Late July in Bismarck, North Dakota, can serve up some very hot weather, and in 1955, no one to speak of had air conditioning.

During the summer, Sal's Coffee and Cake Checker Club didn't meet, so most of Sal's checker related activity took place on his own in his basement study, where the air tended to be a little cooler and where he had his collection of checker magazines and books. But if there was an extended run of hot weather, even the basement got really warm, even with fans running.

This Saturday marked the 3rd day in a row of 100F high temperatures, and Sal couldn't get comfortable no matter what he did. His wife, Sylvia, had made up a few trays of ice cubes but the Westermans only had a small freezer compartment in their fridge, and the ice cubes didn't provide for more than a couple of cold drinks.

Ordinarily Sal and Sylvia went on vacation in July, but their usual lake cottage wasn't available this year and they decided to postpone until closer to Labor Day. But that's a story that we'll relate in next month's installment.

Sylvia had gone to the movie theater (one of the few air-conditioned places in town) with a couple of her girlfriends. Sal had no interest in going to see The Lady and the Tramp, let alone be the only guy in a group of ladies, so he stayed at home.

But it was just too hot.

Maybe I could go to Lions Park, Sal thought; it's just a short drive, and I might find a shady bench to sit at and read the latest All Checkers Digest. There would at least be a breeze and I can bring along a thermos of water with the last few ice cubes in it.

So that's exactly what Sal did. Sal drove to Lions Park, parked his car and walked into the park. It wasn't all that crowded. A lot of people were probably away camping for the weekend, or on vacation.

There were indeed some shaded picnic tables and Sal was about to choose one and sit down, when he noticed someone sitting a couple of tables away. It was a young lady who of all things had a checkerboard in front of her. She was smoking a cigarette and looked, well, on the rough and tough side.

Sal couldn't resist walking over. As he approached, the girl gave him a rather unfriendly glare and then pointed to a hand-lettered sign taped to the table.

WILL BEAT YOU AT CHECKERS $10 A LESSON

Sal was a bit taken aback. Gambling was of course illegal and especially so in a setting such as a public park, and the "lesson fee" wording wouldn't fool a judge. Ten dollars also seemed like quite a lot of money.

"Have you had many takers?" Sal asked.

"What's it to you, pops?" the girl said. "But since you ask, no, it's a slow day. You want a lesson? Pay up if you wanna play, otherwise twenty-three skidoo. You're scaring off my customers."

Sal didn't see anyone around that might remotely be a customer, but he didn't reply to the comment. Instead he said, "You need to put out that cigarette first."

"I ain't gonna. I do things my way. Now I ain't got no more time to yak with an old coot, so you got like five seconds to pull out a ten spot or beat it."

"What if I win?" Sal asked.

The girl laughed. "You ain't gonna. But here's the rules. You lose, I keep the tenner. You draw, you get five back. You win, you get ten back. That way it ain't gambling, see? 'Cause you can't win nothing."

"No wonder you don't have customers, young lady. You need to find a new way of doing business and you need to clean up your act."

The girl stood, her fists balled at her sides. "I heard enough from you, gramps. Now you got a choice. Take a hike or when I'm done with you take an ambulance to the hospital."

Sal thought about finding a pay phone and calling the police. The girl could be charged with all sorts of things and would likely end up spending a couple of weeks in the city jail. But Sal reflected a moment. There's a better way, he realized.

A $10 bill came out of Sal's wallet and was placed on the table. "Here you are, miss," he said, "let's play checkers."

The girl picked up the money and put it in a jeans pocket. "Okay, geezer, get ready to be thrashed."

The game began and both players seemed to forget the hot weather, focusing on the hot game. Sal quickly realized that the young girl was pretty good, though a bit shy of championship grade. The following position came up with Sal to move.

There was a lot to consider, and after some thought about all aspects of the situation, Sal made his move.

---

Sal's plan for a quiet day in the park, enjoying the cool breezes, seems to have altered with his encounter with a tough talking young lady. What would you do in this position? As Sal knew, there's more to this than just the next move in the game. Think about it and then click on Read More to see the solution and the rest of today's story.

Solution and Conclusion

Sal had decided that the young girl needed something of a lesson, and not just in playing checkers. He had something in mind that he hoped would work out. So he moved 22-25 and the game continued.

1.	22-25	30x21
2.	27-31	19x26
3.	31x22	32-27
4.	9-14	27-23
5.	22-26	23-19
6.	26-22	19-15
7.	22-18	15-10
8.	14-17	21x14
9.	18x9	10-7
10.	9-14	7-3
11.	14-18	3-8
12.	18-15	BW

Sal had won.

"I'll have my ten dollars back now," Sal said, 'and I won't charge for the lesson I just gave you.

"C'mon, play again," she said, "I really need the money." All of a sudden her toughness seemed to drop away and she started to cry. "I just need enough for a room at the Y and a meal," she said. "I been bumming it all summer when I took off after I got tired of my Ma beating me when she was drunk, which was mosta the time. I ended up out here and now I ain't got nowhere to go."

She went on with her story, about how she had hitchiked from Chicago, about how the money she took from her Ma's purse was just about all gone, and how she now was trying to make some money hustling checkers.

"You picked a bad venue," Sal said, "and a bad approach. But there's help to be had if you're willing to take it. I know some people at a church who will give you a room and feed you until you get on your feet, in return for cleaning at the church and other work. What do you say? And by the way, what's your name?"

"Sheila," she said, "my name is Sheila, and would you really do those things for me? I ain't been nice to you and I'm awfully sorry ... " Stella tried to surreptitiously drop her cigarette into the grass and snuff it out. "I ain't gonna smoke no more, neither ... "

"Okay, Sheila," Sal said, "tell you what. Just wait here. I'll go find those people I know, and they'll come and pick you up and take you to their shelter. Give us a hour, okay? Their names are Marvin and Vickie, and they'll take care of you, I promise."

"Gee thanks, Mr. ... "

"Westerman. Sal Westerman."

He and Sheila shook hands and Sal went off to the shelter to let Marvin and Vickie know that they were about to get a new client. He went home afterwards, feeling a lot better about everything.

That evening, the phone rang. Sylvia answered. "It's for you, dear," she said to Sal.

"Hello?" Sal said when he picked up the receiver.

"Sal, it's Marvin. Say, Vickie and I went to the park and looked at that spot you told me about, but there was no one there. A note was on the table that said, 'Sorry, I can't go to a shelter and follow all the rules and anyhow they might turn me over to the cops and send me home, and I ain't never going back there.'"

Marvin paused for a moment. "She's probably back on the road," he continued. "A pity. I wonder where she'll end up. I hope she'll be okay."

"I do too," said Sal, and then hung up. That good feeling he had earlier was gone. Oh well, he thought, perhaps one day she'll find her way. It just won't be today.

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Today's problem is credited to a Mr. H. Overton of Jarrow-on-Tyne and was published long ago. We know nothing more about Mr. Overton than his name.

What would you have done? Would you have taken the win? Would you have insisted on the $10 being returned or would you have sympathized with Sheila? Would you have even let Sheila win?

Sal tried to do the right thing as he saw it. He only asked once for the money, perhaps to make a point, and after that he offered help. But were you surprised that Sheila ran off instead of accepting help?

These are not easy questions, and neither are they artificial. Kids get in trouble. Kids flee intolerable home situations. Bad things happen. All we can do is reach out, do what we can, and hope for the best.