to home. The collection amounted to considerable,
and I chipped in my share liberally. After the morning services
were over I retired to my room to take a sleep, and it was not long
until I had forgotten that we had an old preacher on board.

I spent that Sunday evening reading until near midnight; most of
the passengers had retired. There was but one passenger in the
cabin, and he was sitting with his back to me, reading. I approached
him, and found it was the minister. I had changed my dress so that
he did not recognize me. I sat down near him, and he began talking
about the gambling game of the night before, and he handled the
gamblers without gloves. I sided with him in his views, and then
trumped up a story of how I had been roped into the game, and had
lost $1,000; but that my father was rich, and gave me all the money
I could spend, and that I did not mind the loss very much. He
became very much interested, and asked a great many questions. I
told him I had picked up some of the tickets that they played the
game with, and had them in my room, and if he would like to see
them I would go and get them. "Oh, I would like very much to see
the way it was played, and I will go to your room if you will show
me." We went to my room, and I showed him the old three-card monte
racket. I let him play with the cards until he thought he knew
all about them, and he said to me: "My dear sir, I can't see how
you could lose money on such a simple thing. I would not fail to
pick out the right ticket every time." I said to him, "I'll make
you a proposition; I will throw the tickets, and put up $100 with
you. If you gain the money, you are to donate it to your church;
and if I get it I will do the same, for I want to show you how I
lost playing them." The old fellow accepted my proposition, for
he wanted to give the money to his church (and so did I). Of course
I displayed a big roll, and told him I would just as soon make it
$200 as $100. He agreed, and we put up. He turned the ticket,
but he failed to pick the right one. It was such a simple thing
that he got excited, and put down $200 more, and again he failed
to pick out the right one. We kept on until the old sucker lost
an even $1,000, then I said to him, "I am really sorry, for I had
rather lost the amount myself. This money will do me no good, and
it would hardly benefit your church; we have had lots of fun, and
I want you to gain the money back. I wi