San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-06-04
UNLUCKY THIRTEEN.
Hotel Clerks and Hack Drivers
Firmly Convinced OF Its I'm
Iuckiness-Where The TrOu-
BILE Lies.

The other morning one of our num-
erous hsckdrIvers entered the May
or's Office with an uncomfortable
expression upon his face. us No. IA
OF the hack numbers taken," he iu-
quired OF Mr.. Peter Marks, the gener-
al utility clerk in the Office. This
gentleman informed the hackman
that while the number was not yet
taxed, it was an established custom
to give parties running hacks with
certain number one year, the privi-
lege of taking the same number the
following year. "Well how about
Nos. Is and 1872" he again asked. The
same thing had to be said of these
"I've got No. Is, and
I'll have to have another number, L
can't stand that" he hopelessly
remarked to the reporter. And why,
what is the matter with No. Is? You
are not superstitious, are your" mo"
the hackman replied, at were su-
perstitIous, should not have taken
this number. Come to think
of it, I now wish that l had
been SO; it would be many more
dollars in my pocket" "You don't
say" Clipped in a bystander. "You
are the only paradoXical hackdriver
I've ever metz The hack driver
sighed heavily and undertook to wipe
out the strangers skepticism by stat
ing that it was through the supersti
ton of the people that he had been
made to suffer through the number of
q hack. II assure you, sir" he said,
that you have not seen hack No. l3
in a funeral procession inside of a
year, but once. The people never take
this hack to funerals, :their supersti-
ton is just simply enormous. Only
once q man, excited and in hurry,
got into that hack for funeral. We
got half way to the cemetery when he
noticed the number. Instantly he
gave me q vigorous poke in the side.
Here, you brute he exclaimed, here
is fifty cents. Why d dn't you tell
me that your hack was No. 49, and
with that he Opened the door and
sprung to the ground. A hack was
nearby and the superstitious passen.
ger, entered it, continuing his way to
the cemetery. felt too disgusted to
chase after that fellow for the
balance of the hack fare. So things
have gone on, until only yesterday
when q party had already engaged
nv hack, and noticing the No Is on
IL, shudderingly remarked, My God,
what narrow escape. No, l can't
take that hack for q funeral That
settled it. I've come up here to get
my number changed If it breaks the
bank
THAT is about the way of It," com.
thn thtrl " hn hannah
ed to be clerk at one of our prlnci-
pal hotels. Room No Is is invaria-
bly, the unluckiest room in the house.
/ have watched this for years, over at
our hotel. 1t is next to impossible to
usher guests in the room thus number
ed. Even if we do succeed they will
come back at us as soon as they learn
the number, and have this or that
fault to find with the room, which
is only veil for their super
stition, theatrical and sporting people
being the worst in this regard. Then
the manager struck on the scheme of
putting baggageless and other semi
suspicious strangers into this room,
and the result was that every three
out of five roomers skipped his board
bill. So YOU see there is more truth
in this iunlucky thirteen business
than the average man suspects, and
I'll tell you what, thirteen is likely to
remain the unlucky number as long
as the world lasts, not that it has
been endowed with this unluckiness
by the supernatural, but because the
fear and superstition of the day makes
il upprofitab BILE to exc out an existence
at any thing in which this number
cuts an imports figure"
Will Affect the Funds.
T,-o Cir Tobn MAJ.