| Show HAD THE ILL ILL BET YOU 1 MANIA ANIA A MAN M ON ON ONA ONA A TRAIN WHO WO MADE ME WAGERS WAdER O ON EVERYTHING What Wat Seemed Worse Wor e to the Other Pas Passengers He Had Kad d an a Aggravating Habit Aso Also of Being Right Right Right-De- De Devices vices by Wic Which His flis Downfall Was Brought About Abot Did you ever cut the tra trail of one of 01 those fellows that want to bet you all al the thc time on any old thing and particularly when you open your face race to ton n make ke the simplest kind of assertion inquired Inquire the drummer with the coton cotton wadding in his ears of his IS group of l h el rotunda c chair lr warmers m s They all aU nodded their heads lIes Hes les worsen the mumps several several several sev sev- eral of them said a Well Wel we had him and proper six ix Ix days of him on therun b ck from Portland Portland Portland Port Port- land ore Ote that Ive I've Just tallied off ff said sad the drummer with wit the coton plugged cotton plugged ears I hope hes he's got hes ot a a abed bed to sleep In Inon inon on this cold I night t I dont don't think h he e meant Mr bad but when wien he went right In t play all al the toe numbers and to hunch his game to the sufferers simply sim simply sun sun- ply had to uncork uncork gme a i brace and nd swing onto ont the firing fring line lne But Jd Jd feel unhappy if I I I thought that poor cuss ss didn't have nave some kind of a shelter sheler on this r br night He lie got on at Portland and wa was travelIng travelIng travel travel- Ing to this port of entry alone He was wasa a sawed off of jerky little fellow with a a. a a shrill pitched high-pitched voice that sounded like an axle that needs the grease grese a lary dyspeptic a stubby grayish grayIsh must Che Chend and thid nd much clothing anc and money oney He lie was the the IY only occupant of ot the smoking compartment of the sleeper when I drifted ln In the these e f for r. r a draw about an hour after the train trin tr ln Portland He hO wale b bac back cK k In th best seat wih with his feet cocked second best seat set and he was smoking one e o of those Midway a fh cigarettes 1 called n kJ Turks et t th that t smell like a a Ina in I. I feather feer factory I pulled out a c cigar took hed he'd let lt me I have f e Fo d j In the way of a plaCe t to sit down and began Rainy to enjoy he be surprised myself i me one e b by SaYIn saying In his his' squeaky voice ater after Id I'd Id taken tak n a few law puffs s Yep kind o 0 I replied replied replied-it it lt was coming d down del el fn torrents b e I Bout t the regular thing out here in 01 ii Oregon though aint it I Get about thirteen months of rain per annum here if 1 k know ow anything a about out it It Bet you twenty oten theres there's not more than two Inches 0 n na a a a- year more in m Portland than there Is in New York ork was the way he came came at me then in his shrill voice blowing a a c oud of that Turk murk Jurk JurkIn In my direction This looked too tod too good gb d. d Never stacked up against one t tt t looked so good as a this I dont don't think I Iwas was a ever In Portland Ore In all al the time Ive I've Ive been hiking around with samples that it wasn't raining raIn rain- ing Youie Youre on I quick to reply feeling how good It i all al was wa But lint what's the use of conversing in these thee chicken feed fee terms Twenty wouldn't more than tan pay my account with wih the news butcher butch r from here to New York Make it fifty tb twentY tY five ty-five and well we'll t feel l better All X i right l te he answered ie jUst just as perl perky y ya fifty tifty to twenty twenty- as you'd want I. I et you a five that not more than tan two more inches of rain Portland a than in the city el tK gf of New York r in the tho year year well a well 1900 1 will 1900 suit you 19 Any ny old year said I already t feeling how cos cosy that fifty f r was going to feel as asa asa a a stripper for fr m my v vest wad you li going oT to prove i it anyhow 6 for o r I began e eto to feel apprehensive ve lest the mOney might for lack of proof proof proof-on on board the train slip a away Wait v from a mo me minute he r replied led as a C cocky kY kYas as s a fox terrIer that's Just been e n fe fea fed feda fedje a basin I of pap pan and he jumped up hi in his pud 1 T je Jerky way a and J wept went t forward Into l the car Ho He o returned in 11 Just nine seconds wih with witha a standard almanac clutched tightly In his glov gloved d' d handS bands He wi ri the pages found Rainfall in tho it index-it was as wa a 1901 1501 almanac and almanac and took him ten more seconds seconds to find the Mean annual precipitation I tation tabulation for tor 1900 1906 Ha H IIa herO hera we are re he said standing over me an me the figures in Portland Mean annual precipitation Ore In 1900 46 16 S 1 inches mean annual precipitation 19 in New York N. N ein Y In 1900 gi 44 fI 8 10 1811 Inches t differences i n In mean annual precipitation tw tw Inches precisely Hows How's U that Oh i the tho figures were there all 11 right I There here wasn't any chance for me to emit any moan want O either even if he had been l ht dbR aei 1 betting on a sure thing thin for r I h had bitten and sailed along with him lim him and had even made imade him raise ral the ante He le sat sat down dowl again