Imperial Valley press., 1911-12-07

excitement attending the match game,
had come to the city to pick up dis
honest penny. The countryman had no
sooner entered than by signs to each
other they arranged to get him In for. a
game and fleece him. Having finished
a game. one of them put his cue in
the rack, while the other, after knock
ing the balls about for awhile. said to
the farmer:
"Neighbor. do you play billiards.?
Not much I've played pool some
times in our town.
Come on; let's have game. I'll
give you points"
The countryman assented. While the
man who had stopped playing took
seat to look on. The sharper agreed to
start by giving the countryman thirty
noints in a hundred. The latter played
better than was to have been expected
and beat his opponent by ten points
He was putting up his cue when the
sharper said he would bet him $40 he
couldn't beat kim again with the same
Odds The countryman produced the
money and the confederate offered to
be stakeholder. but another man had
sauntered in and stood looking on, and
the countryman handed his $40 to him
In this game the sharper endeavored
to let the countryman beat him. but
the latter played SO poorly that this
was impossible. He seemed very an
cry with himself for not doing better.
declaring that he had never played
such "dod rotted" game in his life.
Taking a roll of bills from his pocket,
he offered to bet the sharper that be
could beat him at no better odds. the
best three games out Of i've. The
offer was accepted and the country
man, taking $40 f h the roll. put the
rest back into his pocket. whereupon
the sharper. looking wistfully at his
dupe's pile. offered to bet him four to
one for any amount he liked. The
countryman counted out $500. and the
sharper. delighted. covered the amount
with $1,000 more. The size of the bet
attracted attention. and quite mum.
ber of persons gathered around. The
proprietor came up and. having been
taught by experience the outcome OF
such games. started to warn the coun-
tryman, but the confederate beaded
him off and took him away.
The first game of the set the coun-
tryman did better than before. and
the sharper let him win by few
POINTS. He appeared to be much eX-
hi,arated by this success and. taking
out another roll of bills. offered to
double the bet The sharper made a
loan of his confederate and put it up.
The second game was won easily by
the sharper. who had no further in
terest in playing badly. This stagger'
ed the countryman. who refused to
raise the bet any further The games
! were hundred points each. and the
countryman had first shot. The mo-
ment be led off there was a marked
change in his playing. He handled
| his cue gracefully and instead of saw
| ing it and then plunging. as he had
done up to this time. shot lightly
came around the table on four cusb'
ions and counted
| The next shot was long draw
which he made beautifully. On the
third he got the balls together and
nursed them till he had run City
points. then. disdaining to do so any
longer. scattered them and made
twenty five points more in round table
shots. But on the twenty-6fth count
he pulled the balls together again and
ran twenty points. when he purposei!
knocked them apart and. BY curve
shots. won the game, His opponent
had not had an opportunity to use biz
| cue.
! For awhile it looked as though thers
would be trouble. the sharper assert
ing that he had been swindled. Bu'
| those standing about. seeing he hat
been beaten at bis own game. took th<
countryman's part The proprietor
was called and said to the loser:
II know you and your pal to bt
confidence men. Either submit to you
loss or | will call the police, who will
doubtless recognize you and take carr
Of you"
There was nothing for the man tt
do but submit. and he and his con
| federate soon after skunk away. Th'
countryman departed, saying that b.
was going to take his winnings as .
gift to a charitable institution. III
had scarcely gone before one Of th'
men, who had witnessed the games
/ told/t the others that he had recognized
him for one who. few years before
had held the billiard championship
but who had relinquished 1t to go int
a regular business. He was still in
terested in the game and often attend
ed championship matches. When do
ing so, II he could find sharper VIII
was interested in doing country
man, he invariably gave him chance
donating his winnings to some inst
tuition