He was full of ironical admiration of his childishness and innocence in letting a wandering and characterless and scandalous American load him up with deceptions of so transparent a character that they ought not to have deceived the house cat.

On the other hand, he was remorselessly severe upon me for beguiling him, by studied and discreditable artifice, into bragging and boasting about his poor game in the presence of a professional expert disguised in lies and frauds, who could empty more balls in billiard pockets in an hour than he could empty into a basket in a day.
In the matter of fifteen-ball pool I never got Dolby's confidence wholly back, though I got it in other ways, and kept it until his death.

I have played that game a number of times since, but that first time was the only time in my life that I have ever pocketed all the fifteen in a single inning.
[Sidenote: (1876.)] My unsuspicious nature has made it necessary for Providence to save me from traps a number of times.

Thirty years ago, a couple of Elmira bankers invited me to play the game of "Quaker" with them.

I had never heard of the game before, and said that if it required intellect, I should not be able to entertain them.