Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-26
oUEEREST BET ON RECORD
Freak Wager that Was settled Fiji
teen Years After IL Was
Made.

The queerest bet 1 ever saw made. or
ever heard OF, for that matter" said a
collar-and-cuff drummer TO a casual ac-
quaintAnce, was in Amsterdam, N. Y
In lS18 II I'm not mistaken 1 have been
travelling around some since then. and
have heard some tail stories. but none Of
them ever hit me so hard as this one,
That was one lively little town twenty
five years ago. IL you knew the bunch.
had been going there every few weeks
for year or more, and I knew them.
BY the bunch 1 mean John d. seryis. then
an insurance agent and regarded as the
wittiest man in that part of the state
Dave Manney, a restaurant keeper and
always up to some Joke. and Billy Arnold,
an all-round sport, who kept the Arnold
house, where we always used to stop.
Billy Arnold's place was a good deal
like the old Hotel Metropole In New York.
His safe was usually half full OF money
held on bets. And he was always the
referee and court of last resort When
Billy Arnold pulled out his little red
book and ran his finger down the page
somebody was going to be paid off. And
his decisions were as square as they made
EN-
One night John D. servis and Dave
Manney had been in the office OF the lat
! ter's restaurant until It was time 10 close
/ up talking over matters and things
/ When Manney closed up shop the two OF
/ them stroled down the street, feeling at
peace with the world and in a mood 10
start something. They got down opposite
the Catholic church, which was building.
Just about that time Servis had an idea
Dave he says. IN bet you drinks
and cigars for everybody at the Arnold
house that when that church steeple falls
II will fall to the east
You're on says Dave, never batting
an eye. bet it falls to the west. And
wen go up to Billy Arnold's now and
have the drinks. Let's make It as many
rounds and as many clgars as the crowd
want
Y don't care if Arnold doesn't says
servis
so the two OF them turned around and
went back to the Arnold house. There
was sizable crowd IN the cafe. and the
I word was passed around at once that
Manney and SerYes were there with one
OF their bright ideas. I was there. and
as I remember it. servis did most Of the
talking.
Billy he says to Arnold, who came
promptly forward when he heard there
was bet to decide, I've got a little
wager on here with Dave, and the stake
Is drinks and cigars for the crowd-as
much as they like. Set 'em up all around
and when we have had our drinks we
want you TO settle the bet
Arnold set up the best in the house
literally. There were several rounds and
a lot OF cigars handed out. Then Arnold
pulled out his little red book and prepared
10 set down the terms OF the bet in black
and white before deciding it.
" Dave bets the new Catholic church
steeple viii fan 20 the west, when IL falls
I bet it win fan to the west, when IL falls
says Servis. Now, when il falls we wan
you to decide the bet
Why, is that new steeple going e
fair says Arnold. sort Of bewiIdered.
Not that we know Of says ssrvis
and the whole lot OF US went out laugh
ing at Arnold. who must have been in III.
whole SIS or $50
"Well. everybody joshed Arnold abou
1t for a little while and then forgot al
about IT. After a while he sold out IN,
, hotel and started in the carpet business
: John d. servis left town later and wen
TO Albany, don't know what business
he was In. Manney stil stayed the pro
prietor OF Manney's Amsterdam restaurant
And the years went by.
But one night late in the eighties Their
was a big wind hit Amsterdam. Il blev
like blazes. Billy Arnold was home il
bed asleep. The noise Of the storm awak
ened him and he went 10 the window
somebody was going BY underneath and h.
called 10 him to ask II the wind was doinl
= any damage
" on, nothing much answered the man
But Il just blew down the steeple OF tn
Catholic church
Arnold went back and put on his clothe
without saying a word. He got out hi
little rsd book and figured up the amour
OF the bill with compound interest. The,
he hizsd. II out into the wind ana storu
: for the church. True enough there lay u