enough to be plundered without bein' insulted by gayeties. Now, what
I says is this: Either I gets my stuff, or I severs our relations
with a gun.' An' tharupon Steve pulls his pistol an' takes hold of
the trey-full boy's bridle. "'If thar's one thing makes me more
weary than another,' says the trey-full boy, 'it's a gun play; an'
to avoid sech exhibitions I freely returns your plunder. But you an'
me don't play kyards no more.'

"Whereupon, the trey-full boy gets off his hoss, an' Steve, allowin'
the debate is closed, puts up his gun. Steve is preematoor. The next
second, 'bang!' goes the trey-full boy's six-shooter, the bullet
gets Steve in the neck, with them heavenly results I yeretofore
onfolds, an' at first drink time that evenin' we has a hasty but
successful fooneral.

"'I don't reckon,' says Wat Peacock, who is range boss, 'thar's need
of havin' any law-suits about this yere killin'. I knows Steve for
long an' likes him. But I'm yere to announce that them idees he
fosters concerinin' the valyoo of poker hands, onreasonable an'
plumb extrav'gant as they shorely is, absolootely preeclooded
Steve's reachin' to old age. An' Steve has warnin's. Once when he
tries to get his life insured down in Austin, he's refoosed.

"'"In a five-hand game, table stakes, what is a pair of aces worth
before the draw?" is one of them questions that company asks.

"'"Table stakes?" says Steve. "Every chip you've got."

"'"That settles it, says the company; "we don't want no sech resk.
Thar never is sech recklessness! You won't live a year; you're lucky