Evening star., 1921-04-24

ersing that part Of our common coun-
try to do it's plain and fancy cor
ruptin'. All the railroad desires at
this time is for the legislature to give
st shaps asou Of the n the Hna sa's ali the
General has got to do is to see that
the Legislature comes through. He
turns in an expense account eveEy
week that would make a Rivers and
Harbors bill look puny. and ftun
what can gather he's drawin' =
he's entitled to keep what he can
mako by chiselin' down a member
from his regular price for bein' cor
rupted. Any time a corn-fed statss-
man who's set forth in the past-per-
formances book at the hgger Of Ave
for. say. three hundred and fifty. the
General goes south with the differ
ence. It's his legitimate commission
on the deal. And at that he amt
satisfied He bankers to get the
three-fifty back without losin' said
and the Sweet Caps Kid come in.
That's why he took that trip all the
way to Hot Springs to dig up cou-
pie Of specialists. That's why we're
now on the job in Parlor b
IT'S so easy it's right simple. The
General sets his eye on promisin'
rube- member from the tall and un-
cut. He honeys up to him. wearin'
the greasy smile of fishduck that s
just located a fat minnow, and soon
the hellish deed is done. In the dusk
of the evenin' the General takes his
young friend by the hand and leads
him into his room and pays him the
price of his shame. Maybe he gets
him for two hundred, and maybe he
has to pay him as much as two
hundred and fifty-you'd be surprised
shame in some sections OF this favor
ed land.
right away the member gets i'm
patient to go. II he's an old timer
at the game. he's worried for fear
he sold out too cheap. and II this is
his first offense, he's low in his mind
to think of what his constituents will
say il they ever find out on him.
That's the Generals cue to slip
drink or two into him. Then the
General goes to the door and opens
it about an inch and quarter and
takes a quick peek outside. He slams
the door then and comes back and
tells the member there's suspicious
lookin' party snoopin' round the hall.
He suggests they slip into the next
room to wait until the coast is clear.
So they slips into the next room and.
10 and behold. me and the Sweet Caps
Kid is settin' there playin' show
down for pennies. The General in
troduces us to the corrupted guy as
a couple of friends Of his. and then
me and Sweet Caps Kid invites EN-
both to set down and play a little
nickel-ante with us. jacks or better
to open, ten-cent limit. The General
says they've got a little time to kill
and maybe they might as well draw
a few hands.
ct GUESS I don't need to tell you
the rest of it-you must know
how the Big Mitt is worked. No?
Well. then. praps I had better ex-
plain, briefly. The deck goes round
few times and nothing happens.
Then it comes my deal. and the Sweet
Caps Kid takes a fash at the cards
I've slipped him. and he says sort of
wistful-like that he certainly wishes
we was playin' for something sub
stantial, because he's got hand that
he'd like to adventure little real
money on. Them words sound like
a message from heaven to the Gen
erals young friend. and he seconds
the motion. So. just to humor him
and Sweet Caps. me and the General
agrees to remove the roof tempo
rarily, and them two starts in bettin.
In order to show that he's perfectly
calm and collected. the sucker knocks
his stacks of chips over and turns
pale as a sheet and keeps swallowin'
his Adams apple and trembles all
over And the Sweet Caps Kid keeps
on a-h'istin' him and a-h'isttn' him.
after while the legislators
money is all up. and then Sweet Caps
calls him, and he spreads out his
little throbbin' king-full on palpi-
tating queens. But Sweet Caps. he
merely smiles a sad. pensive smile
and reaches for the coin, at the same
time layin' down four rattles and q
button.
"What's four rattles and a but
ton? Why. that's my pet name for
a complete set of tens with an ace
on the side for confidence card. So
the sucker. talkin' strange words to
himself, departs in a kind OF stricken
state, ref1ectin' upon the melancholy
circumstance that he's sold his BIRTH
right for . mess Of jackpottage, and
then lost that, too. When the sound
Of his draggin' footsteps has died
away in the distance down the de-
serted hallway me and Sweet Caps
and the General splits the winnin's
three ways, and then We all retires
tn our downy COuoh09 nllAd with