The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1909-12-25
CONVERSATION GAME

x0Fk Huu suiu - Deii8FO0 t44t V<&~
day there would be an unbroksn block
Of houses and streets right up to xon-
kers.
Certainly" said. IFS only CUES
tion OF time"
'rhanks." hs replied. That's al
want rye won. though didn't de-
serve to. was playing very carslsss-
~"
what on earth do you meany' J
asked.
It's the conversation game and the
best one man game know. You write
down sentence In your notebook. and
then you try to make somebody say e.
In your case the sentence l bad writ
ten down was. It's only a question or
time And you've just said II. I've
won"
He produced his notebook and show
ed me the sentence written at the top
Of page. He put a w against it and
the date to record his victory. '.Will
you let me give you a sentence and
then see II you can make anybody say
itT'
''Pn see the sentence first. The best
player can't expect TO win every time"
He handed mo his notebook.
I wrote down. "You are the most In
telfigent man l ever met" / did this
Just as much because l thought my
choice would annoy him personally as
because It was likely TO make the game
difficult.
He leaned back In his chair and
closed his eyes In thought. YES" he
said at last. Il think can make Cecil
Purvis say something very near II. IL
it's the sense without the exact words
we call II a drawn game. Purvis shall
lunch here tomorrow with me. and you
shall meet him"
Purvis was a young author, not
quite as clever as he thought or quito
as appreciated as he wished TO be, but
by no means a bad sort. We met at
luncheon the next day, and the SUI
perior man seemed TO have forgotten
all about his conversational game. He
let Purvis and myself do most OF the
talking, correcting us occasionally
when we went wrong, after his usual
manner. but never attempting TO lead
the conversation In any particular d.
rection. At the end OF luncheon Pur-
Wis began TO talk about his own work,
and then the superior mans eyes lit
up.
He said that be seldom enjoyed a
modern novel, there was so much de-
cadent rot about But he had read
Purvis' "Anna withend" three times.
II he knew anything about II, that
was a book that was going TO live. II
was the finest thing that had been
done since Vanity Fair"
think that Purvis would have liked
TO have taken this praise seriously.
but out OF common decency he had
TO pretend that he thought II was said
jokingly and to make a reply on sim
liar lines.
We'll" he said. you're the most
intelligent man know. ! wish there
were more like you"
Later. when Purvls had gone or TO
see his publisher. the superior man
said, as he pulled out his notebook
and put a ID against the sentence:
That's hard lines-only draw.
However. played II fairly well, and
I've had two wins today, so l mustn't
complain. made old Billion say
That's a very common mistake The
other sentence was much easier.
got II out OF Evesley."
"What was it?' | asked.
1T was. The harder you work the
harder II goes
But surely II IL much more difficult
20 lead a man To say that than the
other"
"Ah, you're new 10 the game. The
sentences that look the harder az nrst
sight are often the easiest really.
We'll. try 10 make some one say
this: 4 shot twelve lions In an after
noon'"
He wrote Il down In bis notebook.
That's very simple one" be said.
II can be absolutely sure Of winning
that"
Like TO back yourself TO win II in
my hearingr
"For q eve dollar bill? Certainly;
with pleasure. I'll book that too"
He told mo 10 come 10 the club the
following afternoon and be would have
found the man 10 say It.
/ went away. regretting that I had
not made that Eve dollar bin a ten
ner
when we met tho next day asked
him II be bad found his man. He said
that be had. and he seemed wounded
when ! asked II he had fixed II up
with the man beforehand.
mo. have not. and l shall be able
20 prove that have not. BY the way.
I've not got my notebook with me.
and don't want there 70 be any mis-
take about a. The bet is TINT 1 viii
make man say. 4 killed twelve lions
in one afternoon
ats as well that you mentioned H.
because you've got II wrong Ia two