The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-09-23

man out of thousand
1T was hard work, for tie sheep
chaperon was foxy ard he did not
want to play with our cards. He
bought pack from the porter and it
was straight playing, but we were two
to one and We got it.
"Towles got us in the smoker and
suggested that If the porters carried
marked decks it would be pretty soft
for anybody who didn't like to bet on
| a full house against fours. That's all
! he said. but he explained that he had
| charge Of all the cars on that road
| put up all the supplies.
| I'VE looked interested in the details.
but we didn't bite until we got back to
Chicago and found out he was what
he said he was and not railroad de-
tective. Then we Topped and Towles
/ was reasonable.
| He could put marked decks on
every car that carried them, and all
he wanted was ten per cent. He
didn't even ask us to wear cash reg
listers.
We'll, Don had friend who made
beautiful ink. 1t wasn't the sort they
sell suckers and come-ons who answer
ads. but the real goods. 1t cost us ten
dollars for about 4 teaspoonful. but
1t blended perfectly with the print
ing.
1T took us three weeks to mark up
a stock. and then we had to wait until
the cars were stocked. That was
another couple Of weeks, and then
just as though luck was made to or
der-I got a tip from Pickering the
chap in New York told you of once
that Bob Brown was headed for
home
You've heard Of Bob Brown He
fell down stump hole and came out
with broken leg and bonanza
mine. He was going back to Califor-
MIA, and he had a chap with him who
owned three or four counties in Texas,
and had SO many cows 1t took three
men five weeks to count them.
Three days on the train with them,
and them liking poker and being will
ing to be murdered II it was done
nice!
Pickering wised us that the old
fingerwOrk wouldn't go. They knew
the tricks-Bob had lost about three
millions, and you're bound to get some
wisdom for that-but Pickering knew
could mark angel backs to fool even
professional.
pickering got fooled himself once.
and he wrote that he thought we
could get to them with some good
marked papers.
Don and me we're on the train that
carried Brown and his pal, and after
breakfast the next morning we broke
in. Don landed them first and dragged
me in last, pretending he didn't know
me.
81 suggested that had q couple OF
i. new decks in my grip. but Don
couldn't see that. He thought the
train-cards we're good enough. and the
wink he handed Brown and his pal
made them sure that Don was wise
and on the level
"The porter brought the cards in
, and II the train had run of the track
Just then I'd have given the engineer
a cigar. paid the porter the dollar
ne asked. but I wanted to ram 1t down
his throat and make him choke over It
They we're the same sort Don and
me had almost ruined our eyesight
on. but they weren't our work!
!, There we sat with men who'd droy
couple OF hundred thousand before
the train got down out OF the Sierras
and never bat an eye-winker, II they
thought the game was on the level!
A couple Of hundred thousand, minC
you. and me and Don with our hand:
, tied!
Those fellows could play poker
too, and we dropped most of our biz
bank-roll before the porter called din
ner. When lamps were lighted Dor
and me were playing five-cent ante
), with whisky drummer, and those
!, easy-marks we're playing with a pat
ent.medicine manufacturer and thu
cards I'd paid for"
!, Griscom stopped speaking ant
pulled savagely at his cigar.
:, But was the porter to blame?"
asked.
WAS he to blame?
a Man, he was a rotten thief, that.
!, ala black-hearted son of pirate
king. What do you think Of tina
i, dinge? Here he was, getting from
! fifty dollars to seventy-five dollar &
round trip in tips and thief! In
: stead Of getting the cards we hat
marked from the diningcar conductor
as he should have, he was carryini
his own cards as side line ant
cheating the company out Of the profit
: That's why I've hated the whole
race Of porters ever since.
"A clean chance at couple OF hun
dred thousand, and to be burned on
by a thief Of a porter stealing fift!
cents."
r Legal Tsutoiooy.