Is that you, Gramps?

One of my great-grandfathers was William Thomas Weatherford (1856-1955) of Litchfield, Illinois.  While reviewing some genealogical information, I noticed that I have found a listing for him in every federal census from 1860 through 1940 except 1880.  So I started a search online.

I can't be sure it's him, of course, but I did find one W. Weatherford in the 1880 census for Dallas, Texas, who was a white male of the exact right age (24) and birthplace (Illinois).  He was living in a house alone.

Now, there are plenty of Weatherfords in Texas, many (if not all) from a branch of my family.  Two or three of my great-great-great-grandfather's brothers went to Texas from Illinois in the 1830's.  The town of Weatherford, Texas, was named for one of them, Thomas Jefferson Weatherford, who would have been William's great-uncle.
Although my branch of the Weatherford family stayed in Illinois, William's father did spend five years in Texas when in his teens, and I wonder if William wanted a similar adventure.  In any case, he didn't stay long after that census; in 1882 he was back in Illinois getting married to Claudia Adeline Kinder.

It would please me tremendously if this W. Weatherford of Dallas in 1880 really is my great-grandfather, because the census lists his occupation as "gambler," and that would  mean I come by it honestly.