Soapy Smith 



men like to see a fine lot of nuggets my mate 

 has just brought out from Dawson ? " My 

 friend then turned to me and said, " Would you 

 like to see them ? " and I replied, " No ! I have 

 seen lots. I do not suppose they vary from 

 other gold nuggets." We walked to the end of 

 the street, and were turning round preparatory 

 to going aboard our steamer again, when Smith 

 said, " There's my ' pard ' hailing a man at 

 the same time. We were then opposite a neat 

 wooden house, the door of which stood open, 

 " Pard " being in the doorway. " I have 

 brought these gentlemen to show them your 

 nuggets," said Smith. " Come right along in," 

 said the other. It seemed almost rude to refuse, 

 so my tall friend bent his long back and entered 

 the house, and I followed. A small boy of fifteen 

 was sitting in the room, and " Pard " said, " Go 

 over to the bank and bring along some of them 

 nuggets I want to show these gentlemen." A 

 few minutes later an elderly man put in an 

 appearance, looking very distressed and worried, 

 saying, " That blackguard Soapy Smith has done 

 me down to the tune of eight hundred dollars 

 all I had left." He bemoaned his fate until 

 Soapy said, " Serves you right, you must have 

 been an old c sucker ' ; say, how did he do it ? " 

 The old man then said, " With them cards I 

 took them away with me." Very clumsily he 

 now proceeded to demonstrate the three-card 



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