STL All Sports

The great writer, Mark Twain, although no Willie Hoppe at billiards, nevertheless was one of the best amateur players of his time. He loved the game so much that he delighted in telling stories about his own prowess with the cue, even if the chuckle was on him.

"I was travelling in Nevada," tells the author of Huckleberry Finn, "and I dropped into a billiard parlor one day to pass a little time. Now, I kind of fancied my skill with the cue in those days, and when a stranger came up to me offering to play me a game for a modest side bet, I figured I could take him on. I was choosing myself a nicely balanced stick when the stranger turned to me and said, with a trace of pity in his voice that I did not like, 'Pardner, I'll tell you what I'll do for you. I'm afraid your skill may not match mine, so I'll just play you left- handed.'

"That made me mad," continued Twain, "and I thought I had better give the churl a lesson. To begin with, we increased the bet to make it more interesting. Then we banked for first shot, this fellow shooting left- handed, as he promised, and he won. He started playing, still left-handed, of course, and I stood alongside the table chalking my cue and waiting for him to miss so I could take over and show him where he got off.

"Well, he played on and on and I just chalked and chalked. As a matter of fact, he ran out the game without even the hint of a miss. I paid the fellow, but I couldn't help being somewhat astonished. 'Gracious!' I exclaimed. 'If you're that good with your left hand, how well would you do shooting right-handed?'

" 'Wa-al,' replied the stranger to me as he tucked away his ill-gotten gains, 'mebbe not so good. After all, I am left-handed.' "