The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-11

were no doubt forged.
This shark had not made any previous
trip on any Of the boats Of that line. II
afterward came out, however, that he had
been the head clerk OF q st. Louis hotel
during the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
and that he had been incontinently fired
from that job owing TO his penchant for
seducing foreign tourists into seances at
the game OF draw.
"0ne OF the mon he feeced at the st.
Louis hotel, by the way, was a wealthy
German with a title Of nobility. The Ger
man nobleman wrote a book about the
United States when he returned to his home
and some pages Of the book were devoted
to an enga ginR account Of how he hnd
learned the American game Of poker In
st. Louis. The German, at the time he
wrote the book, did not seem to be aware
that he had been done.
"The dissolute young chap from Los
Angeles and the shark were at cards the
day after they met on the Yokohama
bound steamer, and, for half the trip down
to Honolulu the shark was content to pose
as a heavy loser, which, in fact, he was.
He had condescendingly allowed the rapid
and befuddled young imam at the other side
Of the Tablet was a two hand game
th~roughout-to win thousands from him
during the first three days.
As the young Los Angeles chap had
always been a steady and prodigious loser
at every game Of chance, including horse
racing, he was naturally flushed with de-
light over his winnings, and those who
listened to 1t told Inc that his braggadooio
was something painful in view Of what
came later, On the fourth day out, and a
day and a half from Honolulu, he began
rapidly to lose his winnings. Before night
fall that day he was $2s 900 in the hole,
and he was s%cribbling checks on his Homo
lulu banker az II they were twenty-five cent
message scraps Of paper. The crafty shark,
feeling that he had enough for n trip,
and perhaps in some doubt az to whether
the checks were right or not, advised the
Los Angeles man to abandon the game at
that stage Of it.
81 can't, OF course, quit myself, now that
I'm into you SO deep said the shark, but
I'd advise you to chuck it now. l didn't
mean to get into his thing 80 heavily
contrary to my custom, I assure you
Well play on till we fetch Diamond
Head dogCedly replied the Los Angeles
youth, referring to the promontory which
! announces a steamers nearness to Homo
lulu.
Then some Of the other passengers got
around the imbecile young chap.
Are you acquainted with the man you're
playing with one of them asked the Los
Angeles victim.
mo, I'm not-neither do l know you
he replied. | don't care a damn whether
he's all right or not. he can't play any better
cards than l can. I'd take it kindly II you'd
mind your w blazing business
There was nothing, of course, to be done
with e fellow who talked in thisf fashion, and
he was permitted to 60 his way without any
further capitalization on the part OF his
fellow voyagers, some Of whom, solid bust
ness men Of San Francisco, had known the
young mans father.
THE young man quit the game only when
the steamer hauled into Honolulu harbor.
He was then s42, 600 to the bad.
"'I'm sorry to've dug so deep into you
said the shark before the d~ebarkation to
look over Honolulu. If you say so, I'll
split the pile with you he was probably
still wondering whether tile checks OH the
Honolulu bank would BE- oasha BILE.
You welt till l do the baby act before
YOU let out any cracks like that replied the
bone headed young man from Los Angeles.
"The shark found, upon going to the
Honolulu bank, that the checks were as good
as United States Treasury notes. And
the man who identified him at the bank
and thus enabled him to cash the checks
was the lunkheaded Los Angeles youth
from whom he'd stolen that huge pile OF
money. It was the bravado OF O boy who
refused to believe 1T possible that any.
body could do him at a game OF cards.
"A member of the United States House
OF Representatives who accompanied tho
Taft party on the tour OF the Philippines
unconsciously did one OF these Pacific
sharks out Of $500 on the return trip, and
he laughs over it yet whenever the incident
Ia mentioned The Representative didn't
come home with the main party, but re-
turned to San francisco from Yokohama
about a month later. He fell In with a
plausible chap who professed to be a Gin
olnnati business man, INT they were soon
playing poker of the all jacks variety.
sThe Representative, with the sharks
kindly oonnivance, won $500 ddrins the
first two hours play, and then he was SUM
moned to the cabin to attend to his wife
Attendance upon his indisposed wife took
all OF his time for the remainder OF the
voyage, and he didn't>get back to the game
with the shark again. When, at the end
OF the trip, one OF the San Francisco officials
OF the line recognized the shark and pointed
him out to the Representative, that legis-
lator stood on the dock and laughed for
about fifteen straight minutes before he
could pay any attention to the customs
inspectors"
THE SUEZ CANAL.
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