The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-27

and he got mighty curious to know whal
I Fletcher's racket might be, as 1t woult
be useful TO have around In several otheI
games that Jimmy knew OF.
of course Jimmy. went to Joe woods
II Joe Woods couldn't figure 1t out. no one
could. Joe calculated that Fletcher must
have a confederate overlooking the Other
hands, and after a visit to the barn. just
like a Coroner's jury going to see where
the murder was committed, Joe Woods
give It as his opinion that IL the con-
federate wasn't in the room he was on
the roof. there being nothing between
that and the card table.
while this seemed kind Of ridiculous
the johnson boys thought IT worth in
v~estigating, coming from Joe Woods,
so they set at the window OF n OF the
rooms on the top foor Of the roadhouse
that night and kept watch:
Sure enough, not long after the game
wa started and everything was quiet.
they seen a fellow skinning up some sort
OF a scaling ladder onto the roof Of the
barn, where he stretched himself out below
the ridge pole as flatas a coon skin laid out
to dry. No one could have seen him unless
they was told where to look :,
"Then l suppose they went out and took
his ladder from under him?' queried the
bar keeper. .
aNot much! They waited till about
4 O'Clock In the morning. two hours after
the game was closed up, and then one
OF the johnson boys got a ladder and
climbed up on the roof himself. After
some long and careful peeking around
the place where the man seemed TO- have
laid, johnson found a big cork stuck into
a hole IN the roof, which was ABOUT thirty
feet high from the card ROOM. i.
aMust have taken good eyesight to read
cards by lamp light at that range re-
marked the b~arkeeper.
aThat's just what Woods said when
they told him about it, answered the
Colonel. aJoe Woods figured that the
must have some sort OF a telescope,
especially as the hole eemed bigger than
necessary.
1Of course IL was easy to find that the
fellow had wires running down from the
roof behind the corner casing, under the
barn, and up under the card table. They
want electric: nothing but loose pulls.
but they ended in some sort OF pushers
that worked through. gimlet holes In the
floor under Fletoher's feet.
sOne nights watching under the barn
showed that one pull meant go ahead and
two meant stop her. three being to reverse
the last signal. Just like engine bells on a
river steamboat"
II suppose thew nailed a board across
the hole and filled the pepper with buck
shot next EVENING" suggested the bar
sEot much!' calculated the Colonel.
THAT is where Joe Woods's great head
came in.
what o want?' says he to the John
son boys, is to get that fellow Fletcher's
money away from him before you give
the game away
sion was greatly to be desired he told EN-
the first thing to do was to send a man to
Little Rock to get a green cigarette hat
the exact shade OF the hat johnson wore.
The rest Of the plan Joe Woods said he
would lay out for them next day.
Next day they changed the private
door into the barn and moved the card
table and all the fixings 30 that 1t was
on the other side Of the partition. but no
one wouldn't never notice 1t unless he
had measured how far the door was from
the end in the first place. Then they
rugged UP the signal taps under the floor,
right under the chair where Fletcher al.
ways sat. When Joe Woods had Locked
Il ne thought 1t was great work.
Don't quite see the scheme yet re-
marked the b~arkeeper. but / guess you
are right that they went to some trouble
and expense about it,
sWei, I calculate that Joe Woods
kpowed the scheme would work all right
drawled the Colonel, -Of course the
DOyb hitW tiCy "ou OA
than one chance at getting their money
back and the first thing they proposed
was to raise the stakes that evening, maxi
ing II five dollars ante instead OF one and
the rest In proportion. Fletcher fell for
Il like a hawk for a chicken and the game
started in about Q o'clock.
.The first time Fletcher had q straight
beaten by q flush for 500 he didn't
seem to understand it. Being probably
a little too anxious to get ven for
that misunderstanding Of the signals
he spent $3.50 on three aces shortly
after that. only to find that Jimmy had a
small full. !
sThe fourth or fifth dose OF these mis-
takes got on his nerves, and he made
some excuse to go to the hotel and get
more money out Of the safe in the
office, where he kept his velvet. or
course one OF the johnson boys went with
him to see that he did no talking to the
roof, but he gave Fletcher a clear chance
to look up and see that his man was there
all right and on the job.
Fletcher took in the roof situation out
Of the corner OF his eye and seemed salts
fed that it was all right, for he set in the
again full Of confidence and pro-
posed to raise the ante to ten. to which
the boys agreed after a little show at
Every hand that Fletcher got that