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Show CAMPAIGN OP FREEZEOUT DEVELOPS NOTABLE FINISH Jim Blaisdell Travels Abroad to Meet the One-Eyed One-Eyed Man's Challenge; Planned by Owen Pepper. By DAVID A. CURTIS. IT is recorded in history that A rl-::i nsas City was originally called Napoleon. ,v.:a how or why Unit name was given to ! he little. se it lemon t. which was a ft I-1 w nrd to li DiiK: famous as the center of all the civilization that was to he found in the part of the world which It adorned la not record!. Shakespeare himself would have been unable to point out any special fitness of the place whi'-h could he pleaded an Justification for the chnire of that name. Willi reward to the titular distinction t ha I whs aftei wa rd bestowed on the place the case was entirely different. Ah time went on and the fact became apparent appar-ent that here was a place in whi'-h t lie mneriities t' life hud replaced the uncouth un-couth ness of e istence a mid such sur-roundiiign sur-roundiiign as nature had provided, It was found desirable to select a designation expressive of the elegance thai, ehaiac-terlzcd ehaiac-terlzcd the community. The popular couci-ptlon of what enn-fitituted enn-fitituted a metropolis having assumed a concrete form, ii was determined to call the place a city. As it was located in Arkansas, it was named Arkansas City. A si range delusion of t lie whole community com-munity was thus put on record. Lived Up to Title. Having declared the place lo lie a city, however, the inhabitants did the best tliev coul 1 to justify t lie title. A single-track single-track rai I road was const meted, on which a train ran from the boat landing to the interior of the slate and back at such seasons of the year as were free of floods. 1 A street was laid out along the levee,. ! t hat bid r it,' t lie only place where there was Riifticient foundation for one. And 1 a saloon was opened on that street nea r : to a building which served as a substl- ' liUn for a hotel. ! All the necessary provisions for city i life bavins thus been made and nothing ( further being possible under the existing conditions, nothing fu rther was a ttempted for a period of nia ny years. The residents resi-dents of Arkansas City were entirely satisfied sat-isfied mil no one else even stayed there long enough to suggest any tiling in the wav of progress. Two Industries only were prosecrted in S Arkansas City during the period described. de-scribed. One was the consumption of an alcoholic Moid known to the users of it (us whisky and the other was the nianipu-U nianipu-U i ion of playing cards. Hot it flourished the saloon mentioned under the fostering foster-ing cine of a gentleman locally known as old man (.ireenlaw. whose business sagac-ii sagac-ii y was so -ireat 'and whose methods In thp promotion of trade wore so forceful that the fame of A i kansas City as the great emporium of draw poker was soon established. Throughout the great southwest there was no other place where the great American game was played so cheerfully. j fo capably and so desperately as It was lu old man Greenlaw's little room at the bark of his saloon. Poker was played elsewhere, but nowhere else was it played as it was there. Knew Way by Inches. Even the one-eyed man admitted as much, and if anybody knew how poker was plaved at each and every point on. or bordering on, the Mississippi, the one-eyed one-eyed man did. It was conceded, willingly or unwillingly, by almost everybody who was qualified to judge, that with the possible possi-ble exception of Jim Blaisdell he was the greatest living expert of his generation. The wonder of It was that he was liying- "Them hellyons In Arkansas City," he said once, "sho' is almighty competent-I competent-I reckon th ain't nobody on airth c'n set in with 'em an" win out, not frequent, they can't. 1 done done it my own self onc't In a while, but I done It with my life in one hand an' a knife in t'other. An' at that they was mo' luck 'n they was good Jedgment into it." "Oh, I don't know." said Mr. Owen Pepper, with an appreciative grin. "I reckon yo' all showed tol'able good jedg-ment jedg-ment 'bout one thing." Whatever else could be said about Mr. Pepper, it .could not be averred truthfully that he was hesitant about joining in a conversation, even at the risk he certainly certain-ly ran on this occasion, of making himself unpleasant. It was not his conversation, or, at least, it had not been, up to that moment. There were no suckers on the boat, and consequently nothing for the passengers to do until the next landing should . be reached, and One Eye and a few others were merely beguiling the time with chat. And Mr. Pepper, though he was among them, was not of them. Annoyed by Interruption. One Eye was annoyed by the interruption. interrup-tion. It Irked him to have even his modesty mod-esty questioned, though he had so little of that quality as to parade it on rare occasions occa-sions only. He restrained himself, however, how-ever, and merely inquired, coldlv, "How was tha' ?" "Oh. I don't know. 