"'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
to be alive right now." An' they declines to insure Steve.'
"However," continued my friend musingly, "I've been puttin' it up to
myself, that mighty likely I does wrong to tell you these yere
tales. Which you're ignorant of cow folks, an' for me to go
onloadin' of sech revelations mebby gives you impressions that's a
lot erroneous. Now I reckons from that one eepisode you half figgers
cow people is morose an' ferocious as a bunch?"
As the old gentleman gave his tones the inflection of inquiry, I
hastened to interpose divers flattering denials.
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