corn inside o’ seven year’t him an’ his family fed on it f’r seven year more.
“ ‘Pears like there’s ravens comin’ f’m up the river, an’ f’m down the river, to feed Arkansas City. This here bird is a trifle off colour for a raven, but his wad looks good.”
In the back room things were not quite satisfactory. A table stakes game was started and each man bought five dollars’ worth of chips. The local talent considered this small, but Stumpy said they always began the game that way in Brownsville, and they deferred to his preference, remembering that it was always possible to buy more chips and so increase the size of the possible bet.
Presently, however, it appeared that there were other peculiarities in the Brownsville game, or at least in the game Stumpy played. He refused to come in, hand after hand, with no apparent impatience at the chipping out process, even when he was forced to buy his second five. Then, suddenly, he came in without looking at his hand, and when he was raised, pushed his whole pile into the pot.
Winterbottom had three sevens, and he saw the bet unhesitatingly. Pearsall had nothing, but he put in his money on the theory that his chance was as good as any man’s who had not looked at his hand. The sheriff, with one pair, considered it a fair gamble, and Plunkitt came in to be sociable.
On the draw Stumpy stood pat, still without looking at his cards, which lay face down in front of him. Winterbottom drew two without bettering, and neither of the others improved his hand.
As Winterbottom had opened, he bet a blue chip on the side, which the sheriff called, having kings, and the other two laid down. Stumpy, being all in, was not affected by the side betting, and let his cards remain on the table.