Page 297 - The Grotesque Children's Book

“Sixty-five soldi.”

“Sixty-five soldi! Oh my! I'm thinking of poor Santi's father. I could get his money
back, and buy myself a dress, maybe two.”

“You know you want that dress.”

“If only -- if only there were, say, a hundred soldi in the hat, I might wager my five.”

“Done!” There was a great cheer, and more clanging and clinking, and suddenly there
was --

“One hundred seven soldi!” said the middleman.

As Carola tentatively, hesitatingly, tremblingly reached into her pouch to produce her
five soldi and put them into the “Tozzo to win” hat, her hand shook so badly that...three more
soldi dropped out “accidentally” onto the floor. There was a gasp, and a cheer, and another
round of bargaining and pleading, and poor Carola was no match for their persuasiveness. When
the middleman finally closed the betting for the fourth round of Birch Bough Blind, there were
eight soldi in the “Tozzo to win” hat and in the “Tozzo to lose” hat...two hundred and seven
soldi.

Carola had manipulated them into offering twenty-five soldi for each one of her own.
Now all that remains is for Tozzo...to win.

The crowed selected Tavola again for their champion, and why not? But, oh so foolish,
thought Carola. Tavola was the one who most recently went round and round the circle; the most
dizzy of all those who had gone before. Well, it wouldn't matter now. Whoever went up against
Tozzo would feel the dizziness after a circling or three, whereas Tozzo now at this precise point
in the evening was impervious to dizziness.

They strapped Tavola's wrist to the tether and blindfolded him. They strapped Tozzo to
his tether and blindfolded him. The middleman was all set to give the signal to begin, when
Carola, still acting, pretending to be distraught, yelled, “Stop!”

But the middleman said, “No. Begin!”

Carola nevertheless ran over to Tozzo, threw her arms around his neck, gave out a big
wail, and pretended to kiss him. What she actually did, however, was to whisper into Tozzo's
ear, “Don't make a sound, Tozzo! You'll win if he can't hear you!”

The middleman pried Carola's arms from Tozzo, and pulled her away, giving Tozzo a
shove, saying, “Go.”

“Run, Tozzo!” shouted Carola, just before the crowd started whooping. “He's right
behind you!”

Tozzo ran. And Carola, for her part, continued to yell, and yell, baiting the crowd to yell
back at her, to ensure there was so much noise in the tavern that this round, Tavola would not be
able to hear Tozzo's location. She grabbed a tankard and banged it repeated only the table,
shouting, “Tozzo, Ozzo! Tozzo, Ozzo!” Inside the tavern, the roar was now deafening.

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