"John D. Fitzgerald - The Great Brain At the AcademyUC - 4" - читать интересную книгу автора (Fitzgerald John D)

butcher can sell things on a train."

Did this make Tom give up his idea? Heck no. When
it came to money he was like a bloodhound on the trail of
a fugitive.

"Then I'll make a deal with the candy butcher," he
said.

Tom found the candy butcher sitting on the rear seat
in the smoking car. "Let me sell this food on the train," he
said, "and I'll buy candy with all the money I get. Is it a
deal?"

"It sure is," the candy butcher said. "See those four

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men playing poker on a suitcase at the other end of the
car? They were complaining because I don't sell sand-
wiches like they do on the main line. Try them."

Tom walked to the other end of the smoking car.
"The candy butcher told me you men were hungry," he
said. "A piece of home-fried chicken and a bread-and-
butter sandwich will cost you a dime- The hard-boiled
eggs are a nickel and the cake ten cents."

Tom collected seventy-five cents from the hungry
poker players and then stood watching the game- The men
were playing stud poker. A man the other players called
Mr. Harrison was winning and a man named Baylor who
looked like a rancher was the big loser. The other two
players were complaining about losing also. Tom watched
while four hands were played and he knew why Mr. Harri-
son was winning. He decided to tell Mr. Walters about it.
He stopped and gave the candy butcher the seventy-five
cents, saying he would get the candy later. He found Mr.
Walters in the caboose with the brakeman.

"Is it part of your job to watch out for card sharks?"
he asked.

"It certainly is, Tom," the conductor said. "You see,
whenever a passenger loses money to a card shark on a
train he never blames the card shark or himself. He always
blames the railroad. Why do you ask?"

"Those four men playing poker in the smoking car
are using a marked deck of cards," Tom answered.