A CIRCUS "SHOVE-BACK”

Evening Star, Issue 18333, 21 July 1923, Page 16

A CIRCUS "SHOVE-BACK”

ONE DOLLAR FOR TER. Tho circus “butcher,” tho man who sells things with an eye to getting at least 500 per cent, on his investment, has a neat method of converting a one dollar bill into a ten, greatly to tho disadvantage of tho so-called “ rubes ” who. buy of him. At least this was true in tho good old days, says Albert Gcycr, an old circus tumbler, who, is writing a series of articles fqr tho Los Angeles ‘Times.’ Tho victim, after watching tho sale of a “circus lemonade” for 5 cents, ordered ono for himself, and handed over 10 dollars in payment. And then, says Mr Geyer, who was a witness of the transaction, the butcher demanded ; “ Say, mister, haven’t you got 15 cents in change?” “ Fifteen cents,” tho man repeated incrcduonsly; ‘‘you don't intend to charge 15 cents for that drink?” “Sure thing,” was the bland response; “that’s the regular price-” “Poppycock—regular price!” snorted the man, his cholcr beginning to assert itself. “ Nothing of tho sort—didn’t I just see you charge a man 5 cents for the sumo kind of drink ?” “Nix on tho rough stuff, simp,” answered tho attendant, his hard gimlet eyes narrowing to mere slits; “it won’t get you nothing hero—we go to tho mat with fresh ginks, see?” Then, as if hailing somebody at a distance, ho shouted : “.Don’t leave with that ambulance yet, there may bo ono more to go in that.” Then hiring again to “grouch,” he said : “ You’ve got a nerve to soring a big bill like this for a glass of lemonade. You hot it I could change it I’d make you come through with 15 cents an r,gm, w,i ...u cheap skate. Now hit the trail while the hot-footing is good,” ho concluded, naturally thrusting I lie folded note into the outraged man’s extended hand, at tho same time leaning forward, and waving him away. The customer, white with anger, thrust the lo.dco >■ : 'et, stamped into the crowd. While deliberately aggravating “grum-.i i„ .. . i. t ■,i ~is judgment and caul’on had virtually become nil. the crafi scoundrel had cheated him out of 0 dollars. This is how ihc i.mtt ~ - ;v.

petratod : When the “butcher” observed, ms customer delve into his purse, he • correctly surmised that a bill would be j fort limning, and ho secretly “ palmed i a 1 dollar’imt-a which had previously been | folded to the exact size that he later: folded tho patron’s 10 dollar bill, and placed it in a handy position under the i counter, ’lho feat of substituting the ’ smaller bill for the larger one is simple enough for tho proficient crook. This trick is known in circus parlance as “ tho shove-back.” While extremely simple, it seldom fails.