| Show t 1 i A i A AI J I Mysterious Poker Player L g His us is Warm W rm Reception in in the Village of Brownsville I y Chicago Inter Ocean After the river was frozen up and J the boats could no longer lonser ply the upper Mississippi the only approach to Brownsville from tram the other river towns fl was by the stage stagG sleigh that came from La Crosse ThIn crossed three times JR a week each way wayS and occasion occasionally occasionally ally brought some stranger to the town though why a stranger should come unless he arrived on a boat that would presently carry him further along on his way was a thing Browns Brownsville Vile ville could not readily understand It was therefore with mUd mild surprise that the citizens of the place saw one Jack Tack BrItton Jump out of ot the low box sleigh Nothing was said to him when he alighted It was not way to greet newcomers with enthusiasm enthusiasm enthuSiasm But such of the citizens that hap happened happened happened to ba bo near lined up Uj expectantly in front of Sams Saras bar when Mr Brit Britton Britton Britton ton after stamping his feet a few times and thrashing his arms across his chest to get his blood in circulation circulatIon circulation tion entered the bar barroom room and walked over to the stove to warm his fingers After he stood there for a few min minutes minutes mm utes and had presumably recovered from the chill chUl of the long ride t he stepped up to the bar and called aUed for some whisky His manner was that of a man who is immersed in thought and for th the moment he seemed not to observe that there were others pres present present ent mt Sam produced a bottle and glass and andset andset andset set them on the bar and Mr Britton poured out a drink for tor a grown man He did not know It or it seemed as if It Ith h he did not but the eyes of the com corn community were fixed upon him That is eyes belonging to some eight or nine representative citizens of Brownsville were so fixed and for one critical moment there appeared to be bea bea a 0 strong probability that Mr Britton would fall fail to establish himself on any footing which would entitle him to fa ta In some mysterious way he became aware of this without anything being said Being as he was was the focus of eight distinct glares of surprise he be became became became came aware that something was wrong and pausing In the very act of lifting his glass he looked slowly around and then said heartily enough Excuse me gentlemen Wont you Join me They would and they did and it re remained remaIned remained possible for Mr Britton to tomake tom make m e a good impression The mere fact that he was unusual would not noto notor of or o itself itsel damn him hopelessly but the curious behavior of a man who would come so 50 near a fatal breach bf be eLI eti etiquette quette queUe In apparent unconsciousness was enough to raise a doubt and while the doubt remained Brownsville was not likely to make overtures Jim Bixby the stage driver had swallowed his liquor and gone outside to attend to his horses and after atter an interchange of glances among some of the others In the room Larry Hennes Hennessy sy slouched out through the door and was lost Jost to sight Making his way to the stable where Bixby was rubbing his horses down he stood for a few moments looking on Presently he said mon inside yonder Is he a aLa aLa a aLa La Crosse man I 1 dont know Bixby finished with one horse and began on the other before he answered Then he said Hes wry orty been around fr about a week weak Come fm east Been cards a good bit in Russells place pl te Left kind 0 o sudden hear much about It ft but they was some kind of r a in a game t last flight ight have to say sa S1 comin over This marvel of at succinctness being duly absorbed by Hennessy and report reported ed to the community in a much en enlarged oh en enlarged form was sufficient to prepare Brownsville for the campaign which Mr Jack Tack Britton entered catered upon forth forthwith forthwith forthwith with Having once shaken off the pre preoccupied preoccupied preoccupied occupied and abstracted air which he wore when he arrived In town he de developed devet developed vet into a jovial freehanded man manof manor manor or of convivial tendencies though sparing in his own conception of ot Sams liquor and an l was accepted readily enough as asa a nomad whose occupation was that of ofa ofa ofa a professional gambler It oIt might have been supposed be because because because cause of certain previous experiences that Brownsville would wo e reluctant to afford Mr BrUton Britton an opportunity to exercise his skill but Brownsville in some respects was like the rest of the world arid and Long Mike and McCarthy were both b th residents in the place I Sure I do be that McCar McCarthy McCarI I thy can play p y more oke an win less lessI I money than any other mon In Iowa said Stumpy when he came into the bar room that night and found a game In progress as he had hadr indeed shrewd shrewdly ly suspected would be the case Long Mike was also aim in the game but Long Mike sometimes won laving having remarkable re remarkable remarkable streaks of luck such as Mc McCarthy McCarthy McCarthy Carthy never seemed to get And the man was playing too so that there was really no reason to suppose that the stranger was the only man manat manat manat at the table who understood all the I tricks of the game Hennessy had bought a stack of chips and even eyen Stumpy though th ugh he was wasa a prudent man usually was soon In Interested Interested interested enough to ask fOr f a hand hancL As S there was no objection he took the seat It cost him only 55 5 for a n stack and andas as the game was table stakes S there was isas a chance for him either to go broke speedily or to win