Judge — July 1934 — page 15: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Judge A CHAMPION PASSES By Norman Sullivan RSKINE VERBAL shook his head gloomily “Jf you'd taken my advice you'd be set now, with a bet on Walk "he said. But I had my money ire Fly, a long shot. Erskine was ! shaking his head as Fire Fly mped home, and paid off twenty to eae. I didn’t see him again till I got tome from Saratoga. He was moving o the house next door, and super- ending every move of the truck- cen, Finally the driver lost his tem- , and Erskine spent two weeks re- ing in a hospital. He left the hospital speedily, after ering the surgical rooms to give doctors directions as they oper- rated It soon became known about town rskine Verbal’s specialty was iditzing at card parties—after he had voken up several bridge tournaments. Ahouse down the street was being odeled. Erskine happened along d immediately took charge. While lunch, I heard an unearthly screech. whing out, I saw the ambulance arging up, and an excited knot of wnspeople. Poor old Erskine had d the bad luck to start giving ad- eto the union plasterers and had somehow fallen out of a third story window. There was a lull for a few weeks, then one night a sullen mob began to gather in front of Erskine’s home. He caught a glimpse of the crowd from his bedroom window, and hur- ried down to take charge. Bridge players, golfers, and mem- bers of the civic improvement league surrounded him. A rope was pro- duced, and he was rushed to a tree. There they bound his hands. gagged him, and put the rope around his neck. The oldest bridge player in town was given the honor of tying the slip knot. I stood on the edge of the circle. Erskine looked at me beseechingly, and gurgled. “He wants to say something,” said the leader, “let’s give him a chance to say his last words.” The crowd shouted approval. The knot was all tied and ready. They slipped the gag from his mouth, and a hush fell as all strained to hear. Erskine licked his swollen lips and looked scornfully at the man who had been tying the knot. ‘ That’s not the kind of knot to use,” he husked. “What you should make is a running bowline.” “I'm going to join you fellows as soon as my money's all gone!” 13 comicbooks.com