"Oh!"
"He's smart, and the law can't get hold of him," went on Sam Pepper. "Another of the men is selling tips on the races. If his customer wins he gets a percentage. He gets one fool to bet one way and another fool to bet the other way, and no matter which wins he gets his share of the prize."
"I should think he would have a job, looking for fools," said the newsboy. "Folks ought to know better."
"The world is full of people who want to get something for nothing, and these men know it. But they don't make much of a pile. That's got to be made in another way."
"What way?"
"There are lots of ways, Nelson; some good and some bad. Ever been down in Wall Street?"
"Yes, but I don't know anything of the business there."
"Folks down there gamble in stocks and bonds, and such like. Sometimes they squeeze a poor man out of everything he's got, but they do it so as the law can't touch 'em—and there's where they have the advantage over an East Side gambler, who runs the risk of being arrested if his victim squeals. But Wall Street aint any better than the East Side, for all that."
"Some nice gentlemen in Wall Street, though," said Nelson reflectively.
"A high hat don't make an honest man, Nelson; you ought to know that by this time. They are all thieves and swindlers, and an honest man has no show against 'em. If you want to be rich, you've got to be like 'em!" went on Sam Pepper, bringing his fist down on the table at which he sat. "You can't make anything bein' honest."