San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-08-17

Knows too much to DO cheated by these nip
circus folks;
"'That's all-seventeen.'
"But the fakir is little doubtful, so he
says, as though wishing to make sure:
"'Just let me count it, please
Serene in the belief that he has cornered
his man, the buyer hands it over and the
fakir takes the bills in his left hand, with the
$40 bill underneath, straightens them out,
and then bends the whole bunch back over
his left thumb. Then he turns them over
one by one, and they lie straight out, full
length. When he reaches the last one, he
says, cheerfully:
" 'You're right-my mistake and your
treat or some such amiable chestnut, hands
the bills back to the man, still at full length,
goes down in his trousers pocket with his
right hand and gets silver dollar, which he
shoves into the strangers hand, laughs, says
something about mistakes will happen claps
the man on the shoulder with laugh, and is
gone in the crowd, while the ticket buyer
Jams his money into his pocket and hurries
into the tent where the elephants are below
ing
"But the fakir has got the $40 bill, because
when he doubled that over in counting the
seventeen he tipped it clear over and his
agile little finger crushed it into a very small
wad and held it there unnoticed while the
other fingers were free to use. And mas
much as the sucker has himself twice count
ed the bills, and has seen the fakir count
them, he will swear that he has got all that
belongs to him when he has compelled the
fakir to go down into his pocket and fork out
the silver dollar. He doubles up the bills
f,,,. aud &c
But the fine work doesn't end there
When the fakir laughingly claps his man on
the back he puts chalk mark on him which
keeps all other fakirs away from him. He
may try to buy red lemonade, or peanuts, or
prize packages, or concert tickets, but he
can't do it. The men he halls and beckonS
refuse to see him and pass him by. The rea-
son is this: If they sell him something they
might cause him to bring forth the roll Of
bills, in which case he would notice that the
$40 was missing, and would be apt to raise
a row. But if one of them should overlook
the signal, and be instrumental in apprising
the man of his loss, he is compelled by rule
among the fakirs to stand the loss and re-
store the $40, or whatever sum it may be.
In case man gives up ten instead Of a
twenty the fakir only makes fve and if it's
a Eve he probably only gets one. You see
there must he enough bills left in the wad SO
that the absence of one won't be noticed"
That's good scheme" | remarked, but
suppose when the robbery is complete the
purchaser of tickets should take the notion to
count his money again"
There isn't one man in thousand who
will do it. You see he has counted it twice
and has seen the other man verify his count" "
YES, know" persisted, but suppose he
should count it; wouldn't the fakir be in u
pretty bad boatp
Not in the least" he replied. IF such a
crank should happen alSnS, and they do oc-
caSionally, the instant lac starts in to count
the money the fakir drops the big bill from
his left hand to the ground and catches the
buyer by the arIa with some such exclamation
as:
"'Look out, there You're losing some
thing. You'll get the worst of it if you're
not carefulP
las he says this, he either picks up the
money and hands it to the man or points it
out to him and moves away in the crowd.
Maybe the man suspects that tue fellow tried
to rob him, but he has his money and can
make no kick, and besides the fakir is gone.
Oh, there's no way of catching him. But, as
| said, there isn't one man in a thousand who
will count his money that one last time. ~
Chicago Mail