| Show I 1 saved his K reputation in the little town where I 1 spent my vacation recently said the bust cess riess man cy mallun was accounted the champeon cham peen checker player of the state it if not of the entire country he had met and defeated all the crack players for miles around and was look ed upon with something of reverence by his ills fellow townsmen ills greatest delight was to lure strangers into a game at the village store and defeat the newcomer while a crowd of his admiring neighbors looked on cy nearly met his waterloo one night however but saved his deputa tion by a clever ruse this Is how he described the event to me in strict confidence how however ever so that is why I 1 do not care to mention the particular to town n you see it was this way drawled cy one day a new teller feller hit the town he ile was one of those tr travel avelin ln men and a right slick article he came into the store one night just as I 1 finished waxin a farmer who allow ed he cud play checkers some we was in the back of the store by the light of a candle stuck in a bottle and the checker board was laid on an ap empty soap box I 1 was beelin pretty slick after beatin the farmer and sort er peerlessly keer lessly invited the young dron drum mer met to a go an he accepted we t made more moren n eight moves when I 1 was up agin a pretty tough proposition he ile bad had mil m beat for sure ili o 0 the next few moves gee I 1 could see my reputation all coln to flinders an everybody would be givin me the laugh bo to while pre bendin to study the next move I 1 did some pretty tall chinkin as to how to get out 0 the fix then a blight idee came to me I 1 pretended to change my position on my stool and quite by accident 0 course upset the box on which the candle was I 1 made a grab for the candle and another un forill nate thing happened my knee struck an end of the checker board which was hangin over the edge of the box and the checker men got so badly mixed up that by the time the candle was lighted agin the game was hope lessly sailed 11 1 I was mighty glad when the ft stranger ranger said he didn dian t have time to play another game as he had to catch bis his train the folks in the store was terrible disappointed ae as they wanted to see me add another victory to toy iny list but say I 1 had a darned close shave from losin my reputation that time |
