The Portland daily press., 1882-10-27
Men will be Boys.
baltimore Americana

Tn a saloon not hundred miles from the
corner of South and Baltimore SITS. group of
well-known citizens-all prominent in bust
ness circles-stood on Saturday afternoon quaf-
fling BASIS ale. In consequence OF repeated
doses of this exhilarating fluid and couple OF
lucky combinations garnered from the Turf
Exchange, they were all feeling rather we'll,
and, to use vulgar expression, were "up to
anything anything foolish, for it is in this
state of mind that man throws his money
away in a faro bank or backs plug to win
against the favorites in a horse-race. One of
The gentlemen, who had an old cigar stump in
his hand, turned toward cuspidor that was
standing against the wall about fifteen feet
away, and. addressing his companions, said:
Bet any man quarter | can pitch this butt
in the spittoon." Done" was the ready re-
soonse from all hands. The butt was pitched
but with an aim SO faulty, that it fell foot to
one side. Nothing daunted the pitcher went
into his cigar-case, and, pulling out a twenty
cent Reina, said: "Bet you again, double or
quits, I'll throw this in" Again he was Gag
erly taken up, and again he was "downed."
In this way the gentleman threw awaya case of
cigars, bunch of keys little silver match
SAFE gold cutf-button, piece of chewing to-
bacco and three twenty-five cent pieces. In
very few cases did he succeed in pitching the
articles IN question in the spittoon. The match
safe and the bunch OF keys, being weighty
pieces, were pitched successfully, bug while he
won about 81 so on each successful venture he
could not reclaim his property from the dirty
receptacle into which ii was thrown. This
charming little pastime was carried on amid
roars of laughter, and it attracted considera-
BILE ring Of spectators, who watched the game
with absorbed attention.
After the original pitcher had gotten rid of
all his portable personal effects in this way,
one of his friends took his place. and SO the
game went on until one of the more reckless of
the jolly boys proposed a game which he had
played when boy with soldier buttons which
ne declared passed III the time of his youth as
a sort of currency among the boys Of his ac-
quaintance. This game was as follows, and il
was proposed to play it with half-dollars in
stead OF buttons: Each man in turn should
pitch fifty-cent piece at the aperture in the
cuspidor. Those who failed were to let their
money lie on the floor, and the one who was
first successful in striking the hole was to
scoop in the entire pot. The proposition was
uproariously received !" just he thing!" "Bul-
lyI' "Ah, old fellow, what great mind you
have goti' ETC., ETC., were the EXPLANATIONS OF
delight over this novel mode of winning or
losing money. 10 make long story short,
the game was begun. Each time around there
was So in pool for the lucky marksman. Some
| times before one of the silver pieces found the
spittoon. Then the man vino won 1t always set
up BASIS ale or champagne. FJr about two
hours this game went on. Dollar pieces, in
stead of half dollars, were freely used, and
sometimes the pots were as high as $40 or $12
The spittoon became more plethoric with lu-
cre-especially filthy under these circumstan-
ces-and half a dozen poor boxes and the
stores OF the entire neighborhood were secured
for silver coin and side bets were freely given
and taken on favorte pitchers. There is no
telling TO what enormous proportions this
game, comparatively innocens in its origin,
might not have attained had not several OF the
participants been obliged to stop because of en-
gagements elsewhere. When they did stop,
and the losses and gains counted up on both
! sides, one gentleman was found to have lost
| 1878; another had lost $780, while two OF them
stood winners of the tune of about $500 apiece,
| and the Others wound up not far off either
way. La the cuspidor the colored man who
cleans up about the place found $68 81, three
match-safes, several cuff-buttons, one of which
was valuable blood-sIone; three dice, some
square pieces of cheese from the lunch-counter
Two pen-knives, five punches Of keys, two pie
ces OF chewing tobacco and a suspeD6er but
ton. 1t was sprightly game while it lasted ;
but was not one which might be recommended
or INDUCED in often as haathful and recrea-
tive pastime. The gentlemen, however, swear
that they are ready to play it again any time.