'Pcared like vo' k no wed the right time fo' yo' to quit." said Mr. Pepper, and the very impertinence imperti-nence of his reply appealed to the one-eyed one-eyed man's sense of humor. "Well." he said, with an answering grin, "th' nin't not bin' mo' 'mpo'tant 'n that into a poker game. I don't never aim to quit loser. Mebhe thev mought 'a' been some jedement In quittin' like I done, but they wa nt much 'bout settln' in first off. I done done It three or fo' time. like I said, but I don't hanker a'ter no mo' on It. "I don't mind settln' Into no game," he continued, "if the players all sets un to the tai'Ie an' plays cyards, but where they's one on 'em prawls 'round with a bungstarter an' butts in 'cordin' to his own idees. inegyardless o the rules o' poker, it makes It too onsartln. Mo' 'spe- ial when the house rules is that a bung-starter bung-starter beats fo' aces. Nigh 'bout th" on'v thing they is to do when the old man plavs his bungstarter is fo' to lay down." "Oh. t don't know." said Mr. Pepner. "I don't never wait fo' no showdown when be gits readv f,,' to play it. 1 alwavs goes some-ers else." One Eye Shows Interest. "That's a tol'able eond way. too." said One Eve. "But just na- hullv it's some difTrem If man has a stack o" ehips on the table. He wants a show fo' his pile. un a matter o' ro'se. hut 'pears like th' ain't rruch of a show fo' gittin' of It." Mr. Pepper was both flattered and encouraged. en-couraged. The one-eyed man was showing show-ing more interest in his discourse than ) was accustomed to receive. It was as if One Eye. not understanding Mr. Pepper Pep-per very well, supposed that it was necessary neces-sary to keen him talking Instead of it he-In-r a practical Impossibility to make him ,w". Therefore Mr. Penper prattled on fs If lie were reMlv saving something and m.r erly making a noise. "Oh. I dnn't know." he said. "It mo":bt he did if it was went at rlsrht " "Mebhe it nonnght." retorted the one-eved one-eved man. "Most thin-s c'n be did if thev is went at right. Trouble is to know how to at 'em. 'Pears like thev ain't no uoofi way o' dnin on Jt. s fur's old ir;.r Creenlaw un' ids gang's concerned" "Oil. I don't know," said Mr. Pepper. ! "Mebhe it can't be did if a man was! to tackle th" hull on 'em to oncet. tike it's gen'Iy did. but If they was got to pla v one to a time I reckon thev e'd ' be bote, same's anybody else, onlv Blaisdell. Blais-dell. Ti-e others is all'crood plnvers, but they ain't so hellro.n rin' goud what they ain't nobody no better." Reputed to Be Terror. "That thar Mb. isdell person .ho' Is a holy l.-rror. "con! in' to what done heer'd," observed one of the little group of listeners, and this remark, too, seemed I l . . .. to annoy the one-eyed man. Tie was sensitive in some ways. " "fain't no gre't stunt fo' nobody to be a holy lei ror if he's got three side partners seisin" ju with him an' a elderly pirate standing by with a bungstarter." he said disparagingly. "I ain't a savin but what he understands the game good enough, but I'd sutt'nly 'dm ire to play him single-handed if they was any way o' gittin' him away fm Arkansas City, bul I reckon that can't be did." "' ill, 1 don't know." sa id Mr. Pepper eagerly. "I reckon that's a other thins c'n be did if It's went at right. If I was lo be d' c la red in onto the game mo' 'n likely I c'd 'range it." "They won't be no trouble 'bout that." said One Eye. "All's I want Is fo' to know what boat he's onto when he leaves home. I'll go yo' all a hundred to a dime both ways if he's wiilin' to play a freeze out. when I meet up with htm. I reckon thal'd ought fo' to be sat Isfact'ry." "Oh, I don't know." said Mr. Pepper. "Yo' all couldn't make it two, could yo'?" But it appeared that the one-eyed man could not, and It was presently arranged that Mr. Pepper should convey One, Eye's I challenge to the Arkansas City champion I with due