The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-24
Rcttinr on = (aIt INV.

/ III the British army IA India betting
anIon@ the officers often runs n an eX
trgtna of vice that i sometimes fcarfu
Ia contemplate. Perhaps il Is no wofs,
ti.an III cina life in London. where the
AMOS; amusing as we'll a. tr.,gical storie'
are told of the curious bets thai ar,
made. Betting on a certainty IS held Il
fe unfair, unless the aTowal is distinctly
| ,nade, 50 that no undue advantages i
laken.
An officer in the army had iia3artc,
for his private apartment = n;.,, tnt
heantifni mahogany table A ,iag ol
two after il ilad arrived and ha1 beer
lniy installed in It's quarters. a brother
| pflicer, great swell and very unpopu
tar. dropped in Familiarity, and greatly
admired the beautiful table. The owner
was shaving himself al the glass with
his back to the visitor Colonel Brown
but continued the conversation until
ohe colonel Withdrew, the latter remark
mo that he hoped soon ia have his legs
Under that elegant mahogany.
The owner of the table. whom we
must call Major Jones. made up little
Inner party in the course of a few DAYS,
and Colonel Brown was one of the num-
Der. 1t was natural that the new table
Should be the subject of remark. and
Brown, who affected to he a counois5eur
IN all matters, said the table Was per-
feet, with one exception.
Jones-''And pray what is that. col
oneI2'
Brown 1t is inst n little too high. :"
Jones DO ycu think So? How high
would you suppose il 10 be?'
Brown presume it is the usual
height, just thirly-sN INCHES, and it
ught To be less than that By at least
nalf an inch. "
Jones-''That is tAe exact height.
Ghirts-five AMI a half inches. not thirty
six. as yen suppose.
Brown Pardon me am certain il
is three feet high. l will make you
bet on IT,
Jones You viii lose il you do. for
give you notice that | knox its exact
heigst 10 bali an inch, aud if bet
shall bet on II dead certainty.
Brown ''i am just as sure as YOU are;
am betting on certainty also; my eye
never deceives me. ! VIII lay YOU
or "A thousand pounds that this
table is thirtY-six inches higl; no more,
no less.
The major sought to dissiade his
guest from his purpose to make bet.
assuring him that ne knew the height of
The table, and did moi want to ben on "A
but. when t;te excitement
grew furious, the wager was finally laid
at an enormous sum- have heard it
stated as high as $50. 900 -1o, 200
pounds. That seems preposterous,
when such trifie does not stick at
rifles When the betting was finally
Colonel Brown exclaimed, en-
II told you | knew tie table
was exactly thiriv-six inches high; |
Hid know it, because when | called, just
after it arrived, | took it's measure on
nj cane rs / sat by it, and after went
put l measured. and found it to be. as
nave said. precisely thirty-six inches
nigh. =
Yes. said Major Jones, II was sit
ing with my back to you. but | was
shaving before tho looking-glass, and
saw you taking the measure of the table
with your cane. Suspecting that YOU
we're preparing for II bet as TO its height,
lffer YOU left had half an inch taken
III, and it is now precisely thirty-five
md Il half inches high, =
The applause that followed this result
vas tremendous, and completed the dis
,omfiture of the unpopular colonel. Ii
vas evident that he had been laying n
plan to cheat. and would have poekefcd
he money If he won. He was sent to
Coventry. lie sold mis- commission and
returned To England. being unable to
tand up again It the contempt of the
,fsicars, who thoroughly despised his
character. Harpcgs Magazine.