'No, sirre,' exclaimed my friend 'Buck.' who is a travelling salesman for a large Broadside importing house; ' you don'b often catch us drummers asleep. We're wide awake bo the tricks of mosb all trades, 1 can tell you.'

' Tho laßt time a sharper tried to down me was at Cleveland, 0., a few days ago. He bried to work the stripper racket on me. I was coated in my room early one evening, when a little terrier dog ran in through the open door and befran sniffing aboub. Pretty soon a well-dressed young fellow appeared, at the door, and, apologising for the intru sion, asked if I had seen a stray dog any where around. ' " Ah, there you are," said he, espying the canine, "always running away from me inbo other people's rooms,"he exclaimed. As might be expected, one word led to an other, and very soon we were engaged in a general conversation. The talk drifted to cards, and then the stranger produced a pack. He had just learned a new trick which he would show me. '"Now, take a card and look ab it," said he. I did as directed, selecting tha ace of clubs. " Now put it back," he said, handing me the pack. He then requested me to shuffle the cards well, which I did. He then took the pack. ' " There is your card," he said ab once, producing the ace of clubs. " Very good," said I, " but I don't think you could do ib again." I then called his attention to a picture in the room, when I hurriedly examined tho pack. "No," said I. "I don'b think you could do it again ; not for 20d015."

' " I'll see you," said he, producing the money. " All right," said I, and the bet was made. I then selected a card —the aca of spades. He handed me the pack, re questing me to replace the card and shufflo them as much as I pleased. ' Now, I can handle the pastehoards my self, so while I was shuffling I just fixed the cards on the sharper so that he couldn't tell one card from another. 