Read it through once

But Jim didn't drink it at that time. He had a way of winning in other people's contests. He used to go about with a tremendous appetite for knowledge, and wherever there was a contest he must enquire into it and soon be mixed up in the betting. He had an inveterate habit of putting money on everything he laid eyes on, and it didn't matter how small the sum might be; if he had a couple of cents he would enter into a wager.