intemperately. At length, however, his luck changed in turn, and
he went on winning until the former refused to play any longer,
saying--'There, you've got back all I won from you.' The bigger
boy became enraged at this refusal to continue the play, and
seemed inclined to resort to fisticuff, but I interposed and put
a stop to the affray. I then questioned the elder boy, and
gathered from him that he played as often as he could, sometimes
winning or losing from eight to ten shillings. 'And do you
generally win? was my next question.' 'No, sir,' he replied, 'I
oftener lose.' I shuddered to conjecture what would be the
future of this boy. The word of warning I gave him was received
with a shrug of the shoulder, and he walked off with the greatest
unconcern.

THIMBLE-RIG.

All races, fairs, and other such conglomerations of those whom
Heaven had blessed with more money than wit, used to be
frequented by minor members of 'The Fancy,' who are technically
called flat-catchers, and who picked up a very pretty living by a
quick hand, a rattling tongue, a deal board, three thimbles, and
a pepper-corn. The game they played with these three curious
articles is a sort of Lilliputian game at cups and balls; and the
beauty of it lies in dexterously seeming to place the pepper-corn
under one particular thimble, getting a green to bet that it was
there, and then winning his money by showing that it is not.
Every operator at this game was attended by certain of his
friends called eggers and bonnetters--the eggers to 'egg' on the
green ones to bet, by betting themselves; and the bonnetters to
'bonnet' any green one who might happen to win-- that is to say,