, 1891-09-27
LOCATING THE QUEEN.
A MAN FROM AWAY BACK FALLS
IN WITH A THREE CARD SHARP.

hat He Looked. and He Taught the
Professional swindler a Lesson That tho
Latter VIII Not soon Forget.
The performance in Forepaugh's circus
tent had just ended. Within the side
show tents the hand organs set up their
loudest and liveliest music and the loud
voiced fakir outside redoubled his ora-
toricai exertions as the great crowd
surged past his grand aggregation of
wonders. At the southern end of the
lake front, away from the noise and
hurly burly of the big show, sat two
tired looking individuals, whose every
appearance indicated that they had left
their work upon the farm to enjoy a day
with Forepaugh, and had done it so
thoroughly that they were half dead with
fatigue. A three card monte sharp's
eagle y caught the rustics and he
swooped down upon his prey like a
young rooster after a potato bug.
Pretty hot, isn't it?" he began. you
haven't seen a man around here, have
you, with a long white linen duster on,
tall white hat and plaid suit2 No? Well,
I'm looking for him. Friend of mine.
Left me about an hour ago. He's going
to have some fellows arrested down
there in of the little tents. Darned
fool, 1 tell him. You see, he was swim
died by a couple of men-three card
mon-what is it? Oh, yes, three card
Monte Carlo. Taken into camp Just as
slick as grease. Lost a couple ofS1fh-
bred on it in less than a minute. Rob
berry, nothing else; but a mans a blamed
fool to bet his money on another fellows
game. Served him right, 1 say"
CLEANED him out, eh?" drawled one
of the rustics. well, that game is as
old as the hills, and a Teller that hasn't
more sense than to try to beat it ought
to be turned out to pasture for a while"
RET GOOD BAT
Looks simple enough" continued the
fakir. 81 saw the whole thing. OF
| course l wouldn't bet-not a cent-but
blamed if / wouldn't nave put my money
just where my friend did. Darned
sharp, these show fellows. Sleight-of-
hand trick, 1 guess. They mix up the
cards some way when they throw them
down. That is the only explanation of
it / can give"
The farmers laughed. "Wen, you've
guessed it," said one of them after a
hearty burst of merriment.
"Oh, laugh away-seems funny enough
now; but it isn't so darned funny to the
poor fool who loses his money. 1t isn't
an easy thing to do, let me tell you. 1
can't throw the cards just as those fell
lows did, but they took three cards, just
like this, and threw them down, like
that, and then bet that my friend
couldn't pick out the queen"
Straight three card monte, as sure as
you're born" said one of the rural visit
ors. GIVE read all about it a hundred
times. Never saw the thing done
though"
well, this is all there is to 1.-THE
Snowman did nothing more than this.
See? Simple enough, amt itT"
why, 1 should say sol l don't see
how your friend lost his money"
He picked out the wrong card, that's
ALL"
Couldn't have been watching very
sharp, / guess" ?
"Well, don't you fool yourself. 1t
amt such an easy trick to pick out
the right card. Do you think you can
do it2'
81 could if the other fellow didn't do
better work than you do"
"Bet you a quarter you can't pick out
the queen, just as the cards lie there
now"
For an answer the farmer turned over
one of the cards, showing the smiling
face of the queen.
THE swNDLER CAUGHT.
well, by jingo, you did it the first
time. There's your money. Now, then,
watch the cards closely. There! Pick
out the queen. I'll bet you a dollar you
can't do it, or s. or $40 or $25 or $780,"
"Well, put up your money if you want
to walk home with your fool friend.
I've just 300 left and it's going to win
800 more for me right here and now"
A moment later one of the grangers
held in his hand 5000, while the other
bent over the cards preparatory to pick
ing out the royal winner.
Hurry upi Locate the queen and the
moneys yours; if not, it's mine" And
the professional hungrily eyed the
stalker. But his victim was inclined to
move rather leisurely.
Lets see," he said meditatively, ''you
stood here just like this, and you held
the three cards in your hand like this,
with the queen on top. Then you gave
your arm a swing like this and"--
"WellI"
'Palmed the queen, dropped the nine
spot in its place, and showed the queen
up your right coat sleeve, where it is
now. A very bad job, too. partner, be-
cause it's lead crooked and so easy that
any schoolboy might catch you dead to
rights and shoot you full of holes before
you could square yourself.
81 shall always remember the last time
worked that lay myself" he continued,
as he slowed away the roll of bills. at
was in the summer of 1885. / was do
ing outside work with Barnum's show
that season, and when we struck Louis.
vile 1 caught a sleepy young fellow with
more money than brains and tried to
work the switch on him-just as you dc
it, precisely. l had not finished the eI.
pertinent before / made a rather start
ling discovery.
81 found that my left lung was inhaling
air through a large hole near the fifth
rib. For the next two seasons / did not
take an active interest in the circus bust
ness. But / eventually took to the road
again, and I've been with Sells Brothers