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Show QUALITY IS BROUGHT INTO THE GREENLAW POKER GAME Colonel Blinkom's Dignity Impresses the Old Man . and the Other Players at His Saloon and Results in a Polite Invitation. By DAVID A. CUETIS. i-t-HEY sho' is some dawggone I queer thiugs about the qual-I qual-I ity," said old man Greenlaw as he stood in the doorway of his little saloon in Arkansas City and saw a gentleman of distinguished appearance, ap-pearance, who looked to be somewhat older than he himself was, coming slowly slow-ly along the sidewalk toward his place. "Th' ain 't nobody got mo' respek fo' "em 'n what I has," he continued in a tone that carried conviction of his absolute ab-solute sincerity, '-'but that ain't to say what I can't reelize how queer they be Borne ways. I reckon old Cunnel Blin-kom Blin-kom 'd be just as proud an' hottv 's he al'ays was if he hadn 't had nothin' to eat fo' a week, what I wouldn't be np.-ays s 'prised if he hain 't on 'v f o ' Jim bein's fur fr'm. home 's he is"right now. 'Pears like he must 'a' got money f 'm some 'res or somebody f o ' to pay his fare. "I reckon mebbe it mought be what some mo' of his kin mought a done died an' lef him a other fo'tune, on 'y f o ' him bein ' sober 's he 'pears to be. I never seen him right sober afo', not when he had money, but then again mebbe he ain't as" sober 's he looks. ''Vo' can't al'ays tell 'bout a man like him, not 'thouten yo' gits clos't up to him, an' then yo ' can't al'ays. He's done been that' away f o ' mo'n fo'tv year now to my knowledge." "Th"' ain't nothin ' queer about that," said Jake Winterbottom, who, with two or three others, was standing near old man Greenlaw enjoying the fresh air of a mild winter day m Arkansas "I've knowed roustabouts was that-away. that-away. ' ' About Carrying a Jag. "Well, I ain't a-sayin' what they 's anythin' p'tie'lar queer about havin' a jag that can't be reeo'nized fr'm a distance." retortpd the lnthpr "What. I done said was what quality was " dawggone queer 'bout some things. O' co se they's human like ev'rybody else, an' they does things humanlike, 's fur "s cyarryin ' their liquor goes, but they's a heap o' things what they does diff'rent, an' some on 'cm sho' is queer. ' ' "As what?" demanded Sam Pearsall, as one desirous of getting at the root of the matter. He was not always tolerant of general statements. "Well," said the old man, somewhat taken aback, "I dunno's I c'n tell '.xaetly, not so 's 't yo' uns c'n onder-stand onder-stand "it rightly. Prob 'ly thev wouldn't nobody onderstand it, not 'thouten he ias a good jedge o' human natur', but they sho ' be queer. ' ' f "They's others," said Joe Bassett profoundly.. "Most ev'rybody 's queer, mo' 'r less, 'xcepting' we uns, an' they .is times " Here he broke off ab- 'iptly and shook his head as if to say that he could specify if he felt disposed, dis-posed, but regarded it as superfluous to do so. "Well, s'posin' they be," retorted the old man with some signs of exasperation. exas-peration. "That ain't to say what quality ain 't. Thev 's other tilings what's white b -sides cotton, but they ain't no law agin' savin' what cotton 'a white. I reckon I "c Jn say what the Quality 's queer, like they sho' .be, thouten bein' callei on f o ' to go into no argiment fo' to uphold a genl preposition. prep-osition. ' ' Ready to Discuss. "Mebbe eo,M said Jim Elaisdell, who seemed to enjoy as keenly as the others oth-ers did the prospect of' rousing the old man's temper to the point at which he would throw off restraint. "Mebbe so, but 'pears like th ain't no call fo' to keep on a savin ' of it all day. "S'posin' they be queer. I shJd say what it 'd answer ail practie '1 pup poses f o ' to mention the fack an' let it go at that. 'Stead o' which yo' all pears to be hell bent on sayin' of it over an ' over. I "I don't give a hoot my own self: how queer they be. They don't trouble me none, nor I don't never have nothin' noth-in' to do with none on 'em not 'thouten 'thout-en they sets into a game, what I've knowed "em to do frequent on the boats. 'Pears like they ain 't sich a hellova lot o' diffrence betwixt them an' nobodv else when it comes to play-in play-in ' poker. 