The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-13
THE ONE-EYED MAN KNEW
 HOW TO PLAY POKER GAME

From the Boston Herald.
 Looks to me-" said Joe Bassett, as ne looked moodily at his companions who were sitting around old man Greenhuts s bis stove. in the Arkansas City saloon' Hooks to me like it was too hell-roarln peaceful round here to be healthy. My blood pears to be curdlin' fr lack or excitement Somepin's got to be dld'
 Sure he's ben considerable cam fr a week or so." said Sam Pearsall, knock ing the ashes from his pipe and prepar- ing to refill it. 1T don't see no way fir to stir nothin' up. though"
 .'Not till the flood goes down, any, way. I reckon we uns is got to let Natur take her own time. I heer-d there was couple O niggers drowned up street this mornin', bein' as Lem Has wells sidewalk want fastened proper
 This last statement he put forward in tentative way as If thinking 1t might provoke interest. No one. how ever, seemed greatly concerned, though old man Greenhut was moved to speech. q reckon Lem Haswell was some lucky
 
 "That makes five he's drowned, this flood, long O bein' too shiftless to tie his sidewalk when it floats. At the market price O niggers 'twould ha' cost him suthin' them days"
 How d it do to lynch him?' sug- gested Basset "Somepin' oughter be did to keep we uns i'm gettin' blue moulded
 "No use Joe," said Winterbottom. sYou can't get no public feelin' stirred up ag'in a white man count Of a nlg- ger gettin' drowned"
 E ''Mebbe so" admitted the big sher- if reluctantly, ''but this here cmun- ity s got to be reused some way. Pears like there ain't nothin' never goin' to happen here no more."
 "Oh. I don't know,'% said Mir Owen Pepper, who had just arrived on the train that ran up country one day and returened the next. q was up to Lit tie Rock last night an I heer'd the one-eyed man belly-achin about that same thing.
 Said things was too almighty slow LID there count O tn flood an he reck- oned he'd take a run down to Arkansas City fir to see f he couldn't find some excitement. Pears he's blue-mouldod, too"
 Lets liquor.' exclaimed Bassett with sudden animation. An say, Greenhut, give Pepper a couple of good cigyars. I ain't heer'd nothin' so soothin' as that fir a month O Sundays"
 "That's all right Joe' said the old man, producing fresh box, but them elgyars II be on the house. Peppers done earned elm"
 "Ie never comes ust like a angel afore but this time he sure is like that angel the Good Book tells about what useter stir up the pool O Salome when ever 1t got so stagnant what the people in Jrusalem couldn't drink the water no more. Pears like he was doin some the same kind O meracle."
 "Oh I don't know" said Mir. Pepper with some show of modesty, but Bassett Interrupted him rudely
 "Oh, we uns knows you don't know most everything" he said, Out pears like you know somepin interestin' this time Let it go at that. When s this here one eyed hellyon liable fer to be here?"
 .IIe didn't say" replied Mir Pepper, s'but judgin' firm the way nobody won't play poker with him no more up to Lit tie Rock l reckon he's torable sure to quit there soon.
 "There was some talk O rdin' him outen the town, but nobody'd caught him dead to rights, s fur's heer'd, an there was some said they couldn't tar an feather him right easy in their minds just count O him winnn' so steady, not thoughten they ed prove t he was crooked"
 "Prove it!' shouted Bassett. Say, reckon I'd better take the train up yon- der tomorrow my own self" And he but toned up his coat as if intending to board the train forthwith.
 .1Hold your hosses, Joel" exclaimed old man Greenhut. "If One-Eye's comin' here there ain't no use O you squan- d'rin' good money on railroad fares to find him.
 An more n that, there's no use O putin pleasure afore business. He int liable for to come here 'thouten a wad if he's been winnin up to Little Rock,