Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-02
A VICTIM OF HARD LUCK

Ino meaneSt man / ever see, SAID C0o
gentlemanly ex-hotel sneak, was a chap
I falls in on in a room in the Palace Hotel.
San Francisco. I studied the makeup Of
the hellmen's platoon in that outfit for q
week or ten days. watching for absentees.
before got chance to do anything. Then
the third floor front mailman turned UP one
afternoon missing. S'pose he was sick. or
on drunk, or something like that. l hg-
ured that they couldn't get another mailman
to take his place before the next morning,
and SO I concluded to do a little business
along the line of the third floor front right
away. I happened TO know that there were
some good people located in that end Of
the house. and I took rubberneck at the
key rack and saw that lot of them were
out their keys being pigeon-holed. All
had to do was to take the front elevator,
ride up to the third floor step off, and the
third floor front hall was mine for opera
tons. l went up, and there was no third
floor front mailman. 1t looked too easy.
This is like taking candy from child.
L thought, as 1 rubber-shoed down the hall
in the direction of a certain suite of rooms
the key to the main door of which was In
the office rack. The number of the en-
trance door to this suite was 6S. 1t was
kind O. dark down that way, and m a
of getting hold O. the knob of No. So door
feeling of my bunch o skeletons with the
other hand-what do l do but give the
quiet twist on the handle of No. So? The
door was not locked and l knew right off
that somebody was inside the room. was
all ready with my Beg pardon-made
mistake when L heard Come in, uttered
by some guy with deep bass voice.
We'll. it was my bet, and in l stepped.
1t was a handsome room, and over by one
of the windows a big. good-looking duck
was standing in his shirt sleeves in front
of a small satchel glass shaving himself.
He didn't turn around at all as 1 en-
tered, but 1 guess he was piping me off. all
the same. in that little shaving glass. He
went right on sc-apiug his face, though.
I'll have to ask you to excuse me. L
began, standing up straight and throwing
out a Sandow vest for bluff. The twists
and turns in this
The chap lowers his razor and turns
around and hands me the winning smile
Cut that, pal said he. wise like. Don't
pass me that kind
What do you mean?' 1 asked him. 1t
looked from his style that he was a phony,
but l didn't intend to be baited into any
trap with my lamps open.
He stood grinnng at me.
" Guess you were after the singstress
stuff, hey, Bud says he to me. and IN the
dark you got mixed on the rooms? Wen,
she's out. all right, and SOS her maid Ia
ha' gone after her gear myself, but that
kind O works bit out o my line. ana
I'm clumsy at it. Sit down. She's singing
at a matinee, and you've got lots o time
Much doing?
well, this looked pretty much like he
was a member of the craft in some branch
of it or other. He had the patter down all
straight. Moreover. his grayish hair was
cut pretty short, and 1t struck me that he
mipft he a lag who'd lust finished a
stretch over the road. so that his hair
hadn't had time to shoot out to the rlgnt
length for such good locker. But didn't
nrCnosa to nibble until l had the game
COPIED dead TO rights.
Look here my friend, said l.. doing, a
hasvx I-don't-set-next stunt. what the
Hi, oh
well sir he Just threw his head back
and hollored
you've get your business down all
pat. pal said he when he was able to
talk for his chuckling. However, don
make me giggIe. I've got the earache. Just
switch that parson end of it. and deal from
the middle or bottom. You're working
the halls Well, that's not my lay, but
everv man to his own graft. Have a ball?'
.'TJa went over to his dresser. picked up
a quart bottle of the correct goods and a
co,inie a. glasses. handed me the layout on
| = trav with the water bottle, and stood
chncIsiing while poured out a hooter and
tbray ~ in Then he took small drink
Lt,.o1s 80 1,en+ on with his shaving I
hanse 1.a anu WEI" zen Oh baav Wv line o. thinks
THIS ota1aI,o p,ight he Dassing me the coun-
| terfei4 sT'iaI 7 fhought. and I wasn't look
inc FOR any corral,
s7tIe fnisbad his shaving. washed his
| face ribbed some scentv stuff on 1t. pow
5erad il With a bIorI, a. chalk. handed me
| tba hottIa and piass again. took one along
With mo and sat down on a rocking chair.
.rIttor dn anvtbine In the crfh-crackfne
rinoa, ha as,,ed me twisting his mustache
ard looking "a calm as n mill pond
IN la .tbo+,s off NV heat II was
| n1a;n 70 M tho+ he was 'nbony. and I
hI,al,ad ~, tho bIuff ia baen making I'm
| - aoIJad Shoe and a day-worker entirely,
~ sto,d Gov Insina NV baoutv sIeen'
Al a.. nan't know bmt u.iat voi,,ra right
| 80, Ia o.,,Nioo, tba roon, and III
| i,aL' So ne i. ~ shot ,aI ON bis nod
| w up ~ 49, uraortns for a fact
ny ny ~ - W - .no5 20 Ionsn o4tar two
lney We Ius' tut ,,eu ~, S'Ien4;n .n6 We
year ST. en- w IL ~ 81 - go thioas In
spt my eS On ~ u, ~ fraisbt fnS tho
| this town before pulling my III t'' '-''
| east , o ,5 .,,oo5 ~, q
he opened me sun case; anu ,inr sa lIe
| as pretty SCI 0 ne" toois as r H., al,
Whole outllt from an Sizes . am t.I mes
ana JameseS 70 ctