Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-08-13
STRANGER ENTERS :.
..
llnrll nnntu
., n VHlII Ctp
4 MIN loliuLI u!Ll
ale Plays Poker Extremely Well In
- Old Man Greenlaw's Back
-. Room.
GETS AWAY WITH WHOLE ROLL
Pays No Attention to Hands and
= Chips. but Stuffs Money in Pocket
= and Boards Boat Leaving for Other
H.. Parts.
BY DAVID A. CURTIS.

Strangers had frequently walked into
n old man Grccnlaw's little saloon IN
ne Arkansas City before this incident oc-
:, Cured. During the years that he had
@ac ca rried on his business there had been
irsmany OF them.
;tuArkansas City if he happened to nc
), there long enough to realize what his
surroundings were even though no
- might be SWORN foe OF the demon
"a alcohol when he was at home. 1T would
become n necessity for him to relieve
his feelings in some way, and there
were only two ways in which he could
find relief in Arkansas City. One way
was TO GO into a saloon. and the other
was 10 go down to the margin of the
river and blow his brains out.
Those who elected the latter course
would 70 to the river front and con-
trive so thst their poor remains In
falling should pitch forward into the
water and 80 be carried away from
Arkansas City by the swift moving cur
rent. In this way they avoided stay
Ing in the place permanently. II
OF course entirely feasible to get away
lin this fashion. hut there was an inn
mediate tiuality involved i'll the pro-
cedure which made 1t somewhat less
attractive 10 the majority of strangers
than going into saloon. The result
OF doing the latter might I've equally
a.
-see the difference.
Thus it happened that strangers had
heen in old man Greeulaw's before. but
the old man himself had seldom been
SO greatly impressed by the appear
ance OF any one Of them as he was by
n who at this time came with lord
" stride altogether inharmonious with
his general appearance. Il was as II,
being DESTROYS OF putting his best foot
forward, and being somewhat doubtful
as 10 which OF the TWO was his best.
,he WIS trying 10 M, them both for
ward at the same time. Aside from
his stride. however. there was little
"a bout him that could he called lordly. ,
.., He sCuintcd. No one who looked at
him closely would he likely to fail TO
notice that. II gave him both sinis-
ter and rollckinr air 1t was as IL
he looked askance al life and found |
keen delight in whatever was amiss.
The scare OF an old wound at one
end of his mouth and a merry dmplc !
close to the opposite corner heightened
the inconGruity of his appearance.
which in addition to these pcculiaritics
presented Sundry other features which
old man Grecnlaw deemed Hro,csuuc.
As has heen said already, tho old man
was strongly impressed at tho first
sight of him, but the impression was
far from being favorahl" on" His
clothes did not ~ him and he liSped.
LISP WISHED ONT0 Nm
WHEN HE cor CASH N FACE
They is them" said the old man in
relating the circumstances after
ward. what ltsps uach'ul hut reckon
mebbe IL was wished onto that zap
when he got that cash in his face
They couldn'; nobody make a nachul
noise like he done made when he made
rout TO talk, ike 'Twa'n't noways easy
,fc' 10 understand him. no, all the
time"
&c
stranger was excited. as he became "A
little later. Sam Pcarsall was very
deris!ve I'm his characterization of the
mans hittcrauce of certain words con-
tanning sihilant sounds. But nobody
.mistook his meaning when he adj
-ranced TO the bar and said: "Letth
A,liGuor.'
? They lipuorcd. and the stranger said:
"I,h thith Arkanthaw Thity?"
Well IL mouGh, he called that" said
the old man. little doubtful!y. blu,
l never herd /, afo Mostly we uns
calls il Arkansas CITY"
"Tharth what ,haid," said the
stranger
No. I'm BE- dawroned if i, is" said
the old man enphatically You thaid
Arkanthaw Thity"
Then he paused. pcrcciv;ng that ir,
his excitement he had mimickcd the
man more faithfully. imam he had in.
tended, and lavfG a certain sense OF
humor he c-inncd But the stranger
failed 70 the Joke.
Whatth the dincrcnthc" he ask Cd
We'll, ntbhe they aint none" said
Old man Groen!aw. still! rr!nnimg good
natu-ed!y. "l.castways faint wuth no
argument IN: sposin Ills Arkansas
CITY. what Of IL"
"Nothin mu'l" said The stranger
coniemp,uo"sly "On'y wcckoned IL
muih' be never theen no rls The
II. -