Omaha daily bee., 1922-04-09
Lure Of Gambling, Lore Of the
Old Texas, Love Of Women,
and Luck Of Cowboy.

tonis was wide open and the killings averaged
one a night lie said II had some kind OF IN
tsresting things In IL. but he didn't see how !
could make any Use OF IL my trade, because
II didn't have no dramalls pefsehae
Shutter amnlihed this. Unless he was mis-
iaksn-in which case I could correct him. but
he knew he wasnt-dFamatis personas meant
characters IN q drama, drama hhh 10 nave
hero and n heroine and a villain and probably
some comedians. Maybe you could get along
without hero heroine, but not without
both Of them. and the fact that there were two or
three YilInlns wouldn't make up for ". And
in this yarn about the time June klneald helped
her father go after Cole Gurney's roll the lead
ing man was fool cow puneher VINO drank 100
much and the only woman In the whole east was
a hell cat and dammit you couldn't make that
kind Of material into heroes and heroines. could
you7 lie left II 10 me. straight,
While admitting the probability that his
point was well taken. encouraged Shutter TO
proceed with his "reminiscences II is not often
or easily that he speaks OF the ancient days. and
when he does. although he sometimes rambIes
and has queer ideas OF what are tho important
and unlmp portant parts OF his stories, his speech
frequently drips precious Jewels OF Information.
"Was this daughter OF Kincaid's the hell
cat?" asked. TO get him going smoothly.
II wasn't mistaken, II was the sight OF
bunch OF pretty girls who had Just arrived there
where we sat on the roof garden of the Hotel
Bonham that had started him. There were four
OF them. all aged somewhere around 70 all
dainty and vivacous and bubbling over with
youth one OF them In particular. brown.
haired. brown-eyed maid with n misehevious
mouth and a delicious creamy coloring or skin
that was all her unartfcia own. especially held
my eve. They In filmy summer frocks
fresh from dinner party. perhaps. and
with a quartet OF clean-looking boys ana
plump chaperon had como to dance.
I had gushed a triHe over their attractive
and
them in silence. fallen into reverie. and come
out OF II to say:
IT never told you. did l. about how Nelss
kincaid planted three cards cold at the bottom
of the box and had his girl tip Cole Gurney to
'em-crooked?" Following this came his dis
sertation as to the absence OF value to Writing
man of a story without hero or heroine.
Hell cat was right" he agreed. to my query.
"She was sure bad-and she wasn't. You get
me- don't you? One of those girls that raise
hell with n man and always stop short OF paying
for 1t. There didn't anybody use this here WORD
'yamp' in those days. II they had, that was
June Kincaid. She didn't have any mother and
she didn't have any principles to speak OF, ana
her father was bad hombre with pair OF
hands that could do things to deck OF caros
old Hermann the Card King never even dreamed
Of. and the luck never to get caught at It. Cold
steel nerve, too. Would take chance and pull
q thing right under the noses OF whole mousse
full of gamblers that were wise to all the tricks
and looking for them; wait till tell you. But
knowing when to take his medicine ana call
1t a day; you'll see that, too"
1t became apparent. now. that Shutter Smell
was going to. speak of matters regarding which,
ordinarily, he is to say the least noncommittal
He is not accustomed to admit that in the
period when he was connected with temples OF
chance he ever was concerned with any of the
tricks of his profession not recognized as iegul-
mate; indeed have many times heard him as
sert that it had been his principle never to be
employed by any gambler who was not strictly
on the level.
shutter has been respectable for more than
20 years having possessed the foresight to buy
centrally located land in San Antonio at time
when it could be had for song, and. as he once
confdentially informed me, not such darn
musical song at that. He has intimate frienos
among the 0et people OF the older cattle set.
Not every one among his acquaintance knows
that in youth he 9 gambler, and those who
ere told IT. are given to understand that he was
Invariably square gambler. which have found
usually to mean one who does not cheat unless
the other fellow starts it. Thus this almost ad-
miring comment of his relative to the dexterlty
Of Nelss Kincaid was an unexpected admission.
$50 she went vamping along, and getting
away with It," he said, "and by and by along
comes this Cola Gurney"
Gently reminded him that this was hardly
the place for tale to begin He hadn't told me
how she vamped and why.
June Kincaid he went back to say, was
something like 1S or 10 years old then, and as
pretty as they made them. And nobody had
ever had much of anything to do with bringing
her up except old Nelse, who had his own ideas
as to how pretty daughter should be helpful
to the proprietor of notorious gambling house.
Nelse would have killed the man that
wronged her in minute, and he kept strict
track Of her comings and goings and saw to 1t
ahat she kept straight, although 1T was no more
than fair to say that she never showed any In
- y k,,t<
and morals, and the kind that June kincaid
had would have fitted those young ladies that
sat on the bench and combed their hair and
sang songs that induced sailors, according to
that old story, to steer their boats plumb on the
rocks Yes, that's the word Sirens.
She never associated with the dance hall
rirls; in fact 1t was seldom that she went on
to the floor and danced-never, unless there was
a victim in tow. Her activities were In the
gambling room and at the bar, when the crowd
lined along it was not too rough where she had
a sort Of private personal place at the end near
est the gambling room at which she held court,
as you might say greeting her friends and en-
courasing them to believe this the night
when luck would break their way at the tables
Especially favored friends she drank with. but
a certain monotony distinguished her orders.
Invariably she called for little gin, and was
served out OF a special bottle with a third Of a
whisky glass Of excellent spring water. On oc-
cason she showed the effect OF her potations
mildly; she had most convincing cough that
sometimes followed tossing the fiery stuff into
her throat.
Young men off the range, known to have
A. desirable quantity of cash on hand and to be
careless with their savings when illuminated
found her an affable person. Nese selected
them After they had drunk freely-out OF no
bottle OF innocuous spring water-and her in
senuous brown eyes had worked havoc with
their sense OF values. tolling them over to one
Of the roulette wheels or up against faro bank
was really no feat at al. Especially II, their