Page 292 - The Grotesque Children's Book

Carola said, “Well, if you win the money, it will matter less whether Allori pays you on
time, or a little late. So here's how this can work...” she began, but Tozzo interrupted.

“Bet it all on the very first match!” said Tozzo, “before they know what hit them.”

“No, no,” said Carola, hoping to find a way to encourage her friends to bet on the later
rounds of the game, after Tozzo's drunken dizziness to the left was in exact counterbalance to the
game's inherent spinning in the other direction, without revealing her secret observation about
Tozzo. “It's in the fourth round when Tozzo --”

But Tozzo stood and shouted “Who's up for some rounds of Birch Bough Blind!?” and
there was a great hurrah in the Wheat and Chaff, for Tozzo's reputation at being a terrible player
was well-known. (Carola had been clever and quiet with her wagers; she had well-learned her
lesson from knucklebones about not making too large a profit at the advantages she gained from
being smarter than the rest of her clientele.) And so the crowd was always delighted when Tozzo
decided to play Blind Bough Blind.

Money was in the middleman's “Tozzo to Lose” hat before you could say tozzo-ozzo.

Carola said to Santi, “Wager against Tozzo until Round Four. Then wager big for him to
w --” But Santi had already dropped ten soldi, a day's wages, into the middleman's “Tozzo to
Win” hat. There was twice that amount in the Lose Hat. Santi was scribbling explanations to
Aurelio. “What does one day's wages lost do for us, nothing! But two free days' wages? That's
worth playing for.”

Carola tried one last time. “Santi, listen! Next found will be three or more to one. But
by the fourth and fifth...”

By then, however, Tozzo had ambled to the stake in the center of the circle and picked up
one of the leather tethers attached to it by a circular metal ring. He slipped his wrist into the
leather strap at the loose end of the tether, then gave a practice run around the circular playing
field, to get a sense of the tether's tension; the ring at the stake allowed free movement around
the circle, but limited its range. The middleman handed Tozzo a birch. His opponent was a
smallish lad named Piccino. Piccino was not a hulking man like Tozzo, but size was not
necessarily an advantage in Birch Bough Blind. In fact, all other things being equal, a smaller
opponent was one who was harder to hit.

The men were blindfolded, and as they were ushered to opposite sides of the circular
playing area, Piccino flailed his birch behind him, randomly but deliberately catching Tozzo at
the back of his left knee. “Point Piccino!” shouted the middleman.

“Unfair,” retorted the blindfolded Tozzo in protest, “I wasn't ready yet!” The crowd
broke into a great laugh, during which little Piccino had the temerity to race half of the way
round the playing circle, his birch flicking back-forth-back-forth in front of him until whk! it
caught Tozzo smack square on the buttocks.

“Two more points Piccino!” said the middleman.

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