The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-03-19
BE THOROUGH
URGES GREENHUT
A Stranger in the Poker Game Sup
plies an illustration of Solo,
y mons Wisdom.
New York SUM-

There's one sayin' into the Good
Book" said old man Greenhut as he
lighted a fresh cigar. what no man
hadn't oughter overlook if he's study
ing for to improve himself i'm his poker.
Pears this shere King Solomon was
WrItln, motters FIR tn children of Is
raei for to stick upsOnto the walls O.
their tabernacles in little wooden
frames, an this one was wrote special
f'r poker players. There's others, but
this here shows, more'n most, what q
hell-roarin' wise gazabo Solomon RELY
was.
He says, Don't never go for to see
man what's extry diligent in his deal
in. More'n likely he'll stand pat with
kings. 'Tain't hardly Necessary for to
| inquire why he said kings stead OF
aces. That's what these here gospel
sharps calls the higher criticism But
looks likely TO me t he had I'm mind
what four kings an ace is just as
more foxy, if tother man has a ace
full TO go in.
Trouble with most folks readin' the
Bible is they don't study out the
morals, bein' as there's moral lessons
into a heap O. them stories, what'l1 do
any man good f he'll on'y folIer EN-
up Moral o. this is I man had
Ougnter De thuTrer.
Tain't no use for to begin a thing
'tEouten you're goin' to be thurrer. II
you don't practise till you en- give y'r-
self kings when you need 'em you'd
better not spend no time tryin' to i'm
prove y'r plain natural dealn'.
Jim Silsbee was a shinin' Example o.
them I begins well an hasn't got stuff
enough into 'em to foller thing up
proper, an the last eend O. SIGH as him
is gently disaster. as scripter says.
Jim was neighbor o. mine over to
Greenville, what was thought we'll of
FIR a young man, bein' as his old man
dedicated him careful, so's't he cd hold
his own into most anythin' goin'.
whether it were a fight or a game o.
draw. Didn't pear TO be no reason FIR
him not dom s we'll s the next, an
mebbe better, but someway he didn't
never carry nothin' through.
There was one night stranger
come to Greenville an set into a game
o draw t was goin' on into the back
room when I was tendin' bar, an fore
long he begin 'cumulatin' toIabEe nigh
all the fioatin' capital there was in
sight. Pears he was one o. them
cToss-road gamblers what's lookin' FIR
suckers in small towns like Greenville.
an he won sure some slick. havin' one
or two tricks t want gently known
them days
"One of 'em I rec'Iect was a grip
with a rubber string up his sleeve.
what he'd hold out with. 'Tain't never
used no more now, but it had a run
oncet-
We'll. just about the time he'd done
throwed a scare into them t was play
in so s t they was nigh ready TO quit,
Jim Sllsbee come in an looked on
spell. tt en- he says he reckons he'll
set in. an he buys a hundred FIR a
starter.
Il amt a-sayin whether Jim was
considerable slicker n this here stranger
or net. 1 want so wise to the game
then as l come to be later on. an meb-
be he was, but the way it looked to me
was I Jim was havin' the luck
iva mt moren two hours afore
that stranger lose all his winnins an
was diggin' into his kick consid able
deep He was good grit though, an he
KEEP on buyin' an losin' TIL Jim Sis
bee had night fourteen hundred of his
wad an 'peared likely to get the rest.
"More'n that, all them other Green
vile citizens what had been losin' so
heavy had got square or nigh about
Feared like Jim settin' in d kind o
turned the tide. on'y as I say, ] dunno
whether Jim's talents r dumb luck did
it.
Anyway, just about the time t the
stranger was gettin' mealy faced. an
I cd see Z his hands was shakin' a lit
tie when he went diggin' FIR another
hundred, Jim says he reckens he's got
cold feet. an anyway it's nigh bed
time an he won't play no mo- that
night.
The stranger he started fer to put
up a beef, an then he 'peared to get
second thought, an he says, All right,
but you'll give me another chenct;
won't you? An Jim says, Sure. I'll
set in ag Lii tomorrer night, if yer like,
an they broke up, all peaceable, Jim
settin' 'em up, o course, he bein' win
ner.
1T come to me I the stranger was
sure wise. bein as ned come nigh the
eend of his wad an luck was runnin'
hard ag'in him. An that's what. They
played again next night an things
went t'other way right firm the start.
Jim lost all s he'd win the night afore,
an went broke on a king full.
Proves that 1 was sayin' If Jim
Silsbee d been s thurrer s he'd
oughter he'd a played along when
things was goin' his way an busted the
stranger, stead o. bein did up like he
was. but that was his faflin Feared
like he didn't never finish nothin' COM
plete. That was his ondoin' at the
last
Him and another Teller had words
over poker game onto one O. the
boats q couple o years later, an the
Teller had drawed a bowie an was
Jumpin' at Jim right peart by the time
Jim fired. Bein' some skilful into a
fight. he aimed first off at the feller's
right elbow, an bein' a crack shot he
broke it, ssndin his knife spinnin 1t
were a good play. bein' as how If he'd
: d shot to kill first off likely the bowie
d a did it's business, even if the fell
ler'd got his. too.
But right there S where Jim showed
ag'in how slack he was. If he'd "a
been as thurrer as he'd oughter he'd "a
shot ag'in an settled things then. but
seem what he'd did he put up his gun
an says, kind o. half laughin'. I reck-
on that'll do you. Mebbe you won't be
SO brash with a knife next time.
We'll, the Teller was naturally hang
in onto his elbow with his left hand
an cussin' consid able with the pain, |
but when he seen Jim laugh an put UP
his gun he dropped his left hand sud
den an pulled a gun his owDself, bein' /
some left-handed. an fired just once /
TWAIN needfCl for TO shoot again."
That there pears to be a tol'able I
good yarn" said Jim BlaisdelI after he 1
and the others in the saloon had seen /
that old man Greenhut was religft ne I
his cigar with no apparent intention of |
saying more. But" he continued /