Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-08-23

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whichever man won won in earnest.
The advantage was all with Brown
because he knew of the game TO be
played and had a day In which to pre-
pare for it. One may say that in such
an affair there is no preparation to be
made or if any is possible it is dis
honorable.
But while Armstrong had the steadi-
ness OF a planet revolving in its fixed
orbit. Brown was a man for occasion.
While he had noble impulses. he did
not allow them to run away with him
in the matter of the girl he loved
AIS fair in war and love is a princi-
pie of nature. During the evening he
spun coins on a smooth table top till
midnight. Before he had finished he
had discovered how to make them fall
on which ever side he chose.
The next morning he telephoned to
his employer that he would not be
ready for business that day and had
no excuse to offer for his absence.
VERY sorry to lose you. Mr.. Brown"
was the reply. but you needn't come
tomorrow; your place Will be filed"
1t may seem singular that a man
struggling to get wife should give up
the income on which to support her,
but Brown argued that he couldn't get
the wife and keep the position He
possessed the faculty of deciding be-
tween the greater and the lesser. He
needed all of the day to continue his
preparations for the game he was to
play in the evening. If he lost there
was no recovery. If he won he had
lifetime in which to secure another
position.
When the evening for the trial came
Brown had used up in preparation
every moment since he had parted
with Margaret tie day before, except
eight hours for sleep. 1t was not that
he dreaded failure, but detection. If
he were caught introducing loaded
coins for the spinning he could not tell
just what would be the result. He
might lose the girl. He certainly would
incur the contumely OF his rival. and
his action might prove ruinous to him.
But nothing troubled him except the
possible loss of the prize.
Brown called late enough to give his
rival an opportunity to get in before
him, then entered as though he had
merely dropped in casually. Armstrong
looked annoyed, and Margaret appear
ed TO be very regretful OF having
drifted into the position she occupied.
The three with difficulty kept up an
embarrassing conversation for half an
hour, when Armstrong giving Mar
garet a knowing look, proposed to de-
eide a question he had raised by spin
ming a coin. He had invited her to go
to the theater with him, and she seem
ed TO be in doubt what day to set for
the purpose. His proposition he in
tended for an introduction to the trial
that was 10 decide his fate with Mar
garet. The night for attending the
theater having been settled, Brown
proposed some other way of amusing
the trio by coin spinning. Margaret
wore an American Beauty rose in her
hair, and at last Brown proposed to
Armstrong to spin a coin for it. Mar
garet consented and Armstrong won
the rose. Then Brown spoke.
mfr. Armstrong, there is a prize we
both desire, though / can't say that
either will possess it 1 shall not
name It You are perfectly aware of
dollar for II. best three out Of FIVE"
Armstrong looked at Brown and IN
derstood- Then he looked at Mar
garet and saw that, while she did not
approve. she did not forbid. They had
been playing with a coin that Arm
strong had taken from his pocket
Brown picked it up and said I'VE will
begin with this half dollar; spin 1t
twice; 1 Will then furnish one which
We viii spin twice; then we will spin
one belonging TO Miss Lee"
Placing the coin under his forefinger, |
he asked Armstrong. Heads or taiisT'
Armstrong chose heads. the coin was
spun and Armstrong won. The next
spinning was ~ Armstrong, who lost. /
At the third test Brown declined 10
substitute his own coin, but won
Brown lost the fourth test. making a
tie. He then asked Margaret for a
n Ha tF