Argosy All-Story Weekly, March 15, 1924 — page 49: what you’re looking at

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

YOUNG He-was 2 tall, angular fellow, and he had fingers like claws—long, thin, grasping fin- gers that could curl around a cue in a way that showed you right off that he could coax them balls wherever he wanted them to go. Jimmie, however, bunts right into what is waiting for him. He didn’t know Ike hardly to speak to, but he gives him a hail and a wave when he sees him sitting there. “ How about a little game, fella?” Jim- mie asks. ““ Pool?” says Ike. Ike undrapes himself from the chair, goes and gets a cue, chalks it, and leans on the table with his hands. He don’t say nothing. Jimmie also gets a cue. play a game of twenty-five poutts and Jim- mie wins. Now, I know something Sout shooting . pool and billiards, too, for that matter. I know as soon as a man takes hold of a stick whether he has learnt how to use it or not. Much to my surprise, Jimmie curls his fin- gers round his cue, the tip of the first finger restin’ on his thumb, and his other fingers spread out in front. Also, which is the most important, he don’t take hold of the butt: end of the cue like he was taking hold of a poker to give a man a wallop with it. He just takes that butt in the tips of his fingers and his motion is straight back and forth with nary a jerk to neither side and his wrist is as flexible as'a piece of wet leather. “ Gosh!” says I to myself. is a fullback that gets full, a fighter more’n likely, actough guy, a husky guy, and now a pool player. And everybody has said he was a model citizen—except them that has said he was ‘a mamma’s boy. I'll say he is a fooler. He must have learnt a lot of things while he was away at college.” Of course I knowed ’ “+t, Ike was playing off and I had a notion jimmie was. He won that game by the last ball he pocketed. This here Ike has a lean, swarthy face and his lips is pulled away in a.perpetual sneer. Now he turns the light of that splendid countenance on Jimmie. and sweetly Says: . ‘“T was off my game. You couldn’t beat me again in a hun’erd years.” They: “ This boy REBELS, 677, ’ Jimmie sends a ball spinning and curv- ing down ‘the table out of his lean fingers. ‘One dollar on each ball I beat you by or you beat me by,” he says. ‘“ One hun- dred points.” “With Hill sittin’ right here,” says Ike with one of his pleasantest sneers. I shifted kind of uncomfortable in my seat. I had a notion that Jimmie knowed what he was about. I couldn’t get this here, Ike legally, and I was willing to get him illegally if I could. I had a notion that Jimmie could strip him for ten-twenty dol- lars. “Oh,” I says, “I guess once ain’t goin’ to do no harm. Jimmie and me is on a kind of a tear this forenoon, anyhow.” “ Rack ’em up,” says Ike. “Rack ’em up, yourself,” says Jimmie. “ won the last game.” “The dast game,” Ike sneers. “ Yeh, the last game you'll ever win from me!” ‘“‘ My break,” Jimmie says. ‘ Ever see a shot like this, sport?” The three ball is stickir? ‘up at the nib of the pyramid. Jimmie gets his cue ball to the far side of the table and Englishes hard and deep. Ping! That three bail drops into the pocket on the other side. Ike's eyes stick out. Well, the game gets up to where Jimmie has seventy-five and Ike has sixty. It is Jimmie’s break, and he makes that shot again and cleans the table. On the next break he banks the end ball into the cor- ner and runs ten, makin’ a straight run of twenty-five dnd winning the game. Jimmie eases his cue along the table and puts his hands on the end rail. He looks at Ike, and his eyes ain’t pleasant. Ike owes him forty dollars, and Ike parts with money with the same ease an elephant would climb a fireman’s ladder. ‘Come through, sport,” says Jimmie. “ Forty bones.” “Torty bones, huh?” Ike says. ‘‘ With the town marshal sittin’ right here ready to pimch me for gamblin’. I reckon-not.” ~ “Mr. Tom Hill,” says Jimmie, “ would you mind stepping to the door and seeing if you can note any change in the weather?” As I started for the door I seen Jimmie start for Ike. Jimmie was all loose and MICLOOKS CO