BROTHER GARDNER’S VIEWS OF CRANK AND CARDS.

Kumara Times, Issue 1779, 14 June 1882, Page 2

BROTHER GARDNER’S VIEWS OF CRANK AND CARDS.

“ Am dar’ a crank present in the ball to-night V’ softly asked Brother Gardner as the meeting opened. Not a voice answered. “Have any of you seen a crank aroun’ town dis las’ week V continued the president. No one had, or at least no one admitted ii. “'l\vo weeks ago de ken try was full of ’em. Yon could find 'em on de Street kyar, at de d pot, aronn’ de hotels, an’ ehen in the church. All of a sudden you cm’t skeer up a single crank. De biznesshas g'it to be unhealthy. The plea of insanity doan’ go down wid tVe jury as slick as it did. De time when one man kin put a knife into anoder an’ make the jury believe be was bo’n dat way and couldn’t help it has ’bout expired. De cranks inns’ go. He mus’ quit sbootin’, stabbin’, stealin', an’ bein’ heard of in de land. When cle crank first brought far’d the ideah dat de Deity was behind him an’ mged him on it was sunthiu’ new an’ novel, but dat ideah am played out wid de rest. My ftens, let de cantankerous bizneas alon-. Doan’ call stealin’ by any odder name. If your hands ich fur money dat belongs to someone else, take it an’ skip, an’ when de law overhauls on doan’sot up de plea dat an angel from Heaven urged you on. Legal farces had deir day in this kentry. In-

sanity, kleptomania, sndden emotion) diunkenness an* loss o' memory will be poo excuses before fucber juries." The president stated that be had re* ceived the following personal letter “ Boston, February 1, 1882. Bro, Gardner—la there anything wrong in playing a game of cards 1— Very truly, “ Cranberry Jones.” When Elder Lightfoot an* his wife came over to my cabin,” replied the president, “an* We sot down for a game o euchre, we feel as innocent of wrong as a two-year-old child foolin 1 wid a revolver, but under certain odder con* diahims a game of keerds may result in great evil. If a pusson stacks de keerds, dat’s wrong. If he puts the joker up his sleeve, dat’s wrong. If he plays a lone hand, dat looks suspicioos< If he winks at his partner to take it up or turn it down, it isn’t a squar’ game. Ordinarily speakin’ dar’s miffin’ wrong in a game of keerds, unless you git all de nine an’ ten spots and de odder man holds all de bowers and acea.”—Detroit Free Frees.