The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-10-13

time. It's tn quickness OF my hands agin
yo're eyes-an' you can't beat me three
straight. Make t. hundred2 | hate to
play all day"
"I'll lay you my winnin's an have some
more of yo're money" replied the puncher,
feverishly. "Aint scared, are your"
Don't know what it means to be
scared" laughed the other. "But l amt
got no small change, nothin' but tens. Play
a hundred an let's have some real excite
ment."
,"Nope; eight or nothin'"
He won again. "Now, sixteen even.
Come on; I've got you beat"
"But what's tn use Of stringin' long like
that?" demanded the shell-man.
Gimme a chance to get my hand il,
won't your" retorted the punchcr.
"Well, all right" replied the gambler,
and he lost the sixteen.
"Now thirty" suggested the puncher.
"Next time all I've got, every rcd cent.
Once more to practice then every rec" )" he
repeated, shifting his feet ncrvously. "I'll
clean you out an have Il real, genuine blow
out on yo're money. Come on, I'm in a
hurry"
"1'll fool you his time, by tn Lord!"
swore the gambler, angrily. "Youve got
more luck than sense. An I'll fool you
next time, too. Yo're quicker'n most men
I've run up agin, but can beat you, shore as
shootin'. Tn games square tn play fair
my hand agin yore eye. Ready9 Then
watch mel"
He swore luridly and showed the money
across the board to the winner, bewailing
his slowness and getting angrier every mo-
ment. "Yo're tn cussedest man ever bet
agin! But I'll get you This time. You can't
guess right all tn time, an know it"
"There she is; sixty-two bucks, three
score an two simoeons; all I've got, every
cent. Let's see you take it away from mel"
The gambler frowned and choked back a
curse. He had risked sixty dollars to win
two, and the fact that he had to let this fool
play again with the fire hurt his pride. He
had no fear for his money-he knew he
could win at every throw--but to play that
long for two dollarsl And suppose the
sucker had quit with the sixty
"Do you get dollar a month";" he de-
manded sarcastically. "Well, reckon you
earn it, at that. Thought you had money,
thought you drew down two months pay
an hain't had nothin more'n two drinks2
Did you go an lose it on tn way2"
"Oh, drew it month ago" replied the
sucker, surprised. "I've only had two
drinks in this town, which hit bout an
hour ago. But / shore lost wad playin'
faro-bank agin a tow-head. Come on
lemme take sixty more of yo're money, any
how"
"Sixty-t1OOi" snapped the proprietor, de-
termined to have those two miserable dol
lars and break the sucker for revenge.
every cent, you remember"
"AH right; don't care l amt no tin
horn," grumbled the other. "Think / care
bout two dollars2" But he appeared to be
very nervous, nevertheless.
i "Well, put it on tn table"
"After you put yourn down."
"There it is. Now watch me closel" A
CLEAN Of joy flashed up in the angry mans
eyes as he played with the shells. "Watch
me closel Mebby it is, an mebby it amt
tn games square, tn plays fair. It's my
hand agin yo're eye. Watch me close"
ooh, go aheadl I'm watchin', all right
Think I'd go to sleep now!"
The shifting hands stopped, the shells lay
quiet, and the gambler gazed blankly down
the unsympathetic barrel of Colt.
"Now, Thomas, old thimble-rigger, ,
crisply remarked the supposed sucker as he
cautiously slid the money off the table, to bC
picked up later when conditions would bC
more favorable. 9Th little pea amt unde
no shell. STOP! Step back one pace an
elevate them paws. Don't make no NOR,
funny motions with that hand, savvy2 Blu
you can drop tn pea if it hurts them tive
fingers. Now well see if l win; allus lik,
TO be shore, and he cautiously turned owe
the shells, revealing nothing but the dirt,
green cloth. 81 win it amt there"
"Who are you, an how'd you know m,
nameI" demanded the gambler, mental,
cursing his two missing cappers. The,
were drinking once too often and thing
were going to happen in their vicinity, am
very soon.
"Why, you took twenty-five dollars iror
me up in Alameda onct, when couldn'
afford to lose it, grinncd the puncher. ="
was something OF kid then. remembe
y you, ali right My foreman tod me abou
yore bang-up fight agin tn Johnson broth
ers, who gave you that scar. l thought the
that you were great man--now know yo
amt. Wouldn't "a played at all if / hadn
knowed how crooked you was. Take yo'I
layout an yo're crookedness, find tn pea al
yo're cappers, an clear out. An il anybod
asks you if you've seen Hopalong Cassid
you tell 'em I'm up here in Colby makil
some easy money beatin' crooked game
So long; an don't look back"