The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1885-07-09
He Hedged.

Betting IS certainly u Ddu practice,
and whether disastrous directly or in
directly, il is sure to play smash with
the better and bettee before the wind
up.
Years ago, when the railroads had
not reached the northwest and all
travel and commerce came up the
Mississippi from st. Louis to st. Paul
and other northwestern cities, the
opening of navigation in the spring
was a great day. When a large city
stood almost idle all winter, living on
the profits of the previous summer,
the date when she would resume busi-
ness in the spring was OF great M
portance to her.
Therefore with much anxiety every
one looked forward to the time when
the ice would 90 out of Lake Pepin
and revive the dormant business.
Along in January and February ev-
erybody got to betting on the day
st. Paul or some other northern point.
At Hudson, of course, it was the
same, though we had to take some
chances on the opening of Lake st.
Croix. on whose banks Hudson stands.
One, winter, Coon and Platte got to
betting on various things to kill time,
and finally wound up with q bet on
the arrival of the first boat at Hud-
son. They were partners in a large
grain elevator on the lake, and Platte
wanted to bet q pair of S14 boots that
the first boat wouldn't arrive before,
the Goth of April. Coon took the bet
and time passed on.
On the 10Th of April no boat had ar.
rived and Platte began to feel sure of
his boots. There were no ~telegraphs
then, and so there was no way to get
at the river news till late, everything
in the way of news coming slowly up
through the Big Woods by stage.
On the afternoon of the 10Th, Platte
went up in the cupola of the ware
house with a spyglass, ostensibly to
look over some fife wheat, but really.
to see what he could see down the
lake. About sunset he saw a little
steamer slowly round the point at Cat
fish bar, four or five miles below, and,
sticking the spyglass into a dark cor
ner, he went down and hunted up
Coon, who was on the street up town.
He then, by easy stages, drew him in
to a conversation on the subject of the
opening of spring navigation.
Tell you what I'll do. Coon,
you've got about four or five hours
left yet, and if no boat comes in be-
fore the times up, the S14 boots are
mine"
CLOCKS that way, of course" said
Coon, s'but there's still a chance
left"
Eyes, there's a chance, but an infer
nally slim chance. What will you
take for your bet, Coon?"
..Oh, l don't know. Probably I've
got one chance in three. I'll take So
for my bet"
Enough said. Here's your s..
There's a boat down at Catfish Bar
that'Il be here in less than an hour"
There was a crowd standing around,
and of purse everybody yelled and
two-thirds of the town put on its haiti
and rushed down to the levee to see.
the first boat come in. Hour after
hour passed by and the crowd swelledi
to a large mass meeting, all anxiousj
to see the first boat of the season.
After a while her lights could be dim;
ly seen around the point, moving very
slowly against an icy current. The
crowd watched her as she struggled
bravely up, and then backed off again.
lodged 4 big cake. of ice and headed!
toward the channel again. 1t was q
trying time for those who stood there
and watched, most every n having
a large or small bet on the result.
All kinds of jokes and ieers were swap
ped as the crowd stood there in the:
chilly April night till nearly eleven,
o'clock, just before that hour the
steamer staggered back and steadily
lost ground. till finally she slowly rel
versed her engines; then, when she
could get room, she silently turned
about and went back down the lake TO
Prescott, and did not get up to Hud-
son for three days.
and So in cash, to say nothing of the
large sum that it cost him to keep the
town quiet enough so that he could
live in it.
L hope that all young men who read
this, and who may, at times, be tempt
ed TO bet their money upon anything,
will call to mind this sad accident and
firmly refuse to do so.
Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow?
Who hath redness of eyes? Who wear
eth his old last winter clothes all sum-
mer? He thatlooketh upon the straight
flush when it moveth itself Alright. He
that goeth to seek the jack pot. He
that goeth to seek the sucker that he
may pick him up and skin him. Be
hold, he himself shall be skun.-BtW
Nye, iW NeW York. MercuTY.
The Giants OF Patagonia.
The Patagonian, in the upper part
of his body, is of huge build. His
trunk and head are large, his chest
broad, his arms long and muscular.
On horseback, he seems far above the
ordinary size of man.. When he dis
mounts, however, it is seen that his
legs are disproportionately short and
slender; they frequently bend outward.
His walk is heavy and numbering.
These are the well-known peculiarities
which are found in the Tartars. and in
all races of men who spend most of
their time, like the Patagonians, on