Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1891-11-18
The Card Sharper.

had just ended. Within the sideshow
tents the hand organs set up their
loudest and liveliest music and the
loud-voiced fakir outside redoubled
his oratorical exertions as the great
crowd surged past his grand aggrega-
tion 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 on the farm to en-
joy day with Forepaugh and had
done it SO thoroughly that they were
half dead with fatigue. A three-card
monte sharp's eagle eye 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 man around here,
have you, with long white dustet on,
tall white hat, and plaid suit? No?
Well, I'm looking for him. Friend
of mine. Left me about an hour ago.
He's going to have some fellows arrest
ed down there in one of the little tents.
Darned fool, tell him. You see he
was swindled by couple of men
three-card mon-what is iti Oh, yes
three.card Monte Carlo. Taken into
camp just as slick as greese. Lost a
couple of hundred on it in less than a
minute. Robbery-nothing else-but
mans a fool to bet his money on
another fellows game. Served him
right, say"
Cleaned him out, eb?' drawled
one of the rustics. "Well, that game
is as old as the hills and fellar that
hasn't more sense than to try to beat
it ought to be turned out to pasture
for awhile"
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 have put
my money just where my friend did.
Darned sharp, these show fellows.
Sleight-of-hand trick, l guess. They
mix the cards up some way when they
throw them down. That is the only
explanation of it l can give"
The farmers laughed. "Well,
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. I can't throw the
cards just as those fellows did, but
they took three cards, just like this,
and threw them down, like that and
bet that my friend couldn't pick out
the queen"
Straight three-card monte, as sure
as your born," said one of the rural
visitors. "I've read about it a hundred
oftimes. 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 it"
"Why, I should say so! 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, l guess"
"Well, don't fool yourself! 1t isn't
such as easy trick to pick out the
right card. Do you think you can do
it Y
II could if the other fellow didn't
do better work than you do"
"Bet quarter you can't pick out
the queen--just as the cards lie there
now."
For an answer the farmer turned
the smiling face of the queen over.
"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 $5, or $40.
or $25, or 800.
"Well, put up your money if you
want to walk home with your fool
friend. I've just 800 left and its
going to win 800 more for me right
here ane now."
A moment later one of the grangers
held in his hand 5000, while the other
bent over the cards preparatory to
picking out the royal winner.
Hurry up. Locate the queen and
the moneys yours; if not, it's mine."
And the professional hungrily eyed
the stakes. But his victim was in.
clined to move 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 swing like this and"
"Palmed the queen, dropped the
nine-spot in its place, showed the queen
up your right coat-sleeve, where it now
l