“Hapgood was pokin’ round town ask-in’ all sorts o’ questions of everybody, an’ some o’ the boys referred him to me for general information, so he come in that evenin’ an’ chinned with me for half an hour. He bought liquor for the house two or three times, an’ somehow or another there was quite a crowd in here after the first round. I seen there was some o’ the crack players in the place, an’ it kind o’ reminded me o’ the popularity o’ the game here, so when Hapgood ast me, as he did, what the leadin’ industries o’ Arkansas City was, I mentioned draw-poker among ’em. He kind o’ laughed as if I’d said somethin’ funny, an’ said he hadn’t been in the habit o’ thinkin’ of it as a industry, but he’d given considerable study to the game an’ had come to the conclusion that it was just about the real thing. I ast him if he played it much an’ he said no, not exactly, but him an’ four or five o’ his friends had got hold o’ this here manual, as he called it, an’ had practised quite a lot, so’s’t he considered himself a first-class player. “Well, just naturally I gave him to understand that we had some players in town that we thought was able to hold up their end against any ordinary player, an’ that they would consider it a privilege to make up a game most any time if they could get a first-class player to give them points. They was always anxious to learn, I said, an’ if he would like to get the benefit of a little practice, I thought they would arrange it so’s’t he could have the opportunity. “You’d ha’ thought he was a bullfrog jumpin’ for a piece o’ red flannel if you’d ha’ seen how quick he took it up. He was more than ready, an’ the boys seein’ how eager he was kind o’ hung back to be coaxed, but old Jake Winterbottom, he pleaded with ’em till he got Jim Blaisdell an’ Sam Pearsall an’ Joe Bassett to set in with him an’ make a five-handed game. “They set down at the table as they was in the habit of doin’, just takin’ any old place that happened, an’ Hapgood he says, kind o’ surprised, ‘We’ll have to cut for choice o’ seats, won’t we?’ “The boys was more surprised than he was, and Winterbottom, he says, ‘I don’t see no objection to that, but if anybody has any choice o’ seats he can have it as fur as I’m concerned. I don’t see no use o’ cuttin’.’ “‘Well,’ says Hapgood, ‘the rules says we must cut for choice. You’re goin’ to play accordin’ to the rules, ain’t you? As I understand it, poker ought to be played strict under the rules.’ “‘You’re dead right on that, stranger,’ says Joe Bassett, givin’ Winterbottom a kick in the shins under the table. ‘You can bet this game is goin’ to be played accordin’ to rules if I’m in it. An’ it won’t be healthy for the man that breaks the rules.’