Well, there was a man here once by the name of Jim Smiley. It was in the winter of eighteen forty-nine, or maybe the spring of eighteen-fifty. Anyway, he was the strangest man. He was always making money on anything that turned up. He only needed somebody to try to make money on the other side. And if he could not do that, he would change sides. And he was lucky, uncommon lucky. He most always was a winner. If there was a dog-fight, he would try to win money on it. If there was a cat-fight, he would take the risk. If there was a chicken-fight, he would try to win money on it. Why, if there were two birds setting on a fence, he would want you to decide which one would fly first so he could win money. Lots of the boys here have seen that Smiley and can tell you about him. Why, it did not matter to him. He would try to make money on anything. He was the most unusual man. Parson Walker’s wife was very sick once, for a long time. It seemed as if they were not going to save her. But one morning the parson come in. Smiley asked him how was his wife. He said she was better, thank God. And Smiley, before he thought, says, «Well, I’ll risk my money she will not get well».