m in it."

Schwalliger took out his money and looked at it again and shook his
head. He began again his backward movement from the crowd.

"No," he said, "I wouldn' play erroun' hyeah befo' all thethe people,
becauthe you wouldn't pay me even ef I won."

"Why, of course we would," said the flippant operator; "everybody looks
alike to us here."

Schwalliger kept moving away, ever and anon sending wistful, inane
glances back at his tempter.

The bait worked admirably. The man closed up his little folding table,
and, winking to his confederates, followed the retreating Negro. They
stayed about with the crowd, while he followed on and on until
Schwalliger had led him into a short alley between the stables. There he
paused and allowed his pursuer to catch up with him.

"Thay, mithtah," he said, "what you keep on follerin' me fu'? I do' want
to play wid you; I ain't got but fo'ty dollahs, an' ef I lothe I'll have
to walk home."

"Why, my dear fellow, there ain't no way for you to lose. Come, now, let
me show you." And he set the table down and began to manipulate the ball
dexterously. "Needn't put no money down. Just see if you can locate the
ball a few times for fun."

Schwalliger consented, and, greatly to his delight, located the little
ball four times out of five. He was grinning now and the eye of the
tempter was gleaming. Schwalliger took out his money.

"How much you got?" he said.

"Just eighty-five dollars, and I will lay it all against your forty."

"What you got it in?" asked Schwalliger.

"Four fives, four tens, and five five-dollar gold-pieces." And the man
displayed it ostentatiously. The tout's eyes flashed as he saw his
opponent put his money back into his waistcoat pocket.

"Well, I bet you," he said, and planked his money down.

The operator took the shells and swept the pea first under one then
under the other, and laid the three side by side. Schwalliger laid his
hand upon one. He lifted it up and there was nothing there.

"Ha, ha, you've had bad luck," said the operator--"you lose, you lose.
Well, I'm sorry for you, old fellow, but we all take chances in this
little game, you know." He was folding up his table when all of a
sudden a cry arose to heaven from Schwalliger's lips, and he grappled
with the very shrewd young man, while shriek on shriek of "Murder!
Robber! Police!" came from his lips. The police at Bennings were not
slow to answer a call like this, and they came running up, and