Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 170: what you’re looking at

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

This crafty Phoenician a ae dice into a friendly game, and in a few hours had Socrates reduced to going about in a barrel. Also he had the __ neighbor of Socrates, one Diogenes, reduced to living in a tub. You will recall that ~ ever thereafter Diogenes carried a lantern with him looking for an honest pair of dice. = Aiter Socrates had lost all that he possessed and was about to stake Xantippe __0n one throw of the cubes, he was summoned to go before Aristides to pass upon a problem of state. When he arrived at the palace he was invited to get into the game. “Let me try these dice,” said Socrates innocently, to which Aristides assented ‘politely. Whereupon Socrates began to throw nothing but what the ancient Greeks cailed naturals and are so called even to this day. After Socrates had thrown seven- teen passes, everi Aristides, called the Just, began to marvel. Finally he picked up the dice and held them to the light of the lantern of Diogenes. Aristides gave a cry of rage and split one of the dice open with his sword. A quantity of quicksilver ran out. ‘« Socrates has loaded the dice,” cried Aristides. For the offense of loading the dice in ancient Athens the penalty was death. The penalty should be the same to-day. ““ Because Socrates was a good fellow when he had it he shall choose the manner of his death,” said Aristides. The court felt that this was fair enough. A philosopher to the last Socrates bowed assent. “Tf I must die,” he said. “I might as well die performing some service for man- kind. Let me taste that last supply of sandal leg liquor the Pheenicians ran in.” A sample quart of the treacherous hootch was brought in. Socrates drained it to the last drop, muttered: “ Shoot the piece!”.and died on the spot. A monument in the shape of two marble dice with the spots showing a ‘ natural ”’ .was erected to his memory. This since was destroyed by vandals who invaded the ancient city of Athens. 2 This story of Socrates and the dice is disputed by Professor Pretzelbender of Heidelberg, who contends that the pote shooting craps originated among the .very early Teutonic tribes. The professor offered photographs of his own head to prove this theory. It will be noted that the head of the professor forms almost a perfect “cube. His theory is that the old Teutonic warriors would cut off the heads of their ‘captives and keep them about the premises. One day a chief, being far gone in malt liquor, began to roll a couple of the heads along the floor of a spacious hall, and dur- ing this idle pastime he evolved the game of craps. This is a quaint theory and it may be that the Teutonic chief of the old days did play some form of craps with , the heads of their enemies taken in war, but the rules of the game and the highest development of the sport came into being in Athens. The game has become a universal one. It can be played anywhere. The only implements needed are the cubes, which have changed little if at all since the time ——.__ when the impulsive Xantippe in her attempt to bean her spouse threw the first “Phoebe dice.” . The author places no credence in the report that a pair of dice were found in ‘the tomb of Tut-ankh-Amen. If such implements were found there it is highly probable that they were dropped by some of the American or African workmen who were engaged in the work of excavating. If craps had been shot in ancient Egypt the pyramids would have been shaped as cubes. This is irrefutable, U U = —< COMING SOON A BEDS romance, “THE AVENGING SHEPHERD,” by Harry a Draco. Watch for opening date. => % 7 = = 104 = | comichook Sn COUM