The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-13
CEOUEL TO CALEB
y MlX'S STORY
A Poker Game on the Mississippi
and a Shooting Thirty
Years Later.

q "a an Oh N'''
Ne had come alone into the tiny bar
room Of the Mississippi River packet
inv of Natche2. and ignoring the presence
prtwo other customers who were chatting
with Caleb Mix, the veteran bartender,
addressed his question to no one in
particular, in the manne OF n person
who is s~oliloquizing.
Caleb Mix, however, answered him
promptly.
Il reckon he said. III you can't get
II here you can't get it nowheres.'
Then" said the grizzled man. Il hope
ro, gentlemen will all join me in a real
gentleman's drink. faint everywhere t
YOU en- get it. even in the South
They would and they did, Caleb Mix
prod,cing from an inner closet a dusty
bottle Of rare old peach brandy and a
lar Of golden honey and setting them
out with four generous glasses.
When. after they had all with appro-
priate compliments quafed the delicious
compound, one of the other customers
proposed a second glass the grizzled man
excused himself.
81 shall be most happy to join you.
air. he said, the mex time we meet.
hut | never take but n drink before
supper," and bowling tremendously he
denarted az he had entered. alone.
Caleb Mix looked at the two men who
remained, and az if greatly puzzled de-
handed to know if either OF them could
tell who the stranger was.
That's what / was going to ask you
replied one of them. Il thought you
knowed everybody, Cale.'
no. not everybody" aid the veteran,
not i'll pleased at the remark. but II !
hadn't al'ays understood that Sam Court
new was done killed nigh thirty year ago
I'd say it was him. Thirty years is a
right smart spell, but he sure does favor
Sam Courtney wonderful IL faint him
We'll. who was Sam Courtney" de-
manded the man who had first spoken,
you wouldn't We had to ask, retorted
Mix, If you'd been travellin' the boats
them days. There was things a-diddin'
then most every trip, an il Sam Court
ney was abo'd most gently he was one
O. them as was diddin' EN-.
Them times there was mostly alays
a game O. poker goin' on every night out
In the saloon. an il Sam Courtney was
abo'd the boat he was most gently O
them t was playin'. J course everybody
knowed he we're a p'fessional, but it were
the regular thing to play with Professionals.
an nobody thought o kickin'.
.There was some wouldn't set in II
there was a p'fessional t had the name
q hein' crooked or if he was knowed 10
he too hasty with his IL or anythin' like
that. hu, mostly everybody I played d
take a chanst anyhow, c7untin' on a row
q. somepin' I was liable for to come a n
mart % the excitement o the game.
sam Courtney want one o them
= had a bad name. FIR one thing he
Want reckonei to be SO terrible slick as
some on EN- t dealt of'n the bottom o
the deck as often as they did of'n the
top an held out a card whenever they
wanted to 'thouten bein' caught.
-Bein' a p'fessional, everybody reckonei
Just nachully he'd play crooked If he seen
a chanst. but bein' as he hadn't never
been caught at it he were called a square
player, an bein' a quick sort O. Teller 7
never dre wed a gun 'thouten he was RELY
pledged to, he want reckoned danger
GUS. Feared like he took a pride in bein'
considerable diff'rent I'm some I swag-
gered an pulled theirselfs count o bein
called wicked.
There was consid'able diff renee, ever
among Professionals. an Sam Courtney
sure was among the best O. 'em. even il
they was a had lot. / amt a-sayin' but
what he was a dog. l reckon 'em all as
dogs. IN I 1 l'ays did, fr l never knowed
one on EN- t want. 1t takes a dog
for to be a p'feesional. the way l look a,
il, but there's dogs an dogs. an San
was one O. them t you'd want round II
you was goin' to have dogs nigh.
.Bein' as he was what he was. though
WANT no gre't surprise to nobody wher
the story come 'the'd ben caught playin
crooked. I want there myself. but I goI
the story I'm Cap'n Foss hisself. an
whatever Cap'n Foss told anybody wal
sure so, bein' as he never lied.
.rPeared it happened nigh thirty yea
ago. like l said. on tn old Belle o thu
Bayous. what Foss was cap'n OF fr 6
spell afore she was bowed up. Fosl
Want no hand fr to have no pokel
played onto his boats, bein' as he al'ayl
looked on p'fessionals a heap like l al'ayl
did, but them days there want no stop
pin them t wanted TO play.
Even Cap'n Foss hisself didn't 60 81
fur as to say t there shouldn't be no pokel
played, but he was dead down on the
pfessionals like l said. an il one on EN-
was ever caught playin' crooked Fos'
wouldn't never have him on his boa
again nohow. Later IN he wouldn'
never have no poker played on his boat
an he was cap'n o. several on 'em in hi
time, but them days, like ! said, Their
hadn't nobody gone 30 fur as TO say {
gentleman couldn't play poker whenever
he seen At.
Pears this here Sam Courtney wa
setun' in at a six handed game n nigh
onto the Belle O. the Bayous an tn ole
man was oonsid'able anxious about II
bein' as there was two other p'fessionali
into it what he was mighty s'picious OF
They got to playin' q tol'able heavy game
too, an Foss vas lookin' on fr a excuse Il
break it up. not havfn' no thought O
Courtney bein' crooked. but misdoubtin
them other two mighty serious.
There was a couple O. planters into tn
game what was losin' heavy. like 1t wa
nachul enough they should. an there wa
another man what nobody on the boa
knowed. on'y il was said what he wa
No'therner. name o. Watson. what wa
travellin' fr his health. an had his VIII
along with him. a pooty little woman wha