The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1917-03-27

Tome IN Helena, on The banks Ol tht MlsAs-
ippi Jimmy Burke had spoken for her.
,nly the night before but the engagement
gas not vet announced, and She did not
are to have old man Catlin the first to
earn Of it. 50 she answered eyasiyely:
"Oh see him at Sunday-school occasion
ly,' picking at her dress to hide the blush.
nSunday-school, ch.' exclaimed the old
nan. That's something new for Jimmy
.hould have thought trying to swim the Mis-
issippi River again like he did last iall when
OH tried to coax him not to do it. or going
higher up rcketty dagpoles than any other
ad, would be more in Iimmy's line So he
tends Slinday-sehool does he Z"
f"Yes~Mr Catlin He has the class next
mine she answered softly.
"Well, well !" laughed the old man, throw
hg back his head They do say those dare
devils turn out all right sometimes. kind
Of recollect when Jimmy used to keep all the
other boys busy studying up something that
Jimmy would be afraid to do, but they never
hit'it, so far as | know"
81 believe Jimmy is inclined to be a little
venturesomc,' Nellie admitted, looking not
1t all displeased
"Venturesome the old man almost
shouted why, bless my soul. He's the
greatest daredevil ever heard tell Of
Didn't he walk right into the barn up at the
grocery when that barrel Of naphtha was al
most ahre and throw sand on it, and every one
else in town was making for the leveel' -
f"I think heard something about that
once" remarked Nellie demurely. She had
not only heard it, but had told it at least a
hundred times.
"Well the old man went on Iimmy's a
goung man now Must be nigh on twenty
two; but he hasn't lost his dislike for not tax
ng dare heard only last night that he
was thinking OF tackling that cattle mems
poker game"
"Oh, | am sure he would never do such a
thing as that" exclaimed Nellie quickly
Jimmy plays cards occasionally, but he
never m.yes with regular gamblers "
"Mavhe" observed the old man, medita-
lively, @Al know about it is that some OF
the boys in the village were saving they didn't
believe he had the nerve to tackle that game,
and all Jimmy did was to ask for more par
tculars about it, and how to get in it, and
when it was due down the river again Hello
Here comes Annie and your mother, 50 cal
oulate well have to be starting ior home,
and the old man stood up and shutiled toward
the other end OF the porch
Alone in he, room that night, and all the
next day, f,eie VAS only one thought in Nel
lies mind Jimmy was engaged to her now,
but he was actually thinking OF yenturipg into
the cattle rlca' s poker game
She could not remember the time when She
had not heard m,a talk in whispers abou,
that game Having always lived on ,hc
banks oi the Mississippi and being familiar
with the fox lore ol all th, iamol, boats lM,
passed her home and with stories oj many
that had Piled the stream in the old days, it
seemed to her that the cattle mcns polu
game was to the Mississippi River pretty
much what the l.orelei was to the Rhine
II was more than twenty years, her father
had told her oaee, since that game va'
started by some men from Texas yha tra,
eed up and down the river several times
year They called themselves cattle men
although people sand they were nothing bur
gamblers They PLAYED ior big money 40,
they PLAYED continuously from one end OF tn,
Journey tn the ottcr They seemed to wei
come any one who wished to Join them, bu
somehow or other they always won h
money never he theirs
Many a gambler had sat in that game WIFI
them, but none of them was ever heard q
boast Of having beaten it, ltWas sometime
ghispercd thai men had been known TO q,
on board a boat and win the cattle men
money and never been heard OF again Ob
tard ,harpcrs grew strangely silent when TIA
game 1as mentioned, and Mike Hopper on
Nth, cleycrest OF the old river sports. used al
sags % place his right hand over his left so a.
hilc an ugly looking scar, whenever th
pny,rsltion turned TO the cattle men an,
herp)scr game Although he would ncyc
dmi' It, il was said that the scar on Mike
! han WAS made by a owie-knile in the hand
q eIttie man that caught him putting tn
Hca, hlf OF the pack on the top after tn
lrj, ere cut.
go the boys have been daring Jimmy t.
q ,s luck in that game thought Nellie
~ jurse it was only talk, She told herself
Dr. nv vas not gambler, although he playc
Vii s md pool with the boys and occasion
Dys. the little ten-cent-limit game at tn
ptel 0 saturday nights To dare HIM {
Jay pc.sr with those dreadful cattle me
tould b asking man who could hardl
tanage a fse ana buggy, to drive fire er
)ne throu ,h tie streets at midnight.
The neyt time she saw Jimmy Rurke oh