The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-05-13
SQUARED His UNIFORM.

MINING d cat DcSltleS lesulnS II ltfanu haE-
ids breakfast food" said an officer Of the
navy, This, at any rate, was the idea
of Pete McSwing.
Pete was serving as q bo'sun's mate on
the cruiser to which l was attached ON
the Mediterranean station. He was a
rcac-head from the Cherry Hill region of
Manhattan, hard as flint, bow-lcggod and
built like an orang-outang, and as sober
self respecting a sailorman as ever corkNd
OF on the berth deck and pounded his
ear after the piping of Knockout AS a
man-C wars man Pete was faultiesS, In
fact. except for his gambling propensity.
An exceedingly keen gambler, McSw.ng.
lie could SIT behind a pair Of seVens. With
a years savings in the poi, with the i'm
passireness Of Russian illon or an OK
idized Buddha and set by with the bluff
just as often as not. And he could crouch
beh!nd four queens, pat with equal plac-
idity and control of his facial muscles.
Pete usually had the money of the ships
company two days after a pay day
He was pretty strong financially when
his enlistment expired and he was paid
off at Nice at the end of the Mediter-
ranean cruise He --ad waived transport
tauon, and was going TO return to New
York on steamer from Genoa, to ship
over again at the BROOKLYN yard when he
got ready and pushed his money in. He
was about S3,G0o worth when he stepped
over the side at Nee with his ditty bag
and dunnage. Most of that was money
that had been in the possession of various
members of the crew, for'ard. for a brief
time. 1t had driftcd Pete's way in little
games of chance while the smoking lamp
was aglow
Pete, when he left the ship. bound for
Genoa to take the steamer for New York
had one idea in mind: He was going to
take wallop at Monte Carlo game He
had heard lot about the Monte Carlo
thing, and II had been appealing to his
imagination for good many years. lie
felt that he'd probably never again be
paid off SO near Monaco with bundle on
him, So ne made up his mind to have a
peek at the greatest of all hazard banks
and try his luck at the games If they
looked good enough to him.
But when he arrived at the entrance
TO what he called the Monte Carlo lay
out Pete was politely but firmly held up
at the door. He was still wearing his
niuejacket uniform. Enlisted men of
armies or naV!es are not permitted 10 en-
ter the Monte Carlo establishment.
The doorkccper regretted the matter
exceedingly, he told Pete in pidgin Eng
!ish, Struggling his shoulders, but such
was the undertaking and unbeatable
rule He would that it were different.
the doorkeeper wouli. IN order that mon
sfcur might enter and enjoy himself and
even annex unto himself milliards of
irancs-who knows? But what could be
done? Monsieur was enlisted in the navy
American, yes, of course? Very well!
Ihen plainly, 1t was out of the question
for him to enter, no?
i amt enlisted nowheres row. matey,'
Pete protested, mildly, I'm sull sailing
under that rig, but I'm a civilian proper
at the present stages of it, and answern'
no calls whatsoever. Paid off ystiddy.
How bout that lcttin' me in?'
impossible, murmured the doorkcepcr,
sravely. The other players had no means
OF Knowing that monsieur was not still
connected, in an enlisted capacity, with
the navy American, since monsieur stll
wore the uniform, and so long as mon
seiur made his appearance in that uni
torm-highly as he venerated the uniform
Of the navy American, the doorkeeper
protested, with hand over his heart
why, he could not
Oh said Pete then, it's me rig alone
that you're buckin' about. then. messa
mate? We'll, I'll fix that O. X and
ShipShape enough
Peter McSWing swung about and went
down to Nice on an errand. The errand
occupied several hours. II was all of s
o'clock at night when he returned to the
gambling establishment.
Peter was in evening dress His trip to
Nice had been made for the purpose of
@hartering the dress clothing. The trous-
FRS of the evening suit We're fully half a
foot too long for Pcte's rather abrupt
conformation, and he had them turned
up at the bottoms to that extent. The
sleeves of the coat were, similarly, of
vastly greater length than called for by
The reach of Peters arms. He couldn't
turn the sleeves naCk of course, but he
could take a wrinkling reef in the sleeves
every half minute or SO to keep his hands
from being entirely hidden from view.
He had bought the dress shirt at q little
off-side Nice shop. 1t was hand en-
broidered in blue and pink silk strands
down the front. and was an astonishing
work of art in general. Carrying a small
sized grip In his hand Pete walked into
the gambling plant behind Il number of
others, and the doorkeeper didn't notice
him, his apparel being at least conven-
tional, If somewhat rakish and outre.
Pete followed the crowd and made his
way up to one of the roulette tables, still
carrying his small grip which was partly
concealed beneath the rear folds of his
extraordinarily ample evening coat. Ar
rived at the table, he deposited the small
grip on the floor and began to play half
maximums on his favorite sets of num-
bers, after watching the way the marble
ran for while Nobody at the table paid
any particular attention to his comic
makeup, nor did anybody notice his ire
mendous gnarled and knotted hands. A
crowd around a Monte Carlo roulette out
At doesn't notice anything except the way
the game is running.
Pete couldn't lose. There was no kind
Of a way that the game could go wrong
for him When he began to haul down
heaps of gold on his numbers the crowd
began to look at him and to laugh. Nc
Swing didn't mind the laughter. He knew
that If he looked one-tenth as much as he
felt like an idiot in that toggery all hands
had laugh coming
He played for Just forty minutes, and
then he began to fell pretty warm and
thirsty. He had enough of Monte Carlo
anyhow. He was 1900 francs winner He
tucked the gold into the big canvas bag
that he was carrying In the tail pocket
Of his evening coat picked up his grip
mopped his forehead and made his way TO
one of the retiring rooms.
Five minutes later he emerged from
the retiring room in his bo'suns mates
blue Jacket rig. He had easily effected
the change in the retiring room. His uni
form had been contained In the small grip
that he carried into the place with him.
He had rcstowcd the evening clothes in
the grip.
He staggered toward the door and con-
stcrnaton instantly seized upon n dozen
or so of attendants scattered about the
great room. They rushed over to Pete
and demanded to know of him how he had
gained Ambulance In that rig
on your way, said Pete scornfully
to them. ! sailed in troo an open hatch.
like a fillilloo bold. Me American blues
wasn't good enough to let me in, but
they're good enough to let me out and
strong enough to carry about tree t'ou-
sand bones in plumber that I've biffed
the bank roll FIR. Gwan, v pin beaded
gineys, and don't annoy me-
'Whereupon Pete gave his trousers a
hitch with the back of his hands ana
emerged into the cool night air tho dip.