The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-18
Mr.. PEPPER TELLS A
VERY AMAZING YARN
About n Game Of Poker in
which All the Players Lost
All They Had.
SErIiING WRONG ABOUT IT



long run said old man Greenlaw with
complacency and elaboration "a he
settled himself in his favorte seat by the
window Of his little saloon in Arkansas
City and put his feet on the sill pre-
paratory TO the enjoyment Of the second
portion Of ciger which he had just
lighted. The first portion of it he had
already bitten OF and eaten.
II seemed reasonably certain that he
was beginning series Of philosophical
remarks about something or other, but
a no one else in the saloon had any ink
ling Of what IL was, and as nothing had
happened which was likely to lead up to
anything nobody paid much attention
10 what he said His flow Of language
was usually az steady IA the fow Of the
water In the river in front Of the town
and was "a difficult as that was to dam up
Being accustomed to both of them his
unless there was a flood In such case
they we're merely annoyed, looking on it
- an unavoidable nuisance.
Therefore II was that nobody even
looked up when after pause he re-
peated his remark.
sSho' does beat all how things evens
up In the co se o. events" he said IF
one man is miss'ab somebody else is
feelin' jimdandy. an tn avrage o happi-
ness il maintained onfiexible
.H one man is po', another's rich. so
tn prosperity o. the c'munity don't
is bo'ned. an things stays mostly the way
they is. They is some changes I'm time
TO time. but most gently they changes
back agin later on.
sAll's man has to do is to set tight an
wait TO en- to change back. an if it comes
afo' he croaks it's all right. IF he croaks
frat it don't make no difference to him II
they does or don't. so thar vo' be
proves what I've done said frequent
The hull universe pears TO been en-.
structed 'cordin' to the rules o. draw
poker. Tn amt nothin' happens under
the blue canister O. heaven but what
did the same as It's in poker, least way.
It's on the same gen'l principles. II they
hadn't "a been no poker they wouldn'
nobody a knowed how to range the
universe so e Z things d alays come on
right in the eend. same 8 they does into
apoker game"
This proved to be too much for Mr.
Jim Blaisdell. who was among his hear.
ers and who claimed. not without reason
to be fairly conversant with the game
referred to.
Il done seen yo' all mo n oncet, he
observed Indignantly. when yo' want
20 hell roarin we'll satisfied at the eenc
Of a settin''
THAT mought be, too replied the
old man imperturbably. But that
amt to ga; what the game don't even up
In the long run, like I was sayin'. |,
they IL one pirate gifts the best o. We un,
occasional they's al'ays a sucker come,
along afterwards what'n drop mo- OF g
wad n what the other Teller Is done
got away with. 40 they amt nothin
lost on tn av'rage.
Il amt a-sayin nothin' ag'in draw
poker nor I amt gwine to. II 'twa'n't
TO draw poker they wouldn't nobody
he able to make q Twin in Arkansa.
City
sMebbe that's So said Jake Winter
bottom. 'but pears like II don't av'rags
up % almighty we'll 70 then. what stop'
over 70 day or two"
'In that case said the old man, -th'
av'rage is struck between they uns an
We uns, an II comes out even evry
time. Can't be no other way What
one man loses other man wins. an
things il even again. Must he so il
poker, same's with everythn' else"
ooh, I don't know" said Mr. Owen
Pepper "Mebbe it's true enough Z
fur's the gen'l 'rangement o. the uni,
verse Ia o'ncerned. ! don't p'tend tc
say whether tbs or not but when i
comes TO draw poker they is RECEPTIONS
Don't al'ays happen what things even,
up with the game.
They IL hellova lot o things wha
yo' all don't know, 'cordin' to yo' owl
statements" said the old man indig
nantly, "but reckon If they is any on,
thing what yo' is mo- ign'rant abou
nor yo' be bout anythin else it's poker
But even al that it sho' is amazin' wha
an amount of ign'rance yo' all on man
age to tote round. First principle o
poker is what one player is bound tC
git what another one loses"
.Oh, don't know, said Mr.. Pepper
still more exasperatingly Il done seer
it afo now what it done happened en-
sid able diff rent"
The usual procedure when Mr.. Pepper
undertook 30 ioin in conversation witt
the old man and his friends was to throw
him out, but his invarable habit OF
returning afterward had served to dis
courage even Joe Bassett, who seemed IL
take more pleasure than any OF the
others in the operation. On this occasion
they looked at one another with what
might have been taken as hopeless eX
preston while he babbled on, and per
haps fortunately for him, managed &c
arouse their interest by the very mex
sentence he uttered,
get into n game oncet what didn
come out nothin' like that They was
~ Il l... sl...,