Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-10-18
Playing the Game

years ago. You mustn't imagine from
the name that Paradise Halt was a~sort
of beauty spot with a sanitarium for
overworked curates. 1t got its name
from some humorous cuss who died sud-
denly during quiet game of poker.
No sir, Paradise Halt was about as
merry a spot as you could look for in
the States-a sort of health resort for
cattle rustlers, train wreckers, gam
blers, crooks from Down East with fair
sprinkling of greasers and half breeds in
its population.
saloon in Paradise Halt, when in came a
Britisher-an Engllshman, to be more
correct He called for a drink, and then
stared around at the rest Of us. Now,
there is only one thing l can call to mind
to compare with an English stare. and
that's a mosquito sting. Both of 'em
irritate you to madness, An English
mans stare would make an angel cuss,
providing it wasn't British angel.
well, anyhow, Silver Jack must have
looked at it in that light. Silver Jack
was half a white man and half an Az
tee, and about one of the worst rogueS
I've come across.
He was spinning some sort of yarn to
Pud SimOnS, when he happened to catch
sight of the stranger. and as the latter
seemed to be taking a lot of interest in
Jacks silver chains and bells the Mexi-
can turned shortly and after a bit he
walked over to him
Say says he. cheeky-like. you look
tired stranger. Have drink
The Englishman eyed him coolly,
I'm drinking, thanks says he.
"'Well. have another, raps out Silver
Presently. says the stranger, still
cold and unsociable
Course we know what Jack was
up 30; and when we saw him shift
III 90 hFNF
ed farther away from the counter.
kin you dancer asked Jack, all
smiles lies
lesson says Silver Jack, whipping out
his gun. The next moment there was a
crash, and the bark Of a gun, and
there was Mr. Britsher covering Jack
gun and Silver Jack was sitting in the
sawdust, using all the choicest cuss-
words he could lay his tongue to-
See, here, boys, says the Britisher,
I'm no tenderfoot, and l know whaC
it means to refuse TO drink with a
man in this Heaven -forsaken corner
of the world. but no Greaser is going TO
make me drink if l don't want to, or
make me do monkey tricks to the music
Of his gun ] didn't come here for truu-
BILE, but if anyone is looking for it,,
I'm fitn
We'll. the matter wound up by or
ganizAng a cigarette duel between the
Englishman and Jack
Now the cigarette duel was invent
ed by some humorist when things were
a bit slow round Paradise Halt All
you wanted was dark moonless night
If a bit misty, all the better-a couple
Of guns and some cigarettes. Then
the boys hid themselves in the dark
corners, and blazed away It each other
whenever they caught sight of a burn
ing cigarette end. 1t was fine fun as
a rule.
The Britisher and Silver Jack look
ed at their guns and walked of, and
presently we saw the cigarettes red
lights cleaning in the darkness. Jack
was the first to fire, and the Britisher
answered him Ike creased lightning.
Well, l won't go into details as to the
progress of that duel, but the fact is
that after ten minutes had passed, and
no one had got hurt the boys began to
get sort of anxious. There were the
two cigarettes cleaning red, and every
minutes or so you'd hear the guns. but
never a shout and never a cuss word TO
tell US that one Of EN- had got in the
way Of a bullet
Half an hour passed, and we were
getting restless. when there was a
fash and a bang from the stranger.
gun, and a well from Silver Jack
throat He was dead. shot through the
head, and the Britisher had done 1t. -