The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-10-11
PEPPERS LITTLE
GAME AT GREENViLLE

Takes a to'able .go2d man" aid old
man Greenhut thoughtfully. for TO
Know what's wrong with him. The
good Lord done made most of US with a
LWlSt o some sort in the machinery.
IT moren likely to make us bet on a
hand [ amt with shucks when il
comes to a showdown, er else to lay
down when We hold the winnin' cards.
There's millions O. different hands =
en- be dealt in draw poker, but they
amt u -four royal fiushes in the deck,
an similar there's monstrous few hu-
man critters I amt got some short
comln's into EN-, an, as l was sayin',
1t takes a torable good man to know
just e~ggsactly what the difficulty is
with his W self.
There's some t knows. Now an
again you'll come acrost a man t en-
put his finger onto his own weak spot
thouten maxim no mistake. But it's
a hell roarin' capable man t IL go to
work an s~traighten things out so S t
ne en- get the best of his own weakness.
IhereS some t tries. They see what's
wrong with their hand an they'll draw
to 1t the best they knows, but mostly
they don't FILL When you find a man
[ en- NIL his hand soon as he knows
what's lackin' you've got a good poker
player, an when you find one t II
NIX up his own Shortcomings so s I he
en- make hisself right all the way
through, you've come onto a reel phe-
nomonous, sure enough.
There was q man lived neighbor to
me IN Greenville I come toIable nigh
bein' all right, most any way YOU cd
take him, on'y it aI'ays 'peared like he'd
come just a leetle bit short o. bein'
right about anythin'. 'Peared to mean
We'll, an aPays 'peared to set out to do
the right thing, but just as he'd get TO
the pint o dOin' suthin or other t
d make you size him up as a superior
sort O. citizen he'd quit sudden, k the
strain was prOvin' altogether too much
for him.
Dave Wimple his name was. ar he
come o toIable good stock, so s t
there want no prejudice agin him into
the c'munity. Bein' a nachully we'll
dedicated man. an some of a good look
er, he was considerable we'll liked, but
there didn't nOthin' pear to do him no
greet good, 'cOun Of his habit o. four
f1ushin'- They was aTays a card missin'
into his hand
There was times when he'd have a
call for to preach, seem that was a
good business an not too Wedrin'. An
he'd set about it all right, reck' min on
jinin' the chu'ch first. like he'd have to.
o course, but he never got no further
along n the mo'ners' bench. He'd get
lllcIc reg ldI every Night s lOng s re-
vival was on, but somehow camp meet
in ID be over afore he was regular con-
victed o sin an took into the fold, an
then it was all off a year.
Then he went alto the liquor bust
ness an done toTable we'll FIR quite a
spell, havin' some money an a powerful
slew o friends. Started in all right,
too. with a fair stock o. booze an the
prope rules about cash, but Just about
the fiml hQ'd Unf~ UraII acfo h1ichhI on, |
d ought for to been maxim money, he
got drinkin' some heavy hisself an
took to givin' credit.
Some later he took to s~pec'latin' in
bosses an niggerS, an bein' as he had
good judgment an everybody liked him,
'peared like he'd got on the right track.
He'd fetch in a horse maybe f'om
some'eres way off an fix him up fine
so s I he 'peared to be all right, an
he'd get a customer t was ready TO
buy, p'vidin' there want nothin' serious
the matter with the %critter, an Dave
Wimple d tell about him enthusiastic,
like he'd have to bein' a boss trader. an
then someway he'd stumble like in his
yarn so s t the other Teller d shake
his head an go way. 'Peared like he
couldn't ever lie consistent, an it ruined
that business for him.
Il useter reason with him. Dave
Wimple.' / says, 'there'd oughter be
more into the game FIR a man like you
nor you pear to rake down. Natur',
1 says, done gave you a good start
and good looks. a fair amount o. talent,
an more dedication nor the average,
instead o which, l says, you go four
fiushin' every time
There's others aid Joe Bassett, /
gloomily. an an OminOus hush fell on
the party so heavily it almost seemed
to thud.
Old man Greenhut smoked a while
in silence with a puzzled look as il
doubtful of his own ears.
AT length he said with suspicious
mildness. 4 can't call to mind as
was hOldin' up Dave Wimple as tn
on'y four fiusher t ever set in. but
mebbe that want just what you was
shOOtin' at. Joe. when you fired so sud
den. F you had somepin' else onto
your mind, you mought feel better Z
you was to take another shot
No said Bassett. II amt sure as
I had anythin' onto my mind at all. /
was just list'nin'. Speakin' o. -four
fushin'. though, there's some t starts
in with a line O. moral maxims as
sounds like they mought e some
pin. an then goes ~cavortin' off toward
Greenville 'thouten any ostensious rea-
son an picks out a citizen O. that there
what never did nothin' to us. /
reckon unCe1 them circumstances lie |
worth Twin. Not in Greenville.
faint
"'Oh, don't know said Mr.. Owen
Pepper. I seen a good game o draw in
Greenville oncet."
Old man Greenhut started instantly
toward the corner where he kept his
starter and Joe Bassett's right
hand moved toward his hip pocket, but
before either of them had taken de-
cisive action Jake Winterbottom spoke
There amt no sense in bein' over
hasty." he said. You uns en- kill him
later f you're hellbent that way, but
pears like Peppers pint is well took
Life sure is worth Twin anywheres
where there's a good game o poker to
be had. 1 motion he tells us about it.
n alter that I hain't no interest in
what's did to him"
The others recognized the soundness
Of this reasoning, and they ceased hos
tile demonstrations, while Mr.. Pepper
kt-a-1Ir $1,000 e. ranIi1a that - v~o-