The Forrest City times., 1896-01-24


 wlse, but 1t was my mission that morn ing to appear in the light of stranger. so answered that 1 was a stranger in the city myself and could not tell blm where to find State street. There seems to be an affinity of soul between stran- | gers in strange land, and the Sy.ede warmed towards me. Ordinarily the swedish emigrant is Dot my choice of companion, but l had been disappointed m my morning escapade, and when he | asked me which way came from and where l was going I allowed myself to | gradually drift into conversation. informed him 1 had just come in from Dakota, where 1 had been working on farm, and was on my way to my home in Ohio.
 "Det so? Ay ben yust from Moo York, var Ay ben vid mae uncle six mont since Ay come from Ole Country. Ay go now to Meenesota to york. Yo know det place?"
 No,l dld not know much about Minne- sota, only having passed through the state on my way to Dakota.
 The conversation drifted from one thing to another as we walked alonp Wells street, until, passing by one of those institutions calculated to cheer the inner man, my new acquaintance asked me to have something warm. em not drinking man, but the wealth CT was cool, and l decided a stimuiant would not be bad, so 1 accepted his invitation.
 AS We were about to order e,me- thing well-dressed, genteel-lookjne man came in and spoke t6us. Going to have drink? ?" 1 answered that we were. Well, l thought I'd have something myself. Won't you join me?''
 We can't do det,' said the Swede.
 "Why not?"
 vel, dar ben two of us und yust but von of yo; yo drink vid us." No, but I'll shake you the dice to saa who pays the bill."
 The Swede consented, but said be only knew how to shake one kind of dice. He explained his way of shallinp and the slick-looking man agreed that 1t would save time. so we proceeded. One of the party was to turn the dice box. containing three dice, upside down and we were all to make a guess at the number the tops and bottoms of the three dice added together would make. and the one farthest from the mark was to pay for the drinks. Our slick friend guessed IT. l guessed 23. and the Swede 20. We turned the box over, counted the tops and bottoms, added them together, and found the number to be 21. The new gentleman became inter- ested and wanted to try it again, but the Swede said I had paid for one drink and he would pay for the next. No, the stranger wouldn't have that, so my Swedish friend said he would play if we would allow him to pay for the drinks in case he failed to call the exact num- Der. We both demurred, but the Swede insisted and chose 21. Sure enough, that was the number again. The slick looking friend became more interested at this, and volunteered that the Swede could not do it again. and that he would bet any amount of money that he couldn't. 1 said nothing, and the Swede said he never gambled, but was sure he could guess the correct num- ber
 Our friend excused himself for mo- ment to run across to the drug store, but asked us to wait for him. Now this fellow looked to me thoroughly like a sharper, and when the Swede ex- plained the dice trick to me during his absence I could scarcely contain my self.
 'Ay don't vanten vim his money from him." said the Swede, but I can do det ever time. Ay learn det in Moo York. liar been de way to doot."
 You see one side of the dice added to the one just opposite will always make seven, and the three added together will always make 21. Much as I have shaken dice this never occurred to me When our friend returned and offered to wager SEQ that the Swede could not guess the number again I was forced to turn my head to conceal my laughter The Swede said he was sure he could, and did not want to win the mans money, whereupon the stranger be- came a trifle sarcastic and made few remarks about peoples nerve that were decidedly distasteful to me. That Swede called me to one side and asked my advice. Now I may be wrong, but I have no sympathy with what are known as fresh" people. The Swede had only $10, and just made up my mind that we would let the slick man lose his entire $20, so I gave him $lO more.
 It was decided to let the bartender count the dice, to make sure of no mis- take. Poor fellow, I really began to