Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-05-29
Lucky Numbers in Cards

AO yOu Do1loV0 III C0ILalQ NUMBERS
being more lucky than others?" asked a
reporter for the Mail and Express the
other day of a gambler, who was said to
play on a system and who was conse-
quently ''about stone broke"
ayes, I do" was the reply, 'but I am
not nearly so superstitious about num-
bers as some people. If you come along
with me will introduce you to friend
of mine who swears by them and has no
end of anecdotes"
The reporter and the gambler accord
ingly wendell their way to down town
restaurant where the man they were
looking for was found discussing a little
stew.
"Do 1 believe in certain numbers be-
ing lucky? Well you bet I do-and
why not? Have you ever studied the
question:
The reporter confessed that he had
not.
"Well, then, I'll explain. You see,
card players believe there IS good luck
under the duce and bad luck under the
nine of diamonds. One theory says that
even numbers are unlucky, because each
can be divided in two, thereby denoting
death and desolation. Some people ia
vor odd cards because God is one in
three, and because he made the holy day
the seventh. The number and its
multiples were on other grounds made
lucky; because human being sheds
his teeth at Z; because youth is twice
Z, and man three rs, and reaches the
limit at ten times 7. I have heard SUI
perstition that three handfuls of sand on
dead body are as good as funeral.
Some people have mack of making out
lucky and unlucky years for people by
adding to the year of our Lord,
the digits which compose that number,
the age of the individual and the num-
Der of years between his birth, marriage
or some other notable event of his life"
care not people very superstitious
about luck in lottery numbers?'
''Yes; more so than in anything else.
You see they have no theory and just go
blindly. 1 don't believe in lotteries but
many people do, and the agents of the
companies, knowing just what sort of
customers they have to deal with, make
a speciality of protesting to sell lucky
numbers. [ knew negro once who
dreamed that two particular numbers
would turn up prizes, and when they
come blank he cut his throat with razor
from disappointment. I heard of man
once who bought the ticket that was the
capital prize in lottery and the day be-
fore the drawing it was stolen from him.
When he heard the ticket had won he
went raving mad. A man, Anderson by
name, kept small grocery store and
bought four tickets for a lottery, num-
bered consecutively. He was afraid this
was unlucky, SO he changed one. The
one he exchanged was bought by a
western man, and it won the prize. An
other time a party of friends going
down the Mississippi determined to buy
a ticket among them, and asked little
girl what number to purchase. Size
told them to buy No. 10000. However,
this was not mysterious enough, so they
bought another number, but No. 10000
won all the same. A friend of mine
once bought the number 1868, as he
had dreamed that that number would
win. A few days afterward he read H.
66S had won the big prize. He accord
ingly went out and treated right and
left. In looking again, however, he
found that he had read 1868 for H.
O98, SO he was out of pocket and drinks"