The Alaska citizen., 1911-03-06
BETTER THAN GUNS IS DRAW POKER To Due the Fact That the Census Arkansas City Does
 Not Show Loss of Two.

10 say that the policy of the com munity was shaped in conformity with any fixed principle, but the prevailing bought was in accord ance with old man Greenlaw's utter ance on the subject
 Tn ain't ID use wastin' any O the poppylation of a place like AT. kansas City. Pears like tn ain't n0 hellroarin' too strong desire into no, bodys mind fo' to rush in here an reside permanent.
 Mostly them that comes goes. an bein' s the ain't no prospect O the town growth no bigger stands to reason there d oughter be some care took fo' to keep it i'm growth small, CT. Them that's here ughter stand together stead O shoOtin pmiSc' 'Ous case O frivlous quar'ls. A citizen on the hoof Is wuth two in the grave. even if he aiu't none too de sirable.
 Nevertheless there were times and occasions on which bad blood would be manifested between fellow resi- dents of the place, and in extreme cases there would be at least a dan ger that two or more belligerents would ignore the unwritten law the old man eXpounded so clearly.
 Such an occasion rose one day when one Billings. a planter of sub stance whose land lay partly within the town limits, had words with the principal storekeeper of the cOmmu nity. a man named Glover. Billings had asserted with much heat that he would do Glover the first time he should encounter him outside oi his own premises. To this Glover had retorted that he would not only be prepared but would welcome the occasion Beyond that there was no step known in the negotiation of a personal difference of opinion eX cepting an appeal to the law govern ing personal encounters.
 That law as it w2s locally under stood and praCti,Cd was to shoot first and shoot straight. and a. bOtt men were considered more than or dinarily expert ill the handling oi weapons there was an uneasy feel ing hat the next census return from Arkansas City would show deficit of two in the tot@l population.
 Mo n likely there won't neither on 'em miss when it comes 10 8 showdown" was old man Greenlaw comment when he heard detailed account of the affair as fl stood an that sho' is some scr'ous.
 70 co'se it's considerable of g c'lamity when there's ony one citi zen removed i'm outcn We uns midst but that's 10 be looked fo' ill the reglar run O things i'm time tC time. Pears like Providence done ordained what there has 10 be shootin scrapes occasional an tn ain't no aense in lookin' fo things not to happen 'cordin' to natur'.
 But when the grim Angel 0 Death, as the Good Book calls him stands ready to roke his sickle 1T an p'poses fo' to remove fin outer their sp'ere O usefulness it sho i, time fo' somcpin' to be did. Joe Bassett, yo' all is Sheriff l reckon it's up to yo' to take steps"
 ''l reckon I'll take steps quick enough" said Bassett looking some what puzzled, when the shootin begins, if I'm anywheres in the neighborhood. I gen'ly reckons to De on hand case anythin diddin in the way O shootin'.'
 But these two ain't no new begin ners. If they draw 'tain't likely I nobody's goin' to do no good abut tin in. An tn aint no law, $ fur's l know, what says a mar sha'n't draw gun when he sees the mans what's goin to shoot a, him"
 "Co'se tn ain't," said the old man What's to be did is to keep him from seein' on him"
 Well, of all the blingtwisted, dod rotted things I ever heer'd" ex claimed the sheriff. Be yo' all reck min I'd let one man get the best of another thataway, mo spec ial when it d break up the prettiest fight We uns is likely fo' to see fo a long time?"
 There mustn't be no fight" de clared the old man earnestly. Mo n that, there ain't goin to be neith, CT on 'em shootin at t'other This here is a case where the c'munity is got to stand together an do its dooty.
 "How's it goin' to be did?" asked Jake Winterbottom. with consider able curiosity. 'I reckon it'll be some hard to keep them two apart.
 The Good Book says, Mo things is did by prayer than this world dreams of" replied the old man. But l reckon if il was wrote now adays stead O back in the Middle Ages it'd be wrote poker stead O prayer. There's mo cn be did with game O poker, if it's did ski'lful, n pears to be likely"
 "Yo' all ain't reck'nin on gettin' them two to play together. not fo' they meets up with guns. be yo?" said Jim Blaisdell with some sur prise.
 "No, I hain't," retorted the old man tartly, but I reckon 'twont be no merac'e if one on 'em cd be brung into a game in the back room. p'vailin' notion O Providence bein' beneficial mebbe t'other one thought happen in fo' drink afo' the game was over"
 Likely that cd be did" observed the sheriff, but looks to me like that was on'y means O gettin' 'em to fight here stead of outdos I thought yo' all was some sot again havin' any shootin on the prem ises"
 There won't be no shootin on my premises, not s long s I makes the house rules an has a bung starter fo' to enfo'ce 'em tn won't" declared the old man with emphasis. An mo n that there won't be no shootin' nowhere else, not by them