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Show Gambling in Green Goods By JOHN IRVING DAY i i Garnering the Gold by a Unique Method, Originated and Practiced by "Doc" Floyd proposed Floyd. "Maybe he's not feeling feel-ing well." In his room the two callers found Cleland pacing the floor with a worried wor-ried look on his face. It was anything but a cordial welcome which he gave them. "Not ill, I hope," said Floyd. "We'd missed you for a couple of days and thought we'd look you up. Haven't cut us out, have you?" "To tell you the truth, fellows, I haven't felt very cheerful since I made that losing. I'm only a salaried man, you know, and can't really afford to play that kind of a game, even if my salary is a big one. It isn't that I'm worrying about just now, though, for I've got a chance to get more than even. My conscience will hardly let me do it though, and besides I've got to have more money than I've got to put the deal through." "Buck up, and tell us about it" broke in Solomon. "And say, kid, don't let your conscience put too much weight on you. Throw it away and get rid of the handicap, but don't do anything to get into jail. I don't mind telling you that there are two or three places in this country right now where I don't want to go for fear the jail doors would open quick to get me. Our friend here is a lawyer. Let him advise ad-vise you." "I wonder if I should tell you?" re- "What's the game, Floyd?' inquired JaJk Cleland who had visited his friend's room in the hotel ten minutes after they had reached the big Broadway Broad-way hotel. "Well, old top, you know what we are on here for," was the reply. "You've got to sell an order of green goods to some one. You are lucky because I've already found your man for you. It must be some one, so why not our friend Solomon? He's already delivered himself." The trio met in the lobby of the hotel a few moments later and Solomon Solo-mon insisted on having just one drink before they parted company for thfe day and then also insisted that they dine together that evening. The only dissipation Cleland would indulge in that evening after dinner was the the- only have aboul-7,000 to my name, se I will have to get some one to go La the deal with me. You two can coma in for $5,000 each. Are you on? And wait a minute, you needn't agree right now, but meet me at ten o'clock in the morning and go with me to the Nineteenth Nine-teenth National and see my friend for yourself." The two agreed to meet Cleland on the morrow and said good-night. "And what do you think of it?" inquired Floyd as they went down on the elevator. ele-vator. "I'm a little afraid of it-" "Well, let's look into it, anyway," returned re-turned Solomon. "If there's a chance to pick up some easy money, I want it." On the following morning they were convinced that the deal was a good one when they went to the Nineteenth National with Cleland, and visiting the safety vault section of the bank, met Danny Roberts as that young man came out of a small compartment in his shirt sleeves with a package of papers in his hands and a pencil behind be-hind his ear. Danny looked the part of a busy clerk and they heard him whisper nervously to Cleland that "It was all right." He added that he would be at the appointed place at precisely 12 o'clock. The appointed place was a small dingy office of a dilapidated building build-ing on New street. Cleland explained ex-plained that it was the office of a friend who dealt in curb stocks and was seldom in, but allowed him free use of the place. The trio were waiting wait-ing when Danny Roberts, carrying s. suit case, entered. He immediately took from the case two packages, exactly ex-actly alike in appearance and as to outer signs and seals. Quickly cutting one of them open, he disclosed large bundles of money. It took a half hour to count this out and ascertain that there was $30,000 In the lot. Fifteen thousand dollars in large bills were , placed in the hands of Danny, who hurried away. In five minutes the old bills of perfectly good money mBaEWBHsaERE'S hoping that you get I I evei, alderman." Doc Floyd a - 1 raised a goblet of sparkling Ail burgundy, across the brim p-OTropffirfq Qi which he glanced and i!,'H-! smlled at the member of f&Pj-M! the High Rollers' club who llstfSJ was host at a dinner he rwu was Sivillg in part pay-b&t! pay-b&t! ment o a bet tnat tnere ftja gS8 was not a man in the coun-ViiixLJzstS coun-ViiixLJzstS try witn $5,000 who could be beaten out of that amount on the ancient "gold brick" game. The dinner din-ner end of the l?Bt was merely a paltry pal-try side issue for the big ex-alderman had also wagered $5,000 and lost that, too. Doc Floyd had asserted that even in the twentieth century the time-worn time-worn "green goods game" could be worked. "Have you got the