In Lathe the be best belt seat cocked his feet up again on the second best seat lit another one agan of those St bet seid-bet ts of Cairo turners fumel's and andI I dug Into the Rick Ick produced the wallet walet skinner off a twenty and a live five lve and silently silently silent silent- ly handed em en aver er oer o'er to him Well just a the Jerky you bet man to t-to with w mv my v ji twenty five emi nt got through replacing e ing Lag 1 his his his' walet ione ne of ot these thee t square big square g-square- jawed smooth haven natured good-natured but sure cock looking chaps chaps- stepped i into the e smoking kr ec c compartment fx 1 9 He lie lit a ai big fat cigar nodded d decently enty- enty to the two a of us and lay back a a man who'd never neer seen I the outside othe the house to too to much Presently of the three of us got to passing trouble P the desultory word around f In the disjointed t way have in a smoking compartment whore who're not known to each 1 other othel Going at 4 pretty fair fall clip cUp for these the sure cock-sure looking look look- parts carts eh ehr pu pun n big ing Jg n chap gazing idly out of the window p Bout nifty fifty miles mf an un hour eh ch B Bet you ou fifty were we're not doing forty niles miles an t hour hurled hurl In the toe bet- bet you POU kles boy that d got me roe He looked r at the big so sou square Jawed u man malt who flushed h like men n of his make up u d dp when any of j their statements are called caled right or wrol m mt mb he replied clearing cearIng his hist throat t and returning r the Jerky chaps chap's g f le i e gaze But lei s a talk tk real sure enough money money on t s fifty wouldn't keep kep my myr boy n shoes for a year How youngest ol Q about r a th hundred N on it it Done saM said the man with wih the you bet-you habit and I began to feel tiCkled Inside because the train looked to me to be Wiz Wiz- Whiz Whiz- sing Ane along for fair Done ro fo a hundred Want Vant to leave leaV i it t to the conductor Hes He's more liable t to know now than anybody else elt Sure replied the big man choppily and an I I want to lo Warn lOam you von my mv friend that you youre you're ra an even hundred out for making that crack If it Ive I've ever seen anything anything W 6 T than a tin tn toy locomotive tive speed of ot trains Is my It'll be a a shame to to take tale game and nd d a your money monc m nAJt Alt AU right well right well we'll leave it to the conductor conductor conductor con con- ductor ans answered ed the you bet-you man off ocr of J I hand and he he looked and acted so derne confidant about It that I began to doubt whether hed he'd lose after all al although the train seemed seethed US ce 1 I say gay to be more than hitting It up The train porter orter was wa summoned and and requested to present the compliments of that smoking compartment to the conductor t tor and respectfully to h him to re repair repair re- re pair r thereto r r for half a minute 1 The conductor con con- dueler ductor app appeared about three minutes l I later ter while none of the three of or us in the dom com com compartment said much Well gentlemen said aid the conductor looking around arund at us inquiringly Conductor put In the big man the man the theother other man seemed to he be perfectly willing willingto to let Itt him do the talking how talking how good are you a at t guessing the speed spee of your own train tran The conductor smiled amiably at the three of us Ive Oh middling good he replied got the reputation along the line lne of being able to hit hi within a mile mUe or so even eve In the ther middle of the night and when he said r that td lYle the big liha man looked e positively Tri y elated k All Al right the bl bIg man said then just ta take e a a antis and a feel so to speak will wi rno you please 10 a h and d tell hron how fast ta youre you're leavIng leaving leav leav- a ing em behind right I now and even e el as the b bg big man spoke e the train seemed to eb i l take e a quicker r jump ahead The conductor Yeaned leaned over and nd ned gazed out of tho the car window rubbing his chin thin reflectively Thus he leaned and gazed gaze for about half hat a. a minute and then then he h or stood straight Well v up R Si gentlemen lt ho he hr said in a jU Judicial judicial Judi judi- Iclal I- I cial kind of way en were were doing about thir ty six miles mies now as a we e have bave been ben since we left lef Portland almost You see see we dont don't begin to line lne er right out for fo ke keeps pS until we get past The Dalles bales Then Ten we move right along No were we're not doing two foot more th than th thirty six miles l an noun hour f just ro now and d the conductor n t r j looked around at the three of us curiously Why have you ou gent gentlemen men got a bet on it i The big man had risen rise by this time timeto to get at his pocketbook and from th the thO purplish J his iS face I thought for a afew afew afew few few second Oi Hi 1 he e was going to die standing standing up that all al square- square Jawed COCK sur cock king ducks are hard W lie Ho pulled out leather flicked ficke two fifties out of tl middle compartment compartment handed them over to the you bet-you person who was lighting one of those coochee smokes tossed toed his bis fine One half- half smoked cigar