The penny press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1859-1860, 1860-01-10
An Amusing Game Of Checkers.

And dorush the tyrant, while they rend The chain,
There constitute State. ,...l
An Amusing Game Of Checkers.
u Almost everybody is aware Of the
fallacy Of trusting to outward appearances
Looks are deoeitful, as all of us are apt Ia
find, sooner or later, by bitter experience.
The Boston Commercial Bulletin recol.
lects an incident which illustrates the
folly of trusting to appearances, and
which, it says, will be remembered by
many who are well acquainted with one
of the parties, a certain wealthy cattle
broker of birmingham, Mass Here is
the story: .'... ........s
1t ohanced that the broker--who is
universally known by the oognomen Of
Uncle 'Vanus-was sitting in the hotel
Office in birmingham with friend,
playing game Of checkers when a
acknowledgement young man stepped
up to the bar, called for a cigar, and,
having lighted it, said, with an air Of
arrogance to the barkeepsr, "You will
have to trust me for this cigar, as I have
no change unless" he added, somewhat
bombastioally, "some of you here can
change FIVE hundred-dollar bill"
"Well," said uncle Venus, slowly
looking up from his checker-board,
perhaps / can change a bill for the
young man if he wants to pay for his
cigar"
"Youl said the young man aomewh at
sneeringly, as he glanced at the plainly.
dressed old man, and then, with a wink
to the bystanders to call attention to the
capital joke he was about to perpetrate, he
continued: "You change i'll Well, since
you are so kind, perhaps you will change
mo couple of them, said he, slapping
down two notes of five hundred each upon
the table, with considerable emphasis.
Don't joggle the checker-board," said
Uncle 'Vanus slowly, as he replaced three
or four pieces that had been .jostled from
their squares by the young mans en-.
phatic action, then drawing a huge roll
from the pocket of his well-worn panta-
looms, he carefully counted out, in notes
ofsll sizes, colors and denominations, the
reqired amount, handed them over to
the young man and pocketed the two
clean Boston bank notes of five hundred
dollars each, that lay before him, saying.
"Prehaps you would like two more of
them changed"
The young man, with an air of bra
vado, thinking he had stumbled on some
drover who happened to have only 81 900
in his pocket crammed the heap of bills
the old gentleman passed to him into one
pocket, and drew forth two other $500
notes from another, with glance of tri-
umh to the bystanders, who began to
gather around, snd hanging them down
upon the table said, "Prehaps | do; won't
you change them, old buster2"
"Don't joggle the checkers" said the
old man, as the draughts danced again
upon their squares, and plunging his hand
into his other pantaloons pocket he fished
up another apparently promiscuous heap
of bank notes, which he smoothed out,
andrappidly ycounted the required amount,
which about used up the supply, and then
pushed them over to the young man,
pooketing in return the two large notes.
The tide was evidently against the
young braggadocio, and he felt it in the
halfsuppressed laughter that was elected
from the lookers-on. A bold coup was
necessary to regain the ground he had
lost, and he at once decided upon it.
my old cock, you think that's
all the money I've got and perhaps you
may have the rags about you for tb4se
two beauties" said he, as he Airted two
81 900 notes out upon the table, before
the old man.
Pretty we'll crowded, my bantum.
said the latter, as he keenly scrutinized
the notes. "Ef you keep on through life
as you pear to have begun it perhaps
you may bave rags about you that you
won't get rid of 80 easily" Then
plunginghis hand into capacious pocket,
somewhere under his left arm, he drew
forth huge, plethoric, calfskin wallet,
in which he deposited the two $1,000
notes, and from which he handed the
amount in others Of smaller denomina-
tions, saying, as he did 80, "Ef You would
like few more of those changed, just
hand EN- out, for the game is waiting"
The young gentleman evidently felt
that the game was waiting, and it began
to be apparent to him who was the game;
30 he hastily gathered up the money and
to leave, when he was stopped
by Uncle 'Vanus, who said, "Ef you have
got small bills enough, my friend, prehaps
you had better pay for that cigar. Any
broker in Boston will give you Boston
bills for the pile you've got in your pock-
cts for a fair commission; and" he con.
tinued, with grin, "you had better step
into the city and take up the note you
were sent to pay instead Of swapping
your money round here among cattle
drovers."
The young man threw dollar on the
counter, and vanished amid shout of
laughter from those who had witnessed
the scene, while Uncle 'Vanus quietly
settled himself in his seat, and went on
with the interrupted game of checkers"
GONG THROUGH Thick AND THJN.-