Cherokee, who's a nervous sharp; an' when he sees how greedy the
avaricious gent is for what he deems to be a shore thing, he
concloodes to drop him plenty hard. "It's four-hand poker now, an'
the game wags on for a dozen hands. Dan is in hard luck; Cherokee on
his part gets driven out each hand; an' Ellis an' the avaricious
gent is doin' what little winnin's bein' done, between 'em. It's
evident by this time, too, the avaricious gent's layin' for
Cherokee. This oninstructed person looks on Cherokee as both
imbecile an' onlucky to boot.

"The avaricious gent gets action suddener than he thinks. It's a
jack pot. She goes by Ellis an' Dan; then Cherokee breaks her for
the limit, two bloo chips, the par value whereof is ten dollars.
"'You breaks for ten?' says the avaricious gent, who's on Cherokee's
left an' has the last say; 'well, I sees the break an' lifts it the
limit.' An' the avaricious gent puts up four bloos. Ellis an' Dan,
holdin' nothin' an' gettin' crafty, ducks.

"When the avaricious gent puts up his four bloo beans, Cherokee does
somethin' no one ever sees him do before. He gets quer'lous an'
complainin', an' begins to fuss a lot over his bad luck.

"'What did you-all come in for?' he says to the avaricious gent, as
peevish as a sick infant. 'You sees me settin' yere in the muddiest
of luck; can't you a-bear to let me win a pot? You ain't got no hand
to come in on neither, an' I'll bet on it. You jest nacherally
stacks in, relyin' on bluffin' me, or out-luckin' me on the draw.
Well, you can't bluff; I'll see this yere through,' says Cherokee,
puttin' up two more sky-colored beans an' actin' like he's gettin'
heated, 'if it takes my last chip. As I do, however, jest to onmask