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Thank you. It's sometime in the late 1870s at a carnival in San Antonio, Texas.

Jefferson Randolph Smith II, or Jeff, a teenage cow hand, moves through the carnival crowds.

He's got a month's earning in his pocket,

and he's excited to explore some of the side shows before buying his ticket to the circus.

Being a cattleman is dirty and exhausting work, so today he's ready for a diversion. As Jeff approaches the big top, a man energetically calling out to passers-by catches his attention.

Jeff moves closer to see what the attraction is.

A man stands behind a table,

swiftly maneuvering three half-wallnut shells around and around.

With a flourish, he lifts one up to reveal a pee underneath.

Then he challenges onlookers to track the pee as he puts the shells back into motion.

As the man moves the shelves around and around, back and forth across the table,

he peppers the crowd with jokes and stories.

Jeff does his best to ignore the man's chatter, and focus instead on the movement of the shell concealing the pee.

When the shells come to a stop, Jeff lays down a wager.

He's confident he's chosen correctly.

But the man grins and shows Jeff an empty shell.

Jeff is shot, but he's not ready to give up.

The man encourages him to try again, so Jeff lays some more of his money on the table.

...