER SITS
\ IN THE GAME
Old Man Greenhut Tackles a Re
former Without His Bong
starter and Is Sorry.

erganlElD u Icioiih par " ioi w 'oioo
,.i in the omunity, more special with
,s,ard to draw poker
who's talkin'?" demanded old man
Greenhut somewhat contemptuously.
well there's quite some few on 'em,
: ,,id Winterbottom. shut don't rightly
know who they be, on'y the new Methody
nreacher pears to started it,
That's nat'ral enough" said the old
man. still more contemptuously. Them
Nethodists pears to butt in more n any
o,ber kind, but what does this here new
stv pilot think he knows about draw
i poker
INIT they say what reforms is his long suit.
pears he gets up a reform party every
rlace where he gets church"
h,t IL he don't know nothin' about
the game persisted old man Greenhut.
what license is he got for to try to
reformit?
There's been some topble slick play ers
triad that in the last ten or fifteen ear.
Member old man Foster. what was reck-
oned the best crossroads gambler in the
Sunken Lands'
He labored pray erful for to get poker
plsyers to play big dog an little dog
f,r reg'lar hands. but you won't find
nobody but few pikers playin' of 'em.
Pears like when the good Lord done
made the game o. draw for to improve
the morals an edication of sinful world
He done made it nigh about perfec'. an
none O. these here reformers is ever
been able for to improve on 1t. not none.
Taint likely this here preachers goin'
to do much If the best players hain't
been able to better it.
You amt got that Just right" said
Jim Blaisdell This here preacher don't
reckon for to improve the game none
Mis- Blaisdell she tend meetin' Sunday
nights count o. me bein' out on busi-
ness mostly, an she tells how he plans
for to stop poker playin' in Arkansas
CITY. Says it's sinful or somepin'.'
sHo! That's diff'rent,' said the old
man He's done bit of a tol'able good
sized chaw. 4 that's what he's amin at.
There was emission Established back
in the '7os for to stop the Mississippi
River I'm havin' floods. an they ben
vorkn' at it ever since. spendin hum
dreds O dollars o. good Gov'ment money
every year, but l notice we has foods
reg lar just the same.
when a overTulin' Providence p'vides
f'r foods an poker playin', like 1t does,
tain't no use f'r these here tin horn Ga
brieIs f'r to go tootin' ag'in 'em. They
hain't fetched the Day O. Jedgment not
vet. an reckon they won't not fr a
SPELL
-oh. | don't know" said Mr.. Owen
Pepper who had kept still as long as was
| humanity possible. Il amt sayin' nothin'
about foods, but this here Rev. Nico-
demus Hambuster what's preachin' in
Arkansas City this year is holy terror.
Pears he gets the women folks worked
up first of, an when he organizes re-
form party every dodgasted petticoat
/ in town is right into il with both feet. an
mostly the men has to do what they says.
He busted up the liquor trade into
three towns In Tennessee where useter
sell right smart O. booze. an hain't sold
bill in nary one on 'em since And Mr..
Pepper pulled from his trousers pocket
large slab of eating tobacco and gloomily
bit Of o 7e corner OF it.
The custom, in old man Greenhut's s
saloon had always been to treat Mr.. Pep
per's remarks lightly and to revert with
more or less bitterness the fact Of his
having spoken, but this utterance COM
+ manded respect and the old man and his
4 friends looked at one another in some
dismay
That there is a tol'able strong game. >
...J
'an 'tain't easy to beat 1t. 'Ccrdin' TO
l. the Good Book that was the way the devil
busted up Adams garden party. Pears
he got Eve to do it."
Il bet mule there's one woman in
Arkansas City what this here Reverend
Hambuster can't honeyfugle.' said Jim
Blasdell. III there's Methodist
parson what ON pull the wool over her
eyes I'll guarantee to eat him an tn
mule too. She's just plain redheaded
naturally, but 7 abe gets a idee in her nut
what there's any gospel sharp layin' out
fr to interfere with my business n take
the lasses off'n our corn pones she's
i'ble f'r TO get redheader'n ever
'Meanin' Mis- Blaisdellf' inquired old
man Greenhut, with no manner OF doubt
as TO the reply.
-Nachully / mean Mis- Blaisdell' said
her husband. -Th' amt no other woman
In town s fur 8 know what's redheaded;
not like she is, tn amt
Think she'd upset this here Ham
buster apple cart 7 she was to be showed
how?' queried the old man, still seeming
to be confident OF this answer.
Il reckon she'd pier that to 'possum
an p'simmons," said Blaisdell.
Then III tell you what to do con-
tinued Greenhut. chuckling to himself as
he thought Of his plan. Tell her to have
some kind o. doin's up to your house
for to plug this here ohu oh game. Mebbe
tea party r a sociable r somep'n. an
for to let this here Hambuster know how
she's gon' to have her husband an a
passe o. his ondegenerate friends there
80 st he can coax 'eIn into the fold.
Then you hold out the back room an
veil 60 up there n set into a poker
| game
-Hambuster'll butt in. nachully, for TO
DO little missionary work an we'll rope
HIN into tn game. II he carries wad
we'll trim him, an anyway VIC en- get
Srangle hold onto him whatll keep his
tap shet case he sh'd think o preachin'
ss7n poker any mo-"
Shell have the doin's. all right said
'lm, but she's got house rules her own