The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-15
OLD MAN GREENLAW
DEFENDS HIMSELF
Resents the Attack Two
Strangers Make on His
Monopoly Of Trade.
NEW POKER GAME STARTS
NJ DAVID A.. CURTIS.

II was not to be supposed that q
virtual monopoly Of the two lines OF
business which paid best OF my In Ar
kansas City should continue to be en-
joyed by old man Greenlaw without
an effort being made from time to time
to encroach on that monopoly. Even
in q community In which there were
few individuals possessed OF the iniria-
tive which chaSokeGized him. 1t was
almost Inevitable that there should be
some who envied him for his prosper
ity and coveted a portion at least Of
his very considerable gains. For the
most part these individuals expended
their emotions In vain l%ongings. for
the average citizen Of Arkansas City
was not unlike the average man else
where, and was more likely to desire
some specific thing than he was TO make
any very determined effort to- obtain
It. Old man Greenlaw. however. was
by no means to be ciassed as an aver
age man. and he. having attained the
proud prominence he so greatly en-
5oyed, was not minded to yield Il TO
another. Being wary and resource
full. moreover. he had not only builded
up his business to a condition in which
II insured him the respect OF the COM
munity, but he had retained IL and in
creased It by degrees, despite the occa-
sional efforts Of ambitious rivals. until
his saloon was easily the first in rank
OF the many in the river towns in the
Mississippi Valley.
Not only that, but he had, by means
OF a judicious combination, established
n poker game in connection with his bar
business that was spoken Of through
out the valley in many ways. Not
every one who mentioned 1t did so
Pleasantly. but none denied that Il was
a very whale Of a game. And the pe-
cuniary gains he obtained from the
game In his back room. while not as
steady as those which came from the
trade over his bar. were fully as large
II not larger in the long run.
There was no question that the
liquor he sold compared favorably with
any that was to be procured in other
saloons In that part OF the
II 1t was not of the very first quality
II was at least potent. The whole Mis-
sissippi River flowed past his door. bu,
ne was never known to water the con
tents Of his bottles.
1t might he said also, with regard
10 the poker game In his back room.
mat II. too. was undlluted. Whatever
might be said Of its purity. there was
no denying Its potency. And the old
man was won to vaunt himself aloud
with regard to the way II was con
Quoted.
TIL amt nobody en- say what he
wa ever did outen no money at poker
IN my place" he was accustomed TO
say. Stands to reason he can't be. g
long = the house rules is KEEP. and III
amt never no change in them. one
rule is chips TO money an money TO
chips.
Say n man sets in with a wad,
First thing ne does is to buy chips.
Wei. he gifts what he pays TO, don't
he? He counts 'em as a matter o.
co'se. and II he didn't git all was comm
to him. he'd put up a roar, wouldn't
he? Co'se he would. Well, tn amt
nothin' outen the way In that, is they?
Co'se tn amt.
"Then, when he quits. he fetches his
chips to me-. an | gives him the money
TO- 'em. They can't no man Twin
say what ! ever refused to cash all
the chips he had when he quit the
game. Then the money question Is
all right, amt II? Co'se IL is. They
can't nobody lose no money into the
game.
90 co'se. It's different about the
chips. Most genly somebody loses
chips q piayin'. They wouldn't be
aothin' IN the game IL they want no.
oody lose nothin'. for they couldn',
nobody win nothin' under them cir
cumstants. Just nacherully some
body does lose chips. most al'ays when
they is a game in the back room. TIL
amt nothin' s'prisin, in that. But they
Amt nobody never lose no money.
sEvon at that the In some talks
calumnous, an tn amt nothin' makes
me redheaded ekl to that. Stands tC
reason the game must be straight. O
co'se l can't be there all the time. I've
got my bar to look alter, but I've done
~ li's ~ ~ ~ "a
never saw nothin' into it what | I'd
find no fault with. Mon that. they
couldn't he. 70 II they was they'd sho
be sumpin' diddin' in the way o
Whence. an that's ag'in' the house
rules. I don't never low no shootin' or
my premises. an II they was any
crooked business goin' on they'd be
shootin'. Me putin a stop to the
shootin' does away with the crooked
business. That's logic. an they can't
nobody git away from II. It's p. d. Q,
as the lawyers says. That's Latin an
II means proved damned quick"
Despite these assertions, and the
old man made them in substance
whenever he discussed the subject
there were those who believed tina
the prosperity Of the community
would be enhanced II his monopoly
especially in the matter Of draw poker
could be broken.
Stands to reason" said m of these
maicontents. what they'd he no
strangers come to town II they was c
chanst TO- EN- to win somepin' one
In a blue moon Way tits now tn
amt no show TO- nobody not to VII
nothin' never, an old man Greenlav
an his pals hawGs it all. They don't no
body else git nothin', Pears like h,
reckons what hes the hull town"
Such talk, however. so long as il
was confined to his fellow townsmef
troubled the old nan not "A whit. III
knew them. and reckoned their ami
madversion as Of the same Importance
approximately. a. the blowing OF {
nanny uhiatla in "a cyclone II Np,