The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-09-26
a NEAT BUNCo GAME.

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department store buyer who makes
frequent trips to New York. "Up
to certain day last week, for ex-
ample, I had pretty through under
standing with myself that there was
no old kind of New York bunco
game that I'd bite on. I'd been
going to New York too often and for
too long a time for anything like
that. Well, listen.
Zone morning not very long ago 1
was standing after breakfast on the
Thirty-sixth street side of the Marl-
borough hotel, in New York, taking
sun bath for myself and mapping
out my programme for the day. Two
or three other men were standing
near me doing the same.
"Our attention was lazily enlisted
as we stood there by the spectacle of
a boy wearing chefs cap and apron
recklessly swinging an empty crock
cry pitcher above his head. The boy
was rugged up like a hotel kitchen
apprentice.
What internal whelps most boys
are, anyhow /" remarked a sporty
looking man standing near me to
plain looking individual who was
standing alongside of him. Now,
just look at that cub fooling with
that pitcher. It's cinch that he'll
drop it and smash it to smithereens
before he gets to Seventh avenue
"'Oh. 1 dunno, was the reply of
the plain looking man. I guess the
kid knows what he's about. He's
got pretty good clutch on the han
die of the pitcher. He'll hang on to
it all right
"'Bet you FIVE he drops it before
he reaches Seventh avenue, was the
quick response of the man with the
sporty look.
"'I guess I'll take that bet, an
swered the plain looking man, and he
produced his wad. The sporty look
ing citizen peeled a V from his roll
and both men put up their money
with the uniformed carriage opener
stationed outside the Marlborough.
Then they took up the jog together
toward Seventh avenue to keep an
eye on the boy, who was still swing
ing the pitcher wildly. I held my
ground and watched the proceeding.
1t looked like pretty good bet for
the plain looking man until, when
the boy was only about ten feet from
the corner of Seventh avenue, the
the pitcher flew out of his hand as he
was trying some singularly difficult
piece of Juggling with it and was
dashed into a hundred fragments on
door step. The sporty looking man
and the plain looking individual re-
turned to where I was standing and
the former took the two V's from the
stakeholder with a grin, saying:
"'I thought sure I was going to
lose out on that when the kid got so
near Seventh avenue without any
thing happening to the pitcher
"Two days later was standing
alongside hotel at the corner of
Eighth avenue and One Hundred and
Twenty-ffth street, in Harlem, wait
ing for downtown electric car, when
1 saw that selfsame youngster, with
the Identical kitchen apprentice tog-
gerry, going along Eight avenue,
again wildly swinging a pitcher.
Then I cast my eyes about me, and
there, only three feet to the left of
me and leaning against an L STAN
chion, was the sporty looking man.
He blinked lazily at me when he saw
that had observed the boy with the
pitcher.
What internal whelps most boys
are, anyway = he said to me in pre-
cisely the same words an d the
same tone he had used in making the
remark couple of days before to the
plain looking man who had lost his
V. Now, just look at that cub fool
ing with that pitcher. It's cinch
that he'll drop it and smash it to
smithereens before he reaches the
next corner
"'What a foxy way this fellow
has of making a living' mused.
But I'll just give him little run
for his money, so l will.
"'That's the better end of it, 1
said aloud to the sporty looking man,
that I'd be willing to take myself
"'Oh, well,' he replied laughing
ly, any old thing to pass the time
away. It's about an even thing one
way or the other, I suppose
"Just about, said 1.
'Well,' he said good naturedly,
then I'll bet you V that he doesn't
smash it before he reaches the next
corner
"'You're on, said 1, and we put
up our FIVE spots with the news deal
er on the corner.
"'This, said l to myself as fell
into the steps with the sporty looking
man, is like wheedling gran'ma out
of nick1e for cookies. There's no
way that this crafty con man can pass
the tip to that kid not to drop that
pitcher, according to the usual frame
up, without my getting next to the
dodge and calling him down on it.
I think see new five dollar hat for
myself this afternoon.
"My reflections along this pleasant
line, however, were interrupted. The
boy was already crossing the street,
still swinging the pitcher wildly and
whistling merrily. He reached the
other side and went right along his
way, taking tremendous chances with