The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-14
"BIGGITY" STRANGER
DEPARTS SUDDENLY
REGARDLESS Of the Amount He
Had Invested i'm the
Poker Game.
GREENLAW POINTS MORAL


ltf'ktllt SFib 'Ab i'if'' '''' '''''''
.,mrv. a. he stood in the doorway Of
his little saloon IN Arkansas CITY
watching man who had Just gone
,vay from there in some haste what
that thar yap amt never liable TO to
n, no vcttcr n he is right now"
"NIehbc So" said Joe Bassctt. but
n,'. liable tu bc considablc deadcr II
rc u.s. now il I g,t q holt on him" Then
there was pause. Mr.. Hassett had
spoken with some heat.
"Dh. / don't know" said MIR. owen
pypuc. after few minutes. 81 reckon
he's nigh bout as daid now 3 he ever
viii be-" And presently the whole
party returned To the bar.
Tho man whom they had been look
ing after was a stranger In Arkansas
City and had presumably been unin-
formed with regard to certain char
actcristics Of tho citizens Of that place
when he entered the saloon some little
time before Reing made acquainted
with them rather abruptly he had
taken his leave. as was said, somewhat
hastily and had made his way with
surprisng speed across the levee to
the margin If the river which was
only a short distance away.
Teaching the waterside at about the
same time thai the rest Of the com
pany arrived at the doorway he had
undertaken to get aboard OF a skin
that was moorcd there. 1t was as n
ne 50 urgently desired TO absent him
self from Arkansas City that he
suugh. the most Immediately available
means Of travel regardless Of anything
hut the necessity for promptitudc.
Had there been a steamboat or rail-
road train about to start at the mo-
men. very probably he might have
taken IL in preference to the skin. but
there was not, and he took. or rather
undertook To take, the skin. There
was no room for doubt that he wanted
go he somewhere else as soon as pos
siblc. And he achieved his purpose
though not exactly n the way he de-
signed
As they looked after him they saw
him make q dying leap into the skin
aud perceived that his evident inten-
ton was to cast il off. BUT the impetus
Of his jump was so great and the
footing he gained in the skif was SC
insecure that he toppled over into the
water before he could steady himself
The current at that particular spot
was very swift.
/. was Immediately after he had dis
appeared under the surface of the
river that the old man made the re-
mark about his being as wet as he
undoubtedly was and that Joe Bassett
pausing in his pursuit of the fugitive
had made the rejoinder he did.
Ana II WAS after an interval durins
which they had looked in vain for his
temperance that Mr.. Pepper hao
offered the final observation. after
which they went inside and took a
drink. The incident was closed.
1t had been a little unusuak Mer
had come into old man Greenlaw'
saloon before that without previous
acqu1futapce with him or with hi
associates Many men. in fact, haC
done so. but few indeed had there beer
who bore themselves with such igno
rance Of prevailing custom or suCl
apparent disregard of consequences
II was not until he had reached al
understanding Of ule actual conditions
that existed that this d!sre gard wa
Whclmed by considerations Of safet.
first.
on entering he had ordered drnl
and had taken il. apparently unmind
mi OF the fact that there were other
in the saloon. Then placing a dim
on the bar, he had turned toward tn
loor as if To go. but the old MAJ
spoke. up IN a zone that compele
attentions
when man takes one drink h
said The price Is a long Bit \ shor
i'm don't pay TO the wear an tear o.
he glass"