Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-05-11
DAILY SHORT STORY
An OCEAN Pastime.


ing room of an ocean liner.
There should be detectives" said
one to the other, aboard these steam
ers TO protect innocent people. That
'ean country Jake is being tleeced at
cards by those sharpies."
''Why don't you warn him?'
''I'd only get myself into trouble.
The other fellows would tell him that
1 was trying to gain his confidence to
fleece him myself"
'FI tell you what to do. You are
the best poker player in America, and
| hatter myself I'm not far behind you.
Well get the fellow to sit down to
private game with us. win his money
and return it to him when we get to
Southampton. 1t II serve to amuse us,
and we will be doing the man a great
| favor"
"That's good idea"
The next day the two men, Mr. Ora
ham and Mr. Tidball, met the green
horn on deck. They had concluded to
carry out veritable bunko game. so
they suddenly turned and stared at
him; then Graham rushed up to him,
grasped his hand and said:
why, Skinner. 1 didn't know you
were aboardr'
Tidball came up and seized the other
hand skinner, how are you, old
MANI"
MY name hain't skinner said the
man, looking at them with eyes full of
surprise, almost fear.
do you mean to tell me-" said Ora
ham, standing off and looking at the
| countryman from head to foot, that
you're not Amos Skinner of Pawtuck-
ETY.
"Why, no; I'm Jim Robinson of Shell
byville, Tenn"
"Well, now" said Tidball, you'd
make a better likeness of Skinner than
his own photograph. The wines on us.
Come along"
1t wasn't long after the wine was
opened that the two kindly disposed
men had Mr.. Robinson seated at table
with cards before them.
'Shall it be poker?" asked Graham.
mot much,' said the victim. I'm
not a-goin' TO win the money of two
gentlemen that has treated me SO fine
almost like brother. Why, I'm con-
sidered the best poker player in Shell.
byville."
The confelerates looked at each 9th
er. They admitted that they were in
different poker players, but insisted on
the game. and the stranger at last con-
scented to play with a low limit. But
he declared that as soon as he had won
$50 the game must stop and he would
spend his winnings in wine.
They played in the stateroom OF the
| confederates, who felt very sure that
they could win at fair game, and. if
| caught at any irregular proceedings 1t
might get them into trouble. Besides.
it would be more fun to win fairly.
| They found the countryman easy prey
and soon won all his loose cash. Then
he went for his gripsach and produced
a large number of crisp twenty dollar
bills. They played regularly every day
for three days, and when the ship was
nearing port the countryman confessed
that he was dead broke"
| Then there was Il scene. Robinson
bemoaned his fate, while the two bun
koers enjoyed his discontinue. Then
when he seemed utterly crushed they
gave him n lecture on trusting stran-
gers and told him of their scheme to
ruin him for his own good. There was
glad light in his eye as he Srasped
both their hands. tears streaming down
his cheeks. and declared that they were
the finest men on the ocean, the finest
men in America, the finest men in the
whole world
| Graham and Tidball emptied their
pockets of the money they had won
and were about to hand it back to the
loser when he stopped them.
'You gentlemen" he said "have
shown me what galoot I am and how
little I'm fitted to take keer of money.
But this is only one way of gittin' it
out of me. In a week some Teller III
git it in some other way. Now. want
you to do me a favor. Keep all eX-
ccpt enough to take me to London
You're goin there; so am /. When we
git there. got friend, and I'm a-goin'
to put it in his bank. I'll never trust
myself agin with more N enough to
pay expenses.
The friends reluctantly consented,
and with tears of thankfulness the
farmer departed.
The next morning the ship was in
port. Mr.. Robinson did not appear,
and the two friends hunted for him
high and low; then, leaving their Lon
don address for him with the purser.
they started to go ashore. Graham,
while on the gangpIank. turning, saw
one of the men from whom they had
saved Robinson pointing to himself and
his friend. The next moment two men
clapped hands on their shoulders, then
handcuffed them.
whats this?' they both cried.
aghast.
There was no reply. They were tax
en- to a police station. their hand bag
gage opened and found to contain sew
eral thousand dollars of counterfeit
money.
They had scarcely left the dock be-