Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1903-10-15
A NEAT BUNkO GAME
HOW TIE MAN WHO THOUGHT HE
KNEW lT ALL WAS FOOLED.
A scheme That Worked the Way the
Betting Went and Gnve No Clexs
ms to How The Tip Was Passes, to
Break or Not TO Break the lug.

| Betting Went and Sanve No Clevy
as to How the Tip Wa. Passes, to
Break or Not TO Break the jug.
| Its good thing for us, suppose,
| that whenever we get II all settled and
arranged In our minds that we're too
everiastingly bright and crafty TO be
done by anybody we usually get fall
that takes the perkiness out of u.s." said
N Washington department. storc buyer
who makes frequent trips To New York
up TO certain day last week. for ex-
ample, l had Il pretty Thorough under
standing with myself that there was no
old kind Of Il New York bunko game
that I'd bite on. I'd been going To New
York too often and for too long IL time
for anything like that Wen, listen
"A week ago Monday morning last
was standing after breakfast on the
Thirty-sixth street side of the Mari
borough hotel In New York, taking a
sun bath for myself and mapping out
my programme for the day. Two or
three other men We're standing near me
doing the same.
Our attention was iazily enlisted as
we stood there by the spectacle of II
boy wearing chefs cap and apron
recklessly swinging an empty crockery
pitcher above his Lead The boy was
rugged up like hotel kitchen apprcn-
tice.
"'Whrt Internal whelps most boys
ara. anyhow. remarked n sporty look
ing 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
a cinch that he'll drop IL and smash It
TO slnithereens before he gets to Sew
enth avenue
"'Oh, | dunno was the reply of the
plain looking man. L guess the kid
knows what he's about. He's got
pretty good clutch on the handle OF the
pitcher. He'll hang on to 1t all right
"'Bet you five he drops 1t before he
reaches Seventh avenue was the quick
response of the man with the sporty
look.
81 guess I'll take that bet answered
the plain looking man, and he produced
his wad. The sporty looking citizen
peeled Y 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 10
keep an eye on the boy. who was still
swinging the pitcher wildly. ! held
my ground and watched the proceed
ing. 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
pitcher flew out of his hand as he was
trying some singularly difficult piece
Of Juggling with 1t and was dashed
into hundred fragments on door
step. The sporty looking man and the
plain looking individual returned to
where l was standing and the former
took the two VS. from the stakeholder
with a grin, saying:
81 thought sure / was going to lose
out on that when the kid got so near
Seventh avenue without anything hap
pening to the pitcher
1.-TWO days later was standing
alongside a hotel at the corner of
Eighth avenue and One Hundred and
Twenty fifth street. in Harlem, waiting
for a downtown electric car, when
saw that selfsame youngster, with the
identical kitchen apprentices toggery,
going along Eighth avenue, again wild
ly swinging pitcher, Then | cast
my eyes about me, and there, only
three feet to the left of me and leaning
against an l. stanchlon, was the sporty
looking man. He binked 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 precisely
the same words and the same tone he
had used In making the remark cou-
pie of days before to the plain looking
man who had lost his V. Now, Just
look at that cub foolug with that
pitcher. It's a cinch that he'll drop it
and smash it to smithereens before he
reaches the next corner
w HhI lOAN way tiiN ltllbN NUS
of making a liylngr ! mused. But III
just give him little rua for his money,
so | Will.
That's the betting end of IT, l said
aloud to the sporty looking man, that
I'd be willing to take myself
ooh Well he replied laughiugly,
any old thing to pass the time away.
It's about an even thing one way or the
other, | suppose
"'Iust about, said l.
"'WelI,' lie said good naturally, then
I'll bet you V that lie doesn't smash
IT before lac reaches the next corner.
"'Yourc on said /, and we put up
our five spots with the news dealer on
the corner
"'This,' said ! TO myself as | fell into
step with the sporty looking man. Is