The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-08-13
HOW TO TOUCH. !"
Borrowing Has De-
veloped Into aDeep
Science.
ARTISTS OF MANY TYPES.
"Loaning Money to Hon
est Salaried
People"

The art of borrowing offers a clear
field for modern instructors in the
most effective way to execute a touch"
on a friend for a dollar or two. Wor-
.cester has adopts at the game of touch,
which time and experience have evolved
into the deepest Of science.
The natty-looking dry goods clerk
toiling at IS per and paying 81 for
board, Is generally a slick fellow when
lit comes to touching a friend for a
wad of the long green. The man who
makes his little bets on the ball games
and loses a few cold ones when the
Farmers go up in the air, the business
man, and even the modest, unassuming
woman, is sometimes forced into an
informal state of bankruptcy. Then
the touching" begins.
Local borrowers are too modest and
are possessed of pride which brushes
their skill into oblivion. There are but
two occasions which will force a man
into saying that he is strapped. Of
course, one of the instances is when he
touches a friend. The other is gem
orally when being held up by a re-
puted TOUGHER
his place at the foot of the line Of cele-
brities in front of the city hall. Dan
the Cod had received a dime after
one of the most heartrendlng tales of
an heroic effort to swallow a dry throat,
and as his benefactor patted his trous-
ers' pocket and turned away, Dan Ven
tured: When the new tiliphone COON
pany starts a diggin for poles, I'll
make nary touch" The line of side
nor agNvafc
to the curbstone. and by new Corners
taking their places, The Spy man stood
next to WEAKLY old chap who boasts
of never having done a stroke of work
since acquiring the rudiments of a
touching" education.
"How's business?" The Spy man
asked. ooh, have figured in no deals
today which have tended to increase
my amount Of confidence in the benevo-
lence of mankind" replied the philoso-
pher whose borrowing propensitles
have earned him the title of Gen.
Touch. Pointers In the art, youngster?
Well, had not noticed the downcast
eye, the modest demeanor and your
earnestness I would chide thee because
of such degrading effrontery."
The reporter began to shrug his Shout
ders and prepare for a good start when
the general raised his thicl1ly cow
hide1 boots but the kick came not, and
the general settled down for detailed
account of pointers on touching
Should your purse become like the hon
ors which thrust themselves on a lone
contestant when he has finished a race
muster the power of gall and hurl Il
nightly upon the man whom you re-
lieve to be friend Should the bond
of friendship result in the receipt 0t
the desired amount, you must credit the
victim, friend indeed"
Gen. Touch would not add another t.
the select circle Of borrowers, in which
he is the car, and steadfastly refused
to give out information concerning the
art to rank outsider. But there are
hundreds and more, too, Of men who
never pose as skilled artists in the game
of touch, who can give points, if they
will, to the beginner THE pure gall
TOUGHER" is the fellow who trails you,
buttonholes you and gets a dime. The
man to whom the word touch" is re-
pulsive is the fellow who gets into a
friend for dollar after dollar.
There's one young man in this city
whose dapper manner has caused him
to be known among his victims as the
hurry TOUGHER. "-e He has an open,
frank countenance, a truthful eye, a
persuasive voice and wholly plausi-
BILE manner He never makes good.
He might, though, IL his name was mem
toned. He gets into friend in some
thing like this manner: Just the fell
low | wanted to see, How are you,
anyway, old MANI I've got a cousin
up from Boston. He's bowling swell
chap, and, to tell the truth, old man,
I'm strapped. My cousin has got it
to cremate, but you know how it is
fellow likes to be independent Of kins-
folk. Say, old man, let me have a V
until pay day, will you?" This game
goes through according to schedule
about three times out of five, pretty
fair percentage. This fellow is al
ways in hurry, except when you throw
hints on paying. He has counter
like this by George! l must be get
ting paresis for a fact. Completely
forgot about that 81 borrowed.
Strange, though, I sat in a little game
last night and lost roll of 20 of the
green fellows. Just going to get
some quinine. Got a fierce cold. Hap
pen to have another bone? Pay you
the 50 next Saturday, and we'll be
square again. I hate to owe money to
friend" OF course your 81 is out,
but the chances are that rather than
injure his feelings and lose all chance
of getting the two you'll bite again and
get caught.
There's another fellow who has a
good stock of con games His biggest
winner is ratified off in this way: do
you know, it's a lead pipe cinch that
Sugar is going up nine points before II
O'Clock tomorrow morning. Don't,
hey2 Well, do, and I see chance
for a fellow who knows how to work
it right, to clear up hundred or so on
a $40 investment Let's go in ON this
together, and have a little blowout
tomorrow night. It's just like getting
money from home. Oh. so easy!" If
your head is filled with mayonaise
dressing instead of plain brain matter,
you'll bite at the "toucher's" bait, and
have him meet you the next time with
slow, dreary smile, and say: well,
we lost, didn't we?"
Then there's a fellow who always
has straight tips on sporting events.
The Worcester team is bucking UP
against the Montreals in the Canadian
CITY, and the tipster has a telegram
signed bud" or "Dink" which says:
Worcester today, dead sure. Montreal
pitchers all bunged up. Bet heavy" AT
ter you have finished reading the yell
low sheet, the fellow goes along like
this: 1.-THE lad who sends me these good
things Is a baby. Never makes a mis-
take The Farmers can give the Ca
nucks a half dozen tallies, and then
san IN and pound the cripple all over
the patch. Dickens of 1t is that 1 can't
bet myself for I'm shy today but ]
like to put my friends next to a real
easy thing like this"
It's ten to one shot that you give
the youth couple of dollars to place
on the Farmers, but after you have
been mixed up In a few of the deals
with him, and find that sometimes the
Farmers have hard luck, or the tele-
gram was worded incorrectly. you'll
learn to regard him with a polaric
gaze and freeze him where he stands.
When a man accustomed to negotiat-
ing for a touch" get short Of easy
marks, he generally has letter from a
creditor which he shows you The letter