precaution against Joe Hassett ' or old man Oreenlaw's being informed of j the proposed event. i Offer Snapped Up. "Reckon yo' all 'n do that?" asked One Eye. I "Oh, I don't know," said Mr. Popper, "but it 'II have to be did 'thouten them I two knowln' about It. Th' old man 'd 'hject 'count o' him not hein' In on the 'game his own self, an' Basse tt 'd trail j along fo' the puppose o' niansIaughterinV yo' all." "1 reckon he would," said One Eye carelessly, "an' I wouldn't care no thin' 'bout that no oilier time, but I'd P'fer plavin' the freeze out tirst off." "I never seen Blaisdell play my own self," said the gentleman who had previously pre-viously butted in, "but J's done heer'd a heap o' talk. I'll go yo' a hundred on the side what he wins if the game conies off." "Pone," said One Eye. "an' if they 's anybody wants any mo' o' the same I'll rover his money." But the others in the party were sufficiently impressed bv his air of confidence to fgnore his offer! and as the boat was then approaching Arkansas Arkan-sas City Mr. Pepper went ashore. It was not difficult for him to arouse Mr. Blaisdell's interest In the contest proposed pro-posed by the one-eyed man. though that gentleman frankly declared that he greatly great-ly preferred playing in Arkansas Citv to roaming abroad for adventure. "I reckon th' ain't no chanst o' him . comin hyar no mo', though," he said regretfully. "An' even if he was to Pas-ett Pas-ett "d bust up the game, sho' as shootin". 1 Joe sutt'nly does' crave fo' to kill him an' he's that tenipeschous what thev wouldn't be no way fo' to keep him outen It, 'thouten he was tied. But I ain't gwine alone. I reckon I'll git Winterbot- i torn to go along. Wanted No Help. "Don't make no mistake," he continued as lie noticed that Mr. Pepper seemed surprised. "I ain't noways skeert o' One lyo. I reckon lie can't use a knife no better 'n I kin a gun. Nor I don't want nohody settin' into the game with us. It I can't grit his wad lie's welcome to mine. L But they'll be others watchin' my plav. an' I'm gwine to have a witness along case o" him tryin' anv skull duggery an' me havin' to shoot. He can't make no bjections to that." "Oh, I don't know," said Mr. Pepper. They wa'n't nolhin' said 'bout witnesses. wit-nesses. 'Peared like all's he wanted was to to set In with yo' all. 'Tain t no mo' n reas'nable, though, vo" all havin' a witness along. Just nachully vo' 'd have to prove what he was cheatln' If vo' was to kill him. That needn't to Interfere with the game none. On'y thing is whr. Ill have to settle my bets with Mm afo they 's any play. I mought not git to c lect later on." 'hat hets ls them?" asked Blaisdell, and Mr. Pepper explained. "I wouldn't mind makln' a couple o' bets with yo' all the same way," he added add-ed Insinuatingly, but nil that Blaisdell said was, "I reckon likely yo' wouldn't." lhrSe weeks ,ater Mr- Blaisdell and .Mr. A interbottoni returned from a trip which they had taken together and interbottoni told the story of It in response re-sponse to old man Greenlaw's demand for an explanation. "I s done played poker ever since I was old enough to eat," he said, "but I'll be doggoned if I ever seen no sich of a game Set u will? 1i1mEyed PUt UP WhEn We No Preliminaries. l'T',ley w'nt, n P'liminaries. Both on em knowed what was gwine to be did mVpv tW.e?'to " lm'eJit- I reckon thej must a been mo' V less talk went .round afohand. fo' thev was mo' 'n Ifoty spo'ts lookin' on, but they wa'nt nobody said nothln'. not till 'twas 'all over I reckon, though, what they won't nothln: flench whi abUt n U,e batS f' a "I reckon they must 'a' played nigh bout two days an' nights afo' either on em got ahead none. 'Peared like thev wa nt no mistakes made, an' thev wa'n't ? i J"""' . but runin' dead heats. acUo'n y B0ukIn't nev be no "But bimeby I seen by One Eve's expression ex-pression vhat he was gwine to make th' seen It. so I says to myself what th' end was comin . An' sho' 'nough it come One tye was dealln' fm new deck, an they couldn't nohody see nothin1 outer, the way In the deal. Not even 1 m couldn-t." And he looked at BlalsdelT who nodded In confirmation ' "They both on 'em bet to a finish afo' the draw, not neither on 'em havin' no mo money. Then they both stood pat an' showed down two royals, both on 'em n hearts. I grabbed One Eye's knife offen o1ne,slde."SOmeb0dy k"Ckei Jims "un old'mam h'COrVe ' '"e POt?" asked 'e 'iT'!f-y wa'n-t nothin' to do but split it " said intei bottom. p ' |