7 When Mr. Blaisdell began this speech, which was rather longer than he was accustomed to make, he being somewhat taciturn by habit, the old man was undoubtedly angry. Being devilled by his associates was no new experience to him, but he never became sufficienly used to it to take it calmly, and the others looked forward with pleasurable anticipation to an outbreak of some sort. As the speaker rambled along, however, how-ever, from one point to another, the old man appeared to be collecting himself him-self for the delivery of some retort that should be crushing in 'iforce and sufficiently apt to silence his tormenters, maintaining an ominous silence meanwhile. mean-while. But when Mr. Blaisdell meandered mean-dered discursively around tot the sub ject; oi draw poker the old man s attitude at-titude changed. Try to Arouse Ire. It was the one thing which he was always most ready to discuss. He seemed about to say something pertinent perti-nent to the subject, but at the moment the distinguished looking gentleman before mentioned arrived within speaking speak-ing distance and old man Greenlaw turned toward him. "How d'ye, Cunnel Blinkom," he said, doffing his hat. "I's right glad to see yo' lookin ' as peart ?s yo' be." "I thank, yo', sub, ' said the stranger stran-ger with much dignity, pausing a little as he spoke and touching his own hat courteously. "My health is right good, suh." And he would have passed on, but the old man spoke again. "Beg pahdon, Cunnel," he said, "but I's got some monstrous fine old peach an' honey inside, an' I'd be mighty proud if yo ' all 3d step in an' try a little of it. Yo' won't find no better liquor nowheres in the hull south, an' I'd like to have yo1 'pinion o' it." "I thank yo ', suh," said the stranger again, very politely, but even more dig-nifiedly dig-nifiedly than before, "but I nevah drink." And this time he did pass on. For a single moment the old man gazed after him with a blank expression, expres-sion, then he staggered inside the saloon and sank into a chair as if stricken helpless. After a little, however, he recovered himself sufficiently to reach for his vest pocket and take a cigar therefrom. Placing it between his teeth, he bit It squarely in two, and mechanically began eating the smaller end of it. It was plain that he did not realize what he was doing, do-ing, for he showed no relish for the morsel mor-sel even after he swallowed it. but as if still dazed he fumbled in another pocket for a match and, havin found one, he lighted the other part of the cigar and began smoking it. Begins to Mutter. A few moments later he became partly conscious and began muttering. Thev listened to him carefully and presently discovered that he was trving to ask some question. Then he succeeded in asking it. "Did he say what he nevah drinked?" he murmured doubtfully. "Sho" did," said Jake Winterbottom, and the old man relapsed. After a brief interval, however, he came to again. "I was reck'nin' what they must "a." been somep'n' wrong with my ears," he said feebly, "but if he really said it th' ain't on'y one way o' 'xpiainin' it. The Cunnel is done got religion. " 'Tain't noways reas'nable, but they couldn't nothin" else keep him fr'm peach an" honey. He wouldn't no mo' quit drirvkln 'n a mule 'd leave his barley bar-ley if ho hadn't a went up to the mo'nars' bench sorne'res an' done found peace. Proves what I done said. Quality sho' is almighty queer. "They couldn't nobodv hut his own self make me b'lieve what Cunnel Blinkom ! d tionp Eiit rel i cinn on' Ua i.iun't ., did it if he hadn't proved it conclusive, r mought a reckoned what he'd done lose bis reason, on'y he didn't never have none to lose not enough, that is, fo' to keep him fr'm bein" queer. "He al'ays was thataway. like I done said, but he wa'n't never queer enough fo' to do nothin' o' that kyind. T reckon his pa must 'a' turned ovah in his grave afo' now, long o' ihe Cunnel havin' tooken up witli them modern idpes." "I was kyind o' ret k n'in what vo' all was Pome -queer yo' own self." said Joe BuPsett. "I never seen vo' all stop nobody no-body on the street afo' an' ast 'em in fo' to have a drink at yo' 'xpense. 'Peared like somepin' must 'a' busted loose in yo" haid." Becomes Apologetic. "No." said the old man apologetically and very earnestly. "I reckoned it this way. I knowed the Cunnel wouldn't lie 's fur's he is fr'm home not 'thouten he had money fo' trav'lin' 'xpenses, an' th' on'y way he was liable fo' to have tat was fo' him tn fall into a other fortune. for-tune. The Plinkoms Is al'ays a dyin' an' leavin' htm money. I've knowed him to be rich fo' a spell seven or eight times. "Whenever he gets thataway long o' money bein' left to him he sets to right 'ndustrious try in' to git rid of it. An' lie does it rapid. "My idee was to git one or two mo" drinks into him an" jo' yo' tins to start a game into the back room. If that'll 'a' been did sucresM'ut they couldn't nobody 'a' kept the Cunnel out o' the game with guns. But no. He wouldn't 'a' went by like he done if he hndn't a got religion, an' if he's d!d that sufficient fo' to quit drinkin' 'tain't no ways likely what he'll set into no pa me. "It's like what the Good Book says. 