The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-10-18

y
old three-card monte game
that We used to see played on
the sands al Coney Island when we
were boys" said Doctor Upham of the
American. Hospital at Ningpo, to his
friend, Doctor Forbes Of Philadelphia
as they stood on the oldstone bridge at
Shanghai and watched n native juggler
entertaining the pnsscrs-by. You see
he has three bowls and a little ball of
toasted rice. which he passes from one
to the other. sNow you sec it and
now you don't, as they say. and the
trick is to guess Just which bowl it is
underLafld, as usual, though he places
1t there right. under their eyes. the
man in the crowd that bets on the
sure thing generally gets it wrong"
why, that's nothing but the old
'thimble-riG' that they used to play
on the tourists when I was a student
in Edinburgh" answered the famous
American surgeon. The man used to
have three thimbles on a board and a
little green pea which he rolled around
until Ii got under one of them and then
you had to guess which one it was
under. You don't mean to tell me that
they've got that same old trick out here
in China--I suppose he picked it up
from some foreigner in one of the ports,
they seem to catch on to our bad ways
even faster than they do to our good
onea."
Not, not at all, the Chinese had that
for years--I might even say centuries
before we ever dreamed Of it. If there
is any such thing as one nation learn
ing it from another, then surely we got
1t from them and not they from us, like
a thousand other ingenious ways of
hUnbuggins your Fellow men, that I
colI1 tell you about IL we had time,
but I have really to believe that we
don't get these things from each other,
nu' it's a sort of general cussedness
that's in our human nature and so it
Just crops out wherever we happen
TO he"
"Ahl see, the little touch of nature
that makes the whole world kin. eh?"
Yes, or one of the little links Of
fellow-feeling that joins the West to
the East-but just watch this chap, I
want to see how he does it. you'll find
that there's a peculiar element in it
here that you never saw at Coney
Island in your boyhood days"
And what's that. pray?"
You'll smile when tell you. but it's
TeriQioH!"
"ti,7od Heavens! Doctor. not religion
in three-card-monte sarneI"
"r,ie same-but III modify it a little
for Dur benefit by just calling it super
ST. 'cn-now watch him." -
TIE Two surgeons stood in the midst
OF the curious but very good-natured
crov. on the bridge while the juggler
continued his talk. DIR. Upharn's perfect
fasq ii;rity with the local dialect
enabling him to interpret the appar-
entity meaningless JargQn for his friend
from abroad.
- see with great pleasure" he re-
MAY ketl, not dreaming that his words
were understood. that we have in this
distinguished audience of mandarins
and literary gentlemen, two famous
visitors from across the Occan"-at this
the crowd chuckled ard laughed-"whC
have been recommended to this marvel
Gus performance by His 1xcellency the
Tao Tai. knowing that it is the mos
wonderful sight they could witness IL
all our ancient empire. AIyi How the
crowds will gather around them in theil
distant ocean Kingdoms when they ~tel
OF what they have seen here today!
CLore laughter from the crowd and {
voice which cried, Say! Ocean-Man
DARN. do you have anything like thi
in your Honorable Kingdom?'O NOV
I will roll the little rice-baH AROUND
until it goes under one of the bowls
All! There it is! Goodbye, little trav
eIer. under some great and wise philoso
pher before me comes and finds yol
out! Twenty brass cash of the Min;
Dynasty to the fortunate one-what
No bids? Thirty, forty, nay, I am boil
and reckless today. fifty coins to tn
prince among you who overturns tn
right how'll"
He paused and looked about him, too
off his dilapidated hat, scratched tn
head that was beneath it and the
tapped it several times with a ragge
fan. No one being bold enough t
come forward and speculate, he con
tinued, "Ah! I know someone who
waiting to tell me just where that httl
rice-ball is. My little Poo SAX Gdol
knows, I'll just ask him." and runnin
his hand up his ragged sleeve he dre'
out an old and battered image of
native divinity and held it up in bot
hands before him. This is Foo She1
the God of Wealth, who bestows hi
riches on all who inplore him L
Just pay my respects to him and the
he will whisper his secret in my ear.
Bowling low three times he ratified off
long string of uninte1ligible words {
the wooden idol and then placed it's lip
close to his left ear and listened for
moment. "Ah! He says he knows
he never makes a mistake-it's unde
the middle one. Behold it," He LITE
UP the center bowl with an elaborat
circular gesture of his arm and held
high in the air toward the gaze Of tn
astonislIed spectators-therc tcGs absc
llttely nothing there! What Yo
lying rascal" he exclaimed Instant