Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-08-06
RUFF EISELE'S BILLIARD BALLS,
They Were Not Ivory or CelluIoid and
We're Never Turned.

Were Never Turned.
"How does it come that you have red,
white and blue billiard balls?" asked
the whip salesman of Rufe Eisele, who
keeps the Brant House at Sloop Greek.
""Tis kinder extraordinary, amt it?'
said Rufe. but somehow or another
extraordinary things happen down here.
You wouldn't believe it if l told you
that I had them balls afore had the
table. I bought the table for $40 from
Bart Greenleaf, and he won it at a rattle
up to Asbury. That tables with plum
$3.50, and the balls is just gift of ma
ture-come by special act of Ppovi-
dence, you might say. You never see
balls just like them before. They amt
ivory, and they amt celluloid. If they
was celluloid, they wouldn't be here
now. They amt this patent putty COM
position that they make cheap pool balls
of either. Just what they are 1 amt
prepared to say, and 'spect that the
nature of the material these were made
from is changed from what it was at
first
"I'll tell you how come by 'em, and
you'll learn what extraordinary things
can happen down hereaways. A year
ago the 18th of June there was party
of Brooklyn fellows down here, and
they set out for a good time. They
fetched cards and chips with them and
lowed to play poker until O'Clock in
the morning and then go fishing. sot
up with them and took hand in the
game. We were setting at that round
table, and it was pushed over in the cor
ner between them windows. Long
about 10 o'clock was mixing drinks
for the crowd, when heard thunder and
mutterin and see flashes of lightning.
told them fellows they'd better move
away from the windows, but they
laughed at me.
lone fellow had been winning right
straight along He had a big pile OF
chips in front of him, and they was i'll
his way. So he began stacking them up
according to color and laid % of each
kind in stacks side by side on the win
dow sill. Meanwhile the storm broke
and the lightning played hob around
the house The party got kinder scared
and jumped up promptly when / pro
posed to all to go 10 the bar and have a
drink. I was just setting out the glasses
when there was a swish Of lightning
that turned the whole air blue. didn't
hear any thunder, but 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. Ev-
cry man in the room was hit plumb Ill
| the gizzard with a ball Of fire and
knocked fat. I don't know how long it
was before we all come to and took our
drinks, but I do know that the storm
had passed. l looked round and was
surprised to find that nothing had been
hurt. After the fellows all took their
drinks they wanted to play poker again
and started for the table. There the fell
low that had won most of the chips put
! up a boiler about them. He said some
body had got 'em.
II didn't b'lieve that possible, and
told him that the lightning had prob
ably knocked them often the window
sill. Then he looked on the floor under
the table and said, 4 don't see no chips,
| but here's a billiard ball, and he picked
up red ball. Now I never had bill
lizard ball in my house before, and l
thought that he was playing trick on
me until one of the other fellows moved
his feet and rolled white ball out on
the floor. picked it up and found it
was hot A minute later Ike Hicks gave
o whoop and held up q blue billiard
ball, saying it was the first he ever seen
in his life. Then it come to rs all at
once that the lightning had struck them
poker chips and melted 'em into solid
balls. P'raps they amt quite as regular
as some, but they answer all our pur-
| noses New York Sun.