The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-07-02
Needing II

en- De found out If mans gifted Spe-
cial- I've knowed man I lived SO long
with woman t he cd tell four times
outen five whether she was goin' to
comb her hair or lick some o. the chill
dren first off when she'd get out o. bed
An there's engineers has found out I
they en- put mattresses o barbed wire
an brushwood on the bottom o. Mis-
sissip' n pile cobblestones onto 'em SOS
to keep the water FIN risin' over the
tops o tn levees. Leastways that's
what they say an they've ben at II a
good many year. Bein' IS they're en-
gineers likely they know.
| Same with draw poker" he contin-
ued Il amt a-sayin' but what there's
them t has talent. Sich as has en-
foresee mysteries even into deal. But
there's been gifted men as had four
aces framed up their own sells I found
after the draw I some other Teller had
one O. them four n, 'twan't no mistake
| IL the deal neither
81 sh'd say { you was talkin' some
loose said Jim Blaisdell critically.
But when you say man is reel tai
ented in the deal. an has it framed up
to hold four aces into his own fist. an
! gives one o. them aces to another man.
| 'thouten maxim no mistake in the deal,
there's ground FIR b'lievin' you must be
some bughouse. Pears like you don't
get your statements fastened together
alike"
Does sound kind o. queer, don't it %
said old man Greenhut placidly.
There was man in Greenville, where
1 come FROM he went on, at was
reckoned the best dedicated man in
Mississippi, name o Buck Siffers.
Feared like there want nothin' what
ever t he couldn't do with a deck O.
cards.
Reason was,S he begin young. Old
man Siffers d ben consid able of
player in his day, but he'd fell off in his
declinin' years, bein' as his fingers got
| too stiff FIR to be reel skillful There
was some laid il to govt, but he said
'tWa'n't nothin' but lack o trainin'
when he was young, n he swore t the
| boy shouldn't never have no reason FIR
to reproach him along O. not bein'
brung up proper, so he used TO make
Buck practice four hours day relig
! ious. FIN the time he was old enough to
shuttle a deck. TIL old man knowed
well enough how things had ought for
to be did, but as 1 was sayin', his fin
gers want supple no more, an he reck-
oned on trainin Buck SOS I hisn'd stay
supple.
He teached the boy all he knowed
an then used to watch him shuttle an
deal, lambastin him good an proper
when he done anythin' clumsy enough
FIR to be catched a-doin' of it.
Just maturity, with that kind of a
practical eddication Buck Siffers
growed up to be a holy terror at the
card tables. Played considerable among
the youngsters an 'cumulated quite
some prop'ty, SIGH as niggers an mules,
afore he was old enough FIR to take title
in his own name. m by the time his
mustache Sprouted he'd set into a full
grown mans game whenever he'd get
a chanst.
FIN the way he swatted 'em right
an left when his friends an neighbors
ID set in with him 'peared like the
want no question o. him bein' one O.
the Lords anointed, an twa'n't long
afore there want none o. the Green
| villains ID play with him.
| Them sure was happy days FIR old
man Siffers, bein' as he seen his old age
p'vided for. Buck wouldn't low tn
old man for to play no more. tellin' him
| 'twa'nt seemly FIR man O. his years
| to be workin' FIR d Twin when he had
a son as was able an willin' FIR to look
alter him, so tn old man got religion
an joined the Methodist church n set
tied down FIR life with nothin on airth
to do but keep track o. tn way Buck
tunes. the same havin' suffered con-
sid able losses while tn old man was
failin' in his strenth n skill.
| Long afore Buck Siffers' friends an
neighbOrS come to see 'twa'n't no use
tryin to play poker with him he done
got back all t tn old man ID lost an
lconsid' able more, SOS I tn Siffers plan
tation was better stocked n il ever had
been afore, an there was some t reck-
oned Buck was nigh about the richest
man in the hull county But there
want nobody them days t had a word
to say ag'in Buck mr. ag'in tn way I
he played.
Buck Siffers, want nothin' but a
young man, though, afore there come
sort o. lull into his good fortune
bein' as he couldn't pear to get into
no consid able game no more 'thouten
some stranger come along I thought
he cd play, an strangers want none
plentiful in Greenville them days, Sc
there'd be days an weeks when there
want nothin' FIR him TO do except
keep up his four hours practice. which
same he alays did. religious. to the
day OF his death. He sure were man
diligent into his business, what the
Scripter says en- aPays stand pat
ag'in kings.
'Bein' as he couldn't get no pE.y
round home no more, an bein as he
were a young man still. like l was
sayin', an considerable ambitious. Buck
Sliffers done took to travelin the river
FIN time to time. not steady like q
p'fessional, but sort O. casuel like set
tin in with Professionals m anybody
else I wanted to ploy on the boats
but arays comm home, so they said
with more of a wad nor he took away
with him. An ne KEEP this up FIR some
years, SOS I the Siffers estate wa.
CROWN an. tn old mans days wa.
filed with peace count o. Buck no
havin' been found out.
II reckon likely faint in tn natuI
O. things. though, I man en- go OF
freveT 'thouten maxim no breaks
.There'n aPays come a time when he'll
take q drink too much, O. get sleepy, .
take chanst ag'in somepin' is to,
much for him, r some one O. then
; thousand ills I human natur' done fel
. heir to, like the Scripter says, an tn.
chances is hundred to one Z when h.
does there'll be some galoot on t'othe
side o. tn table II be just slick enough
r lucky enough for to catch on. an
inst naturally when that haDpen