Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1884-11-08
The Trustful Bunko Man.

I'd decanter into crystal challce
hat rested upon a little table IN .
The Hoffman House. eyes" he
said, Il was played for sucker
once, but l hate to tell about It,
You ought to ask man to give
away. Well, since you In
sist, I'll try to hide the pain 1t
gives me and tell you tale that
will make you weep for the perhdy
of mankind. Amean trick, was it?
Well, l should rather say it was.
Why, Nero would have blushed II
he had ever done anything half as
mean. 1t was so mean that l doubt
if I'd have had the heart to do 1t
myself.
cit was like this. I was coming
down Broadway one evening In the
Fall, about two years ago, when l
was engaged in leading out-of-town
gentlemen against bunko. That
don't pay now. The newspapers
have exposed the thing so often
that the worst yahoo from Michl-
gan knows the game, and as soon
as you say anything about being
the nephew of the President of his
bank he gets scared and calls the
police. In those days it was run
ming pretty well, though, and, as
was saying, l was coming down
Broadway with my side partner,
Tony Goodheart. Tony was the
fyest man in the profesh to size up
a duffer and do the preliminaries.
He looked 80 green that anybody
could tell in q minute to look at
him that he wasn't up to anything
crooked. Why, he had the most
vacant, innocent face a man ever
wore, and he was embarrassed so
easily and blushed so much that
everybody pitied him. But talk
about cheek! He had the hardest
, nerve you ever read about. 1 be-
lieye he'll have the face at the
{ judgement Day to calmly walk
q over and take his place with the
e sheep, and then make big kick i
, they say he's made a mistake
l Well, was telling how we came
down Broadway, and there, in the
4 doorway ofthe Fifth Avenue Hotel
: stood young fellow that l pu
q down for as blooming sucker as
s had come across in many day. II
e was just ripe enough to be picked
e and Tony and I nudgcd each othe
r as soon as we put our eyes on him
n sized him up right away for
10 dude from st. Louis or Milwaukee
,e or Buffalo, who had come down t
.el see the city and brought enoug
re money to have a good time. H
ct had smooth, round, pleasant face
70 was dressed very nicely, and lear
Of ed against the hotel pillar as if b
ht was Just trifle lonesome, and "
le knew he'd be right glad TO find
ID old friend to show him about tn
X city.
ID "Well, 1 went over and sat on
,e bench in the Park, and Tony wall
~ ed by the hotel. As he passed Il
IN young fellow he glanced at hir
Ill gave q start. looked again, ar
be recognized him.
is "'Hullo, old man, he says, rus
ID ing up, and seizing his hand in Il
w regular way. How are your VIII
re are you doing down here? WI
nv didn't you let me know you we
N, eoming2'
Mt "The young man looked at hi
hit very hard while Tony still ke
.te shaking his hand and inquiri
nv about his mother and his sistel
and then he said, Really, you
til made a mistake. l don't recoll'
is ever seeing you before
en- "You never saw a man SO @
N. barrassed and distressed in yo
ne life as Tony was. / could see b
nd blush clear across Broadway.
tn. al beg a thousand pardons,'
ian said, but it's most extraordin,
to resemblance. Why, even no,
lie. could almost swear that you W
in my old college frivud, Houders'
the Of Chicago. at Princeton, if l had
in heard your voice.
,er. "The young man fell right il
my the trap as beautifully as anybc
,as- could wish.
ear Gets very complimentary