nerve to tell me that you can put over the old green goods thing," was the amazed demand of Alderman Mehanty. "I'll bet just one more bundle of $5,000 and again a dinner for the crowd that it can't be done. Why the biggest sucker in the country would take your flash bank roll away from you if you tried to work that." "Well, maybe he would," returned Floyd, but I'll just bet you it can be done and will let Cleland do the rough work and I'll just go along to oversee It. I may have to find the man, but I'll let Jack do the trimming." ater to which he consented to accompany accom-pany Floyd and Solomon. After the theater, however, Floyd was indeed the gay man of law away from home for a good time and he put Solomon through such paces as to endear him to the heart of that boisterous person. This journey through the tenderloin was followed by another. Solomon liked the gay life but was beginning to have a pain in his pocketbook, so that when the third evening after his arrival in Gotham, Cleland proposed another game of cards, saying that he wanted revenge for his loss on the train, there was ready consent on the plied Cleland, brightening perceptibly, polished actor that he was. "Yes, go ahead and out with it," returned re-turned Floyd. "You know we lawyers hear some strange stories now and then and can't afford to be too particular partic-ular as to our clients." "Well, I'll tell you on one condition," agreed Cleland. "That condition is that you come in on the deal with me. I haven't got enough capital to put it through, anyway. There's no danger in it, and it's a sure way to make a big haul." Both Floyd and Solomon agreed to come in on any deal where they could . "And I'll take half of Floyd's end of the bet that they put it over," broke In Col. Powley once more. Is it a bet?" "It is. I'm game for another try," replied the alderman. "How about it, Jack? Can we do it?" quired Floyd of a tall, cold eyed dyspeptic dy-speptic looking person who had sat silent, sipping his wine and puffing a big cigar throughout the bantering conversation. con-versation. Jack Cleland merely grunted his assent. as-sent. He was the one pessimist of the party, but always dependable and a handy man to have in any deal. A bell clanged, a gate slammed and the conductor and a belated passenger climbed aboard the Twentieth Century Limited train which was leaving the La Salle street station, Chicago for its 18-hour spin to New York. The big engine throbbed and the long train of rolling palaces slid out of the shed without a jerk or tremor, as easily as a trim sail boat propelled by a gentle breeze. At the forward end of the train, the buffet car, a comfortable small club on wheels, already was more than half filled with passengers. Seated on one side of the car Doc Floyd was contentedly puffing a cigarette cigar-ette while on the opposite side of the aisle, Jack Cleland pulled at a strong cigar, and neither man glanced at or seemed to know of the presence of the other. All was quiet save for the businesslike conversation of two showmen. The vestibule door opened and into the car came Solomon Rosenberg, Rosen-berg, wise man of the west in which section he had imbibed the air of freedom free-dom in speech and manner. Acquaintances are almost as easily made in the smoking car of a train as on shipboard and here was Floyd not 20 miles out of Chicago drinking with a person whose natural propensities for "butting in" with strangers could not be overcome. Within ten minutes after they had met, Solomon Rosenberg Rosen-berg was narrating the story of the most recent happenings of his life and riding to a swift and certain fall. Oh yes, Solomon was a wise one. He knew it and was proud of it. Floyd had listened to his talk and wondered the while, whether there was a chance to take some of Solomon's easily gotten got-ten wealth and also lower his stock of conceit. He concluded that it might be well worth while to cultivate his new acquaintance. It was at least worth trying, so he ordered another bottle which further mellowed the talkative one, whose tones by this time had disturbed dis-turbed a commercial traveler who sat near him running over columns of figures fig-ures in his sales book. The traveling man appeared slightly annoyed as he glanced toward the wine drinkers. Suddenly he seemed to think of something and placing his memoranda in his pocket he turned to Floyd and his companion and asked if they cared to kill the time with a small game until the call came for dinner in the dining car. "Sure," was the reply of Solomon, answering for Floyd as well as himself. him-self. "My friend and I will play if you'll dig up some one else." A telepathic thought seemed- to travel from Floyd to Jack Cleland who was looking at the party from the opposite op-posite side of the car. The others also seemed to notice his presence at the same time and it appeared a mere chance that he was invited to make the fourth man in the game. The play was not resumed after dinner, din-ner, Cleland saying that he had lost ibout all he could afford, but the party stuck together and when it came time to retire for the night, Solomon, Floyd and Cleland had all agreed to make their headquarters at the Hotel Astor during their stay in New York and see more of each other. The drummer had told them that his home was in the city but that he hoped to :Ook them up during their stay. "IT TOOK HALF AN HOUR TO COUNT THIS." part of the westerner, who proposed to I make some one else pay his expenses if he could. Cleland already had found t.ie drummer s telephone number and invited him to dine and join them in another little friendly game. Again Solomon won, but his .winnings .win-nings were small. The salesman, also, was allowed to carry away a few dollars dol-lars for his evening's work. Floyd, however, made a heavy winning and Cleland lost $2,000, playing with the feverish recklessness that comes to the average loser at cards. The game broke up when the salesman announced an-nounced that he would have to quit and get a few hours' sleep before appearing ap-pearing at his place of business. Cleland Cle-land went off to his room with a grouch, refusing even to take a "night-cap" drink. Solomon, however, readily accepted Floyd's invitation to take in some of the all-night restaurants. restaur-ants. "I wonder if our friend has left town without saying good-by," remarked Solomon to Doc Floyd two days after the poker game in which Cleland had lost his money to Floyd. He had not appeared since that time. "I wonder?" replied Fioyd. "Let's inquire of the clerk at the desk and see if he's gone." Acting upon this suggestion sug-gestion they learned that Mr. "McCle-land," "McCle-land," the name under which Cleland Cle-land was known to them, was still in town, and vn fact was in his room at that moment "Let's go up and see what ails him," see a sure and quick profit, and asked for particulars. "It's perfectly simple," explained Cleland. "I once did a young fellow a good turn and kept him out of a lot of trouble. He's the trusted messenger in. the Nineteenth National bank here now. This bank is the clearing house for a lot of smaller banks and also gets the biggest part of the city's deposits. de-posits. They get thousands of dollars in old and dirty money every week which they turn in to the subi reasury on Wall street, getting new bills in return. re-turn. This young friend of mine has been the messenger and made the exchanges. ex-changes. He says they never even open the sealed packages of bills that he takes to them and which have been certified to by the officers of the bank. The subtrcasury simply O K's the amount on the back of the package and forwards it with a lot of similar bundles to Washington, where the old and dirty money is never counted, but just ground up and destroyed. He has thought the whole plan out and says he can substitute a phony package for the one with the old bills in it. He has to have some one in the deal with him, for he would never dare to try to get rid of the old money. I saw him this afternoon and to-morrow he will have to make his regular weekly trip, and the package already is made up with $30,000 in good money in It. All he wants is half for nis share and I can give him $15,000 in $100 and $500 clean bills and take the package. 1 Were divided Into three packages of """""ll equal amounts aid tied up into neat paper-bound parcels on the roll-top desk. Just at that moment there was a knock on (he locked door of the office of-fice and Cleland slammed down the top of the desk and kicked the waste paper underneath before he went to answer the summons. "It was only a customer looking for my friend," he remarked, as he returned re-turned and raised the top of the desk, disclosing the three neatly tied parcels. par-cels. "You fellows had better take your bundles and separate. We will all meet at the hotel for dinner." Solomon and Floyd, acting like two conspirators, agreed to tako separate conveyances uptown to their hotel and to meet there later and drink to their good luck. Two hours later, when Floyd had not put in appearance, Solomon begaa to feel nervouu. He was afraid something some-thing had happened to Floyd and Cleland, Cle-land, but for another half hour he did not suspicion anything further, and then he suddenly decided to go to his room and investigate his newly acquired wealth. "Stung!" yelled Solomon when he undid the parcel and found a tightly bound package of tissue paper with a f dollar bill on each outer side. "And I never once thought of the old green ioods game!" (Copyright, by W. G. Chapman.) (Copyright in Great Britain.) |