St. Landry democrat., 1883-03-24


both interested and mystifed, and, OBJ
serving this, the confederate leaves the
victim alone with the steerer to prepare
| the bait that will draw him into the
game.
just wait a moment, till I wash
my hands, he says, and I'll bet you
again.
HE retires to the rear of the saloon,
turns on the water. and washes his
hands long enough to give the steerer
time to explain to the victim common
place fact about dice that few but pro-
/ fessional sharpers are generally aware
/ of. The steerer throws the dice half-a-
/ dozen times, and each time the result is
/ twenty-one. Then he shows the coun-
tryman that the arrangement of the
| spots is such that no other number can
be possibly thrown, if the top and bot
tom spots be added. The countrvman' s
face beams with sudden enlie hten-
ment as the circumstance daWns upon
| him.
"'Why, it's a dead sure thing every
time; don't you see,' says the steerer,
| jubilantly. THAT fellow who Just came
in has got more money than brains.
Wen win a lot of his cash from him
| easily
1.-The confederate rejoins the group at
this stage. His manner is not so suave
as at the outset He has become very
| irritable. in fact, and swears in a most
emphatic way when he loses ten-dol-
lar bill on the next throw of the dice
The countryman begins to pity him,
knowing, as he supposes, how utterly
hopeless his chances of winning are.
His advice is roughly spurned by the
ungracions stranger, who feigns great
rage at his interference.
:. If you think it's such an easy thing
to win my money he cries. .why, blast
your eyes you better tackle me YOUR
self. I'll bet you ten dollars, twenty
five dollars-fes, one hundred dollars
in greenbacks, and give you odds, that
neither of you can throw twenty one.
If you're both SO confoundedly smart
why don't you take the bet 80
''This stirs up the bile of Mr.. Tapley
from North Adams. He begins to think
it really would serve the ungracious
stranger right to, teach him that he is a
fool. This feeling is ingeniously en-
couraged by the sharpers. Consequent
y "A,' A"t''eJ stSduiosSco WutH CHe SleeI-
er whispers:
.. Go on, Mr.. Tapley; back me, or
hack yourself, if you rather. Wen take
the conceit out OF him.
1.-THE countryman yanksout his aged
leather pocket book, plunges his fin
gers into it's capacious depths, and
counts out two tens and five, and the
stranger panks down three ten-dollar
notes, giving the promised odds on the
bet.
"a change came over the spiritof the
game the moment the dust is put up.
The cubes are metamorphosed with
lightning-like rapiditY. for the steerer
summons to his aid a doctored die. In
stead of being spotted from one to six,
as are ordinary dice, this false cube has
two faces, each marked five little black
spots The steerer holds this concealed /
beneath the third joint of his little fin
ger, pressed against the palm, ard as
he scoops up the dice into the box for
the next throw removes one of them
and substitutes the doctored cube. The
change is made in an instant, and SO
deity that the countryman could not
detect it even if he suspected the hon
esty OF his opponent. which he does
not as yet. The presence of the false
die ruins what the steerer was pleased |
to illustrate as dead sure thing. His |
victim might throw the dice until he
grew gray without being able to secure
the tWenty-one he has Wagered on.
Unconscious of this, however. Tapley
picks up the box confidently. shakes it I
thoroughly, and casts the cubes out on
the bar. The steerer adds up their
spots, and 10! they aggregate but nine
teen.
It would be impossible to picture
in words the expression of amazement
that distends the eyes and lowers the
jaw OF the countryman as he witnesses
this unexpected performance of the
cubes. 1t would be equally difficult to
imagine more intense Indignation than
that which seemingly oyercomes the
steerer.
. Look here. stranger, you hit my
arm just as | was counting those dice
for my friend, and didn' turn over the
last. die Tie bottom spots did not
come uppermost as they should
dom t know anything about that,
replies the other. All / know, is, I've
9ot the money, and In gong TO Keep
1.-THE steerer insists upon another
throw of the dice, and the countrylnan
waits in anxious suspense while the two !
dispute. The steerer places the genu-
ne die in the box meantime, and DEM
onstrates to the victim that he could not
possibly have lost had the cubes been
urned over properly when the bottom
pots were counted He completely
atisties the countryman of this, and
ilso explains that they can not properly
lain the money lost by the supposed
sccident That was one of the chances
a the game. It couldn't happen again
n a thousand times. Finally he in