The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-05
SITS IN AT THE GAME
WITHOUT AN EXCUSE
And Tries to Play Poker With
Old Man Grcenlaw's Four
Friends.
WAKES IN THE CALABOOSE
n, DAVID A.. CURTIS

81 reckon tn amt no 'xcuse To- a
man playin' poker in old man Green
laws saloon in Arkansas City," said
travelling man on one Of the Missis-
sinpi River packets as he sat one eve
ming with a number Of other travelling
men on the upper deck Of the boat
smoking and chatting.
+, was not difficult for an obser-
want beholder to imagine that he had
recently had experiences OF some sort.
,r there was an aw~kwardness about
! Tho way he used his right arm which
indicated that he had not yet ccus-
toned himself to the sprain, and the
abrasion lust above his left eye still
showed.
"No. sah," he continued after q lit
tie pause, Il reckon tn amt no
'xcuse. Leastways. tn amt none what
en- he Considered reasonable" His
tone implied encouragement and re-
greet and for a moment or two no
one offered any comment. Then Mr..
owen Pepper spoke up.
"Oh. I don't know" he said. i've
knowed some what set In what had
mo- r less Experiences afo' they done
come away"
81 reckon mebbe that's erect
enough" said the first speaker. some
what dryly. MO n likely they would
have. but that amt got nothin' to
do with what I was a sayin'. tn amt
no Reuse TO- EN-"
How come yo' all done It. Them"
asked another man.
Well" was the somewhat hesitat-
ing response. first of. Arkansas City
Is the Gawd fo'sakenest place in the
hull valley at the best O. times.
Pears like nigh bout the on'y thing
they is into 1t what's any use Is the
railroad. Yo' en- git away I'm thar.
sometimes, 'thouten waitin' To- the
mex boat to come along.
Blu when the floods Is up pears
like it's Gawd fo'sakener n any place
on top O. airth has any license to be.
Just nachully the railroad II washed
out, an the boats amt as freQ'nt a.
they be gently. so they amt nothin'
TO do on'y just 70 to stay thar. An
that's somepin' what they can't no
body do indefinite 'thouten he gifts
drunk or goes melancholy mad.
Some p'tends to say what they In
them what lives thar all the time.
but faint so. Mebbe they stay
c'ntinyal, but faint what en- be
rightly described as Twin. A man can't
RELY live into Arkansas City. Ais
he en- do Is to stay thar.
Stands to eason what II he stays
thar all the time he amt right. Even
L he was thataway first off he'd git
dmoralized afo' long. An II he stayed
long enough he'd git reel dev'lish alter
a while.
"V co'se hat amt got nothin' to
do with how come I done played
aOker when l vas thar. Leastways !
! ieckoned l was a playin' when I set
in, but mebbe I want. They Is
, Things about that thar game what
amt 'Xac'ly clear In my mind.
But it's got a heap to do with
they not bein' no 'xcuse TO nobody
10 set in with them hellyons what
alays plays into old nan Greenlaw's
back room. Thing Is what them pi-
rates stays into Arkansas City all
the time, an they Is done developed
accordin'.
Il amt layin' no claim to bein' no
no intelligent n what a man has to
Re to git along in business. II !
was | wouldn't "a went to Arkansas
City first off. But when I struck
thar | had my sense anyway. an
Il anybody d "a said to me what I'd
"a did what I done I'd "a swatted
him one 70 luck.
~ reckoned how I knowed enough
not 10 set down onto a red hot stove
anyway, even II / want so h~ellroarin'
Intellectual as some. An a red hot
-:..ro IS what mought be called a nice.
cultable settin' place 'longside o. one
o them heavy wooden chairs what old
man Greenlaw keeps into his back
A"Nil ~ Nv tpliliilbhdNi " t'Si
Hhat $ p,ayin'.
Il kyind o s'prised myself lookin'
at them chairs first off, they bein'
y Sho' 'NouGh Expensive. an there not
4 helm nothin' else into the place what
'ooked Ike it cost mon TO dollars,
lkont | seen the idee later n He done
paid mo- money TO- 'em long o. that
Ay,nd not hein' $ easy to break an
him rot havin' to buy new ones alter
the game Is over. Thataway he must
save a c'nsid'able sum in the co'se
o. a season.
But that amt neither here nor
there, All s | was sayin' about them
chairs was how a red hot stove may
not he $ luxurious a place to set on
as one on EN-, but it g a heap sight
safer, on'y | didn't reelize II first Off.
What ] was saylp' was how I was
mar, in Arkansas City. Don't make
no difference how come I done went
asho'. o. co'se II I'd "a knowed mo
wouldn't "a went, but I done IT., an
4 'ist nachully bein' thar I was 'bleeged
" stay thar till I cd git away.
That didn't come round TO q
neDova while. Leastways It was like
S"hat the man said when somebody
ysst him how long he'd been married
ne said he couldn't remember 'xactly.
ne r~ckoned mebby 'twa'n't so very
phg, but II sho' seemed long. That
Vas how It was with me.
! reckon mebbe I hadn't been thar
non a few hours afo' / begin feelin'
va an kyind o. d'spondent like.