considerable money At first it seemed likely that he might do the latter for the very first hand he picked up had three kings Long Mike was dealing and It was Henness ls age so Stumpy had first say he having sat down between Hen Ben Hennessy Hennessy nessy and McCarthy Ill rn play he said throwing in his red chip with the two whites that Hen Hennessy He Henessy Hennessy nessy had put up for an ante McCarthy played also It was Vas to be expected that he would for it was as ashard ashard ashard hard for him to stay out as it was I Ito to win The on eyed man came in Britton raised it and Long Mike and Hennessy laid down Sure Ill raise that said Stumpy making it 1 more McCarthy swore but even his optimism optimIsm optimism was not enough to induce him to see a double raise on two nines and he threw down his cards The one eyed man and Britton both made good however and they called for lot cards Stumpy took two which proved to tobe tobe tobe be a small pair The man took one and Britton stood pat Stumpy threw In a white chip be being beng being ing ng sure of a raise raI e but the man dropped He had not bettered his two pairs Britton raised it 1 and Stumpy pushed all his chips forward A king full seemed worth backing and when Britton called he showed them down triumphantly Give me another an ther stack was all that Britton said as he threw down ha his cards c r s sIt It may have been part of or his plan to lose at first and in any case the loss was not heavy enough to daunt him but he smiled as cheerfully as if he had won There was no play on deal and a jackpot was w s made Stumpy dealt next and caught three kings again No one opened until it came to him and he put up tip the size of the pot hardly expecting any styers Brit Britton Britton Britton ton however came in taking taiLIng a 3 chance on a red and a black eight and Long Mike decided to tei speculate on a four flush Neither of them bettered better d and d Stumpy showed his kings and took the pot Lucky cards said Britton and no other othel comment was made Again there was no play and another jackpot was made It was not ot opened for tor two deals but when the cards came cameto to Long Mike in turn Stumpy was wan was fairly amazed to find that once more he had three kings It did did not look right and if f It had been BrIttonS deal he would have hes hesitated hesitated about playing them then but Long Mike was above suspicion so he opened the pot with cheerful ch erful confidence confidence confidence dence Again Britton n was among those who w o came in Jn McCarthy and Long Mike both finding enough to justify a play but they all took three excepting Stumpy and nd he was quite easy in his mind when he bet 2 BrUton Britton was the o only of ne ne to in call and he said with witha a laugh Ive re a notion to raise you but may maybe maybe maybe be you have them three kings again I r have ave said Stumpy St and nd scooped the pot again They all stared but Britton was the only one to k If I was you he said In a nasty way I play them kings so frequent You might get beat on em eIn next Now there are men to whom a re ye remark remark mark of this sort may be made with without wIthout out immediate trouble but such men m n nare are not Irishmen of the peculiar red redness redness redness ness as to hair and beard that Stumpy had haa He flared in an nn instant play thim cards Ol 01 Oldo I Ido do be gettin gattin to play he said with great heat An if ony gintle man I l th room fm La Crosse or any other place has anything to say Old Oid bike loike t hear what it Is Oh well said Britton I said what I had to stay sta It dont look well for tor or any man to hold three kings all aU the time LIme timeA Av A v its a question of o 0 looks said Stumpy very coolly but with evident wrath Oi 01 dont bike loike th looks o that nose you do be round wid youse looked around but seeing that no rio one else at the table was likely to side with him In case of trouble he controlled himself with an effort 11 4 Taint as good lookin as Id like to have it Me lie said with a forced laugh but its the only one An OI 01 do be interrupted Stumpy it ud look a dom sight bet better better better ter av it was longer lonser lon er Perhaps It would said Britton BrUton still reluctant to accept the quarrel but But shouted Stumpy reaching over and grasping the fea Lea feature feature ture he had mentioned Maybe It lt K a little IittI it good And he be beye gave ye it a mighty might tweak ve 3 k Two things only were possible aft after a er ei that in lb and unfortunately cately ly for Mr n ne he chose the th wrong Wron one A standup fight with ith na natures tur tures ra would have haye established I 1 as a person worthy y of consideration co tion even en though ne lie had been well vell licked but tut he was vas not in the habit h bit of fighting in that fashion Lashon and ha he reached r ach d for his hi gun It wa was an unlucky movement Long Mike to hint and as they all aU rose to their feet teet in the excitement nt the big bg man seized him by b the wrist w st and the th neck leek and shaking him as a dog shakes a rat he exclaimed ex Ye Yell l pull pUIt no po BUnIn gun ln Brownsville Browns ye ye An Alt yell yeU U nd ny 1 In this town tow that wants to t play kings can play as many thany as me he ie bikes lolkes an n as often as he h bikes An the bikes lokes o a ayes oyez oyez yes can get back to La Crosse Crose ye ya loike And after alter he had shaken BrittOn Britta suf silL sufficiently sufficiently he threw him into the th corner cornet of the room When thc was well velI out outon outon on 01 the frozen river surface next day Jim Bixby turned to his passenger and said briefly Them fellers in Brownsville kind o 0 stands stan ds by each other most generally i But the passenger made no reply I |