'Whoa is me. How is the mighty fell!" Fo' the Cunnel sho' was one good loser at poker when he was hisself." It wiis plain that The old man was mourning as one without hope, and Ills friends, now th:it they understood wir.it he had been aiming at. nodded sympa -t helically. It was as hurd for them r.s it wmh for him to s-e such a possibiiffy f;ide into nothingness. Mr. ( wen Pepver. however, spoke up, , albeit his speech was somewhat doubt- ful, as was his custom. He was in the party, though not, strictly speaking, of it. "Oh, I don't know," he said. "Mebbe the Cunnel is done got religion, like yo' all reckons he has: but he ain't got it bad enough fo' to keep him f'm piayin' poker. Pie was settin into a game on the boat last night. They was fo' on 'em in the game, an' f'm the way things was gwine I reckon they'd 'a' been piayin' yet, on'y the other three was gwine th'oo to Little Rock an' the Cunnel done got of fen the boat with 'em." "Did he lose his wad?" asked the old man, showing signs of great excitement. "Oh. I don't know." said Mr. Pepper. "He done lose c'nsid'able, but he 'peared to have mo' in his jeans." "Who was settin' in?" demanded the old man next. They could see that despite de-spite his excitement he had not lost his head. "Oh, I don't know," said Mr. Pepper. "Jim Waters was one on 'em, but I never seen the other two afo'." "Good !" exclaimed the old man delightedly. de-lightedly. "This yer case c'n be handled han-dled successful, but it 'II have to be did diplomatic. Mebbe it'll give the Cunnel a kyind of a jolt, but they mustn't be nothin' did what he mought take fo' a insult. If he's got a wad left an' he's piayin' poker we c'n git him In the back room if it's did proper. Professional Gambler. "Jim Waters' is a .p'fessional gambler. We uns knows what he deals faro up to Little Rock, an' o' co'se the other two is likewise the same It's agJin the law fo' a p'fessional to be'anywheres. mo' special in Arkansas City, an' the thing to do is fo' yo' all to put 'em in the calaboose, cala-boose, Bassett, afo' they gits that train fo' Little Rock. Yo' c'n fetch 'em to co't a'ter we uns is done got the Cunnel' s wad. They'll be c'nsid'able profit in that, too. "But above all things, they mustn't be nothin' did what'll 'fend the Cunnel' s honah. Quality has to be handled diff'rent. diff'-rent. Yo'all is the best one to tackle'him, Jake, bein' 's yo' dun come f'm a old fambly yo' own self, an' Blaisdell 'd best go along, bein' 's he's done played with quality mo' or less an' knows somepin' o" their ways. They needn't be nothin' said about drinkin' 's Ion 's he's tooken the stand he has agin' liquor, an' that '11 save 'xpense, too. "Thing to do is to tell him what the game in the back room is strictly private pri-vate among gem 'men on'y, p'fessionals bein' barred, an' tell him they ain't no limit on'y the skyi. If that don't fetch him he ain't no sich man 'a he used to was." "Oh, I don't know," said Mr. Owen Pepper, but he stood a little to one side and said it to himself, so the others paid no attention to him, but Immediately set themselves to the undertaking of the campaign the old man had so ably sketched out. Accompanies Bassett. Pearsall accompanied Bassett on the, chance of seeing something amusing, and Blaisdell and Winterbottom went out together, to-gether, leaving the old man and Mr. Pepper Pep-per alone in the saloon. After they had gone the old man set 'em up and greatly surprised Mr. Pepper by also giving him a cigar. "I reckon yo' all is n titled to somepin' some-pin' fo' you' info'mation," lie said hy way of excusing himself, but Mr. Pepper said, "Oh. I don't know. I reckon it's wo'th a c'mission on the game." and a business discussion aroe between them which was arguud so stubbornly on both skies that they had faiied to reach an agreement when Winterbottom and Blaisdell came back bringing the Colonel with them. The latter seemed well satisiied at the prospect lie certainly had of ridding himself him-self speedily of the latest of the nine different dif-ferent fortunes he had inherited from various Blinkoms and when Bassett and Pearsall returned soon afterwaid arrangements arrange-ments were speedily made to facilitate him in the accomplishment of that end. Some interesting details of what ensued remain to be told hereafter. |