Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-07-07
RuFE EIsELE,s BILLIARD BALLS.
Not Ivory or Ce1lulOid and Were
Never Turned.

Not Ivory or CeIluloid and Were
Never Turned.
From the New York Sun.
How does it come that you have red,
white and blue billiard balls?" asked the
chip salesman of Rufe Eisele. VINO keeps
the Brant House at Sloop Creek.
"'Tis kinder extraordinary, amt it?" said
Rufe. But somehow or another extra
ordinary things happen down here. You
wouldn't believe it if told you that had
them balls afore had the table l bought
the table for $40 from Bart Greenleaf and
he won it at rattle up to Asbury. That
tables with plum $3.50 and the balls is just
a gift of nature. Come by a special act of
Providence. you might say. You never see
balls Just like them before. They amt
ivory and they amt celluloid. II they was
celluioid they wouldn't be here now. They
amt this patent putty composition that
they make cheap pool balls of, either. just
what they l amt prepared to say, and
1 'spect that the nature of the material
these were made from is changed from
what it was at first
IN tell you how I come by 'em, and
you'll learn what extraordinary things can
happen down hereaways. A year ago the
18th of June there was a party of Brook
Ign fellows down here and they set out Cor
good time. They fetched cards and chips
with them, and lowed to play poker until
o'clock in the nornin' and then go fish
q. L
in the game. We were settin' at that
round table. and it was pushed over in the
corner between them windows. Long
about ~ o'clock I was mixing drinks for
the crowd, when I heard thunder and NUT
term and flashes of lightnin'. 1 told
them fellows they'd better move away from
the windows. but they laughed at me.
One fellow had been winning. right
straight along. He had big pile Of chips
in front of him, and they was in his way.
So ne began stacking them up accordin' to
color and laid twenty-five of each kind in
stacks side by side on the window sill.
ming played hob around the house. The
party got kinder scared and jumped I'D
promptly when 1 proposed to all to go to
the bar and have drink. 1 was just set
tin out the glasses when there was a
swish of lightning that turned the whole
air blue. 1 didn't hear any thunder, but l
see big balls of fire dancing round the
room, and one of them hit me right on the
breast and knocked me down behind the
bar Every man In the room was hit plumb
in the gZZard with a ball of fire and knock
ed fiat. / don't know how long it was be-
fore We all come to and took our drinks,
but / do know that the storm had passed.
/ looked around, and was surprised to find
that nothing had been hurt. After the fei-
lows all took their drinks they wanted to
play poker again, and started for the table
There the fellow that had won most of the
chips put up holler about them. He said
somebody had got EN-.
Il didn't b'lieve that possible and I told
Kim that the lightning had probably knock
ed them often the window sill. Then he
looked on the floor under the table and
said, I don't see no chips, but here's a bill
lard ball. and he picked up red ball
Now. l never had a billiard bah in my
house before. and I thought that he was
playing trick on me. until one Of the
other fellows moved his feet and rolled a
white ball out on the floor. 1 picked it up
and found it was hot A minute later Ike
Hicks gave a whoop and held up a blue
billiard ball, saying 1t was the first he ever
seen in his life. Then it come to us all at
once that the lightning had struck them
poker chips and melted 'em into solid balls.
Praps they amt quite as regular as some,
but they answer all our purposes"