River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-01-28
CHAPTER x.
The Warp In Fortunes Wheel.

A y the sixth night Of play at
b 10 the Elkhorn the limit was re-
~ duced to So.
Its all right" Smoke as
sured the gamekeeper. Il want S.
500 tonight, as usual, and you only
compel me to play longer. I've got to
pick twice as many winners; that $
ILL.,"
why don't you buck somebody
else's tabe?" the keeper demanded
wra thfully.
Because | like this one" Smoke
glanced over at the roaring stove only
few feet away Besides, there are
no drafts here, and it is warm and
comfortable
On the ninth night, when Shorty had
carried the dust home, he had fit.
Il quit, Smoke; | quit" he began
L know when l got enough. amt
dreamin'. I'm wide awake. A system
can't be, but you got one just the
same There's nothin' in the rule o
.hree The almanac's clean out Tie
worlds gone smash. There's nOthin
regular an uniform no more The
multiplication tables gone loco. Two
is eight. nine is eleven, and two times
two is eight hundred an fOrty-siX-all
a half. Anything is everything, an
nothin's all. an twice all is cold
cream, milk shakes an calico horses.
you've got a system. Figgers beat
the figgerin What amt is, an what
isn't has to be. The sun rises in the
west the moons pay streak. the stars
in canned corn beef, scurvy's the bless
III Of Cod him that dies kicks again.
rocks floats, waters gas, ! amt me,
you're somebody else. an mebbe were
twins if we amt hashed brown pota
toes fried in verdigris. Wake me up,
somebody. Oh, wake me up!'
The next morning a visitor came to
the cabin. Smoke knew him-Harvey
Moran. the owner of all the games in
the 'TivOli There was q note Of appeal
IN his deep gruff voice as he plunged
into his business.
ITS like this. Smoke" he began
You've got us all guessing. I'm rep
resenting nine other game owners and
myself from all the saloons in town
We don't understand. We know that
no system ever worked against rou
lette. All the mathematic sharps in the
colleges have told us gamblers the
same thing. They say that roulette il
self is the system, the one and only
system, and therefore that no system
can beat it. for that would mean arith-
metic has gone bughouse."
Well, you've seen me play" Smoke
answered defantly, land. if you think
it's only string Of luck on my part
why worry?'
That's the trouble We can't help
Worrying. It's Il system you've got and
Ill the time we know it can't be. I've
watched YOU Eve nights now and all
can make out is that you favor certain
numbers and keep on winning.
Now, the ten Of US game owners
have got together. and we want to
make a friendly proposition. Wen
put a roulette table in back room OF
the Elkhorn pool the bank against
Won and have You buck us. 1t will be
ali quiet and private-just you and
Shorty and US What do you say"
81 think it's the other way around,
Smoke answered Its up to you to
come and see me. I'll be playing in
the barroom of the ElkhOrn tonight
You can watch me there Just as well.
That night when Smoke took up his
customary place at the table the keep
err shut down the game. 'The games
closed" he said Boss orders"
But the assembled game owners
were not to be baked In a few min
utes they arranged pool, each putting
in thousand. and took over the table.
Come on and buck us" Harvey Mo
ran challenged as the keeper sent the
ball on it's first whirl around.
Give me the twenty-five limit?"
Smoke suggested.
Sure; go to it,
Smoke Immediately placed twenty
win His method of play varied. Elk.
pert after expert in the jam about the
table scrubbed down his bets and mum
bers In vain attempts to work out his
system. They complained of their in
ability TO get a clew to start with and
Swore that it was pure luck, though
the most colossal streak of it they had
ever seen.
1t was Smokes varied play that OBJ
fuscated them Sometimes, consulting
his notebook or engaging in long cal
culations. an hour elapsed without his
stalking chip. At other times be
would win three limit bets and clean
up a thousand dollars and odd in five
or ten minutes
At still other times his tactics would
be to scatter single chips prodigally
and amazingly over the table. This