cigar into a I cuspidor and thrashed out of oC the compartment as s if hed he'd heard that th the bub bubonic plague r raged ged in there He lle lost out eh eh Y said the conductor grinning and jerking r his finger e in n the direction f N t the db big man had J g gone gl and l t then the conductor left lef too shaking his head he amusedly Now what dye suppose ailed tha that man asked the tho Jerky chap folding away the two fifties and gazing at me in rather a hurt manner I was wa right wasn wasn't t I 1 It wasn't up to me and so I only tU turned It off i a and g went forward o oi How taken i t honest a piece lJ Injun Of gp the glad big I was mans man's that bet I t hadn't as 1 I had been sorely t tempted to do to get et my r twenty five Rv or back k and a little IWI more ie Well this you bet-you Individual picked em Vei right with never a a. fall down right I l lt through thio to Omaha a i and n by the w we reached that dreary burg there a been at least ten or 01 twelve fellows on the he of bunches train that hed he'd bet bet- bet you ou out ut varying from twenty to a hundred And It was Impossible for any of us that'd been hauled In by him to suspect for an an instant that he was wa In any sense senie a a for he He simply had a devils devil's own faculty fauly for getting things straight and he won cut on nl I s some ever ev r heard g of ird the d dog For l Instance l propositions propositions he go get geta t ta a a telegrapher a chief o operator at that that who'd be been punching a key for a quarten quarter ten ter of f a century e r that he ho he couldn't couldn g ld iu t get t th within five years of naming the year in inc lre ei which h Morse invented n the telegraph Gaily wasn't It it Well WeH blamed If i he hedl dl Galy t get away with It for a twenty- twenty dollar dolar note The chief took as a a basis bais for calculation the date upon which Morse sent that first r telegraph message H tY sg between e Baltimore 1 r and Washington g and so he decided to give Morse two or three years ears to ave actually invented the telegraph telegraph telegraph tele tele- graph before that message was sent So he said that the telegraph was wa Invented Invented in invented In- In vented in 1843 1243 by Morse He lie lost out for foroi Morse e actually made e the Invention t in the r rg year oi el l 1837 and 1837 and J r that made nr the sore t telegraph tele g graph man J Just st six little odd years year shy or oT being right Again he ho you'd bet-you'd a mining engineer I who seemed to have the whole thing at athis Ms his Ils fingers' fingers ends and who got to talking I about the richness of Montana copper that right r he after couldn't I the h le United name 1 what States country o in the c came production pro pro- production I Ic It t of copper Nervy that a eh under Nii du ii the circumstances circumstances' c But r he aI picked I that I IT Il Io o one up l a and waltzed t oft off with i it too d' d I The T mining l engineer e turned r red when It was put to him but he be was game I Ig In enough to put his five twenty to the ven venture en g ld t sv ture and n he said that Germany was the I country Tho The you bet ou man had the facts fact think 0 o to show allow that Spain Spain who'd who'd eves ever eve Spain in connection with copper had copper had Germany skinned off of the map In the production pro pro- of the metal metal and was next after the United States in that mater matter and nd the twenty five twenty was vas jus something easy Well when the train began to hike Wel some of us sufferers at the hands of that you get you get man ma began began be be- b- b gan to frame up and formulate a grouch among ourselves This said we and we-and and most of ot us were through travelers to New York York- this thing tIling can not go on Its It's Is I's too easy esy for him He is already far far ar too rich It is Incumbent upon us not only as a men of I good moral character an citizens citizens cit cit- citi citi- but Aa Is de fin zens of the Republic de for sirous Irous of preserving our reputations average foxiness to get some of that good dough ough back Wherefore let us get right together and v e ways and ad means meas to that end Which end we did After the tho conference having been chosen s I 1 walked t listlessly l ll rn Into the tho smoking k compartment m a where I knew the tile perky man with our money was smoking his fumigators and sitting sitting sit sit- ting opposite him and waiting for a proper prop prop- er Cr fr Interval to elapse I yawned and then spoke up and thus unto him Funny how these lunchroom thieves along the roal do travelers travElers Isn't It Look at the bum quarter I got t for change changeat at the tho last stop where I got a a sandwich a and I handed hl him over a quarter hl ega el fl y lie He I looked at It carefully Inspected both sides of it and then rang It i three or four time on the sill si of the tile window beside beside beside be be- side his seat Nothing the matter mater with wih that coin he said finally Its Is as good as a they're made What hat hat makes make you think Its It's bad I 1 scratched ed my mv chin dubiously and told him that somehow or another It didn't seem right to me He lie le took the coin It some more o examined I the again rang lang milling M g with rt 1 great r r care a and d then 1 |
