Free The Big Con by David Maurer

yet.” He looks with mingled sympathy and anxiety into Mr. Bates’ ashen face.
    But it is official. The announcement cuts through the smoke and clatter like a great somber gong. It is official.
    “We’ve lost,” says Louis, and they go out into the street.
    It may occur to Mr. Bates that he has been betrayed. His mind is probably such a chaos that he cannot think at all. He may break into sobs immediately, and wildly tear his hair. But we will assume that he is a gentleman and that he restrains his emotions and reserves his judgmentsuntil he learns what has happened. Louis has already solicitously begun the “cooling out” process which will pave the way for Maxwell’s smooth patter.
    They meet Charley, who can only partly conceal his jubilation, a short distance from the Western Union office. He is talking in terms of winning $125,000. Mr. Bates tells him that Louis bet the horse to win, but that it placed and they lost. Charley turns on Louis in a fury. “Don’t you know what the word
place
means?” he roars. Louis tries to justify his mistake on the basis of their misunderstanding of the word
place.
But Maxwell will have none of it. He rakes that young man over the coals until he hangs his head in red-faced shame and humiliation. Mr. Bates is very likely to come to Louis’ defense, on the grounds that he, too, misunderstood. Then Mr. Maxwell turns on him and gives him also a piece of his mind. But finally he cools off.
    “Well,” he says, “we’ll never make that mistake again.” Then he takes Mr. Bates in hand in such a way that the “cooling-out” process is perfect and Mr. Bates lives only until he can raise enough money to give the plan a second trial. When Charley Maxwell cools a mark out, he stays cooled out. And if he has decided that the mark is good for another play—as about fifty per cent of them are—he will “feel him out” to see whether or not he can raise more cash; some marks have been beaten four or five times on the same racket. If he knows he has been swindled, or if he cannot raise any more money, he is “blown off” and disposed of as quietly as possible. Let us assume that Mr. Bates, being the perfect mark, is good for another play. Mr. Maxwell retains his confidence to such an uncanny extent that he will do almost anything he is told to do. So he is “put on the send” again for $20,000, which he borrows, using real estate as collateral.
    The second play takes up just where the first left off.The only delay is caused by obtaining Mr. Bates’ money. Louis knows how to handle the deal regarding Mr. Bates’ business and assures him that everything is going along fine, but that his corporation is going to investigate the department store further before they sign the final papers. Usually, if the mark is good for a second play, he is by this time so wrapped up in the wire that he has practically dropped the legitimate deal. Some con mobs will send a tailer along home with the mark to see if he consults the police before returning. The tailer may pose as an agent for the corporation which is interested in the mark’s business.
    The big store, the boost, and all the necessary stage-settings are again called into play. When the time comes to make the big bet, the sting is put in a little differently. Over the ’phone Mr. Maxwell gives the mark Johnny J. at 6–1 to win. Mr. Bates and Louis bet the $20,000, making sure that there is no misunderstanding this time regarding that tricky word
place.
The betting is heavy all around them, though Mr. Bates does not realize that those bank rolls have seen much service as props. The $50,000 in cold cash laid down by the better just ahead of him is real money; it makes an impression.
    “They’re off!” says the caller. The room quiets. The smoke drifts in swirls. The gamblers listen with polite eagerness. It is Johnny J. by a neck.
    Mr. Bates feels a great exhilaration; his fingers and toes tingle; a warm wave of relief sweeps over