Write.
We have the boss trick here now. Have sold about ten boxes of cigars
betting on it in the store.
Take four nickels, and solder them together so the solder will not
appear. Then cut out of three of them a square hole like this:
(Illustration.) Take about twelve other nickels, and on top of them
you lay a small die with the six up, that will fit easily in the hole
without being noticed. You lay the four nickels over this, and all
presents the appearance of a stack of nickels. You do all this privately
so everybody will suppose it is nothing but a stack of five-cent pieces.
You then lay another small die on top of the stack with the ace up.
You have a small tin cup shaped like this (Illustration) made for the
purpose. You let everybody see the ace, and then say you propose to
turn the ace into a six. You lay the tin cup carefully over the stack
this way, and feel around in your pocket for a pencil and not finding
one . . .
[The rest of this letter is lost]
AUSTIN, Texas, May 10, 1885.
Dear Dave: I received your two letters and have commenced two or three
in reply, but always failed to say what I wanted to, and destroyed them
all.
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