Stand Pat; Or, Poker Stories from the Mississippi

S T A N D P A T

By D a v i d A. C u r t i s
Illustrated by H e n r y R o t h
B o s t o n
L. C. P A G E & C O M P A N Y
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Copyright, 1900, 1901, 1902 By the Sun Printing and Publishing Association ——— Copyright, 1906 By L. C. Page & Company (INCORPORATED) ——— All rights reserved First Impression, May, 1906 Colonial Press Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co. Boston, U. S. A.
The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there. Let no citizen of the place pursue me vindictively because I found him less interesting than Stumpy. And let no one’s civic pride suffer because I noted in the town only what seemed to me picturesque. I have no quarrel with Brownsville. I got away from there. What I saw while there seems worth the telling. Much of it I have told in the Sunday Sun . That, and more will be found in this book.
David A. Curtis.

It was with entire unanimity, though without haste or undue excitement, that the male population of Brownsville emerged from the various buildings on the street when the hoarse whistle of the Rosa Lee was heard at about five o’clock one afternoon in June of 1881. The feminine portion of the community was seldom in evidence, but such glimpses as a stranger might enjoy were to be had at the same time, for the women came to their doors and looked out, listlessly, indeed, but with as much interest as they ever displayed in anything short of a fight such as occasionally disturbed the normal quietude of the place.