ey. They wanted me to give it up; but when I saw the
black boy start after you, I thought I would hold on until you
came, then I knew they would get left--didn't I, George?"

"Yes, Bill; you bet you won't have to give up when I'm around."

"George, them fellows took me for a sucker. Do I look like a
sucker?"

"No, Bill; you look like a nice, smart counter-hopper," I replied.

Bill laughed and said, "George, I'm $10 better off than I would
have been if you had not got here just in time; let's take something
and then go to bed."

The fellow dropped his big knife, which we found on the floor; so
that he was out $10 and his knife by tackling--not a sucker, but
one of the oldest and best sucker-catchers in the country.

TWO-FORTY ON THE SHELL ROAD.

During the war, after Ben Butler took possession of New Orleans,
the city was always full of Union officers and soldiers. Money
was very plentiful, and of course everything was lively. I was
running the race-course and gambling games out at the lake, and
was making big money. I had nineteen good horses. Some were
trotters, some pacers, and some runners. I would drive out and in
over the shell road, which at that time was one of the finest drives
in this country. I did not allow any one to have a faster horse
than myself, and generally drove a pacer, as the road was very
hard, and would stove up a trotter in a short time. I had a very
pretty bay mare that could pace in 2:30 every day in the week, and
she had beaten fourteen other horses at the State Fair in 2:261/2.
I drove "Emma Devol" (the bay mare) most of the time. I had a big
black horse called the "Duke of Orleans," which was faster than
"Emma Devol," but I hardly ever drove him on the shell road, as I
kept him for the race-track.

I was driving the "Duke" out on the road one evening, when I overtook
a big fellow by the name of Jim Dueane, who was a lieutenant of
police at that time. He was a good, clever fellow when sober, but
very quarrelsome when drunk. He was driving a good horse, and I
could see he was under the influence of liquor. He asked me where
I got the plug I was driving, for he did not recognize the "Duke."
I told him it was an old fellow I had bought for $50 to drive on
the road, as I did not want to stove up my race-horses. We were
about two miles from the lake, when he offered to bet me a bottle
of wine he could beat me to the lake. I took him up, and we started.
I let him get a l