The Monmouth inquirer., 1921-08-04


| took the rooster and stuck him un-
der the basket. Tooley hollered and
scratched like Sam Hill and"
..For mercy sake, Mickey! What will
you say next?'
"Say, ma, you Just wait and see.
Well, Tooley kicked like everything,
but he had to go under just the same.
Then said to the kids. to sit around
the circle on the floor, and each
choose one Of the four quarters for
hisself.-one for each of us. Now
said, you must each cough up"
"Nicholas!"
."Oh ma, do let me tell II without
calm me down every time. You kids
must hand out cent apiece and put
1t ON the floor in your own quarter.
Then. when say ready, I'll pull the
string and raise the basket and let
Tooley out. Tooley'll get scared and
run. If he runs off the circle through
my quarter, then the four cents are
mine; but If he runs through Dimp's
quarter, then the four cents are
Dimp's."
ut was real excitin' when l pulled
the string, and the basket went up.
You'd ought to We been there, Mrs.
Maxwell. You'd have laughed fit to
split"
'sNicholas Burke, you must stop talk.
I'm like that, or pll send you home"
reproved Mrs. Burke, looking severely
ut her son, and with deprecating side
glances at his audience.
EXCUSE me ma. 1t will be all over
II, a minute. But really, you'd have
laughed like sim mean you'd have
lust laughed yourself sick. Tooley was
awful nervous when the basket went
I'M. For a minute he crouched and
stood still, scared stiff at The three
kids, all yellin' like mad; then he
ducked his head and bolted off the
circle through my quarter and flew up
on a beam. I thought the kids would
bsst."
Mrs. Burke sighed heavily
"Well, burst, then. But lille .hey
were laughin' ! raked in the cash.
You see just had to. | won il for fair.
I'd kept quiet, and that's why Tooley
come across my quarter
Mrs. Maxwell was sorting over her
music, while Maxwells face was hid
den behind paper. Mrs. Eurke was
silent through despair. Mickey glanced
furtively at his hearers for moment
and then continued:
Eyes. the kids was tickled but they
got awful quiet when told them to
fork over another cent apiece for the
Jackpot"
what In the name OF conscience
is a jackpot" Hepsey asked.
Donald laughed and Mickey contin-
ued:
GA jaelz-not's a Jackpot: there isn't
no other name that ever heard OF.
we caught Tooley and stuck him un-
der the basket, and made him do 1t
all over again. You see, every time
when Tooley got loose, the kids all
Ieant forward and yelled like mad;
but just kept my mouth shut. and
leaned way back out of the way SO
that Tooley'd run out through my
quarter. So / won most all the tlme.'
There was a pause, while Mickey
looked bit apprehensively at his all-
dience. But he went on gamely to the
end of the chapter.
"Once Tooley made bolt in
straight line through Dimp's quarter,
and hit Dinp In the mouth. and bowl
ed him over like nine-pin. Dimp was
scared to death, and howled like mur-
der till he found he'd scooped the pot;
then he got quiet. After we made
Tooley run ten times. he struck work
end wouldn't run any more; SO we
Just had to let him go: but didn't
care nothin' about that. cause you see
/ had the kids cash in my pants pock-
ct. and that was what was after.
Well sir, when it was all over. cause
I'd busted the bank"
"Nicholas Burke. ! am ashamed Of
you"
Never mind ma; I'm most through
now. When they found I'd busted the
bank, they looked kind of blue, and
Dimp Perkins said it was skin game
and was bunco steerer.'
.sWhat did you say to thatp' Donald
inquired.
"Oh, just said it was all for re-
Egion, it was church money. and il
was all right. ! was just gieanin'
what few cents they had. to pay the
church debt to the missionary; and
they ought to be ashamed to have
church debt hangin' over 'em, and
they'd oughter be more cheerful boz
givin' little somethin' toward raisin
Of it"
When Mickey had finished there
was an ominous silence for moment
OF two, and then his mother said
sternly:
what do yoa suppose Mrs. Perkins
will say when she finds that you've
tricked her son into regular gamb-
ing scheme. to get his money away
from hinna'
Mrs. Perkins," retorted Mickey.
Thoroughly aroused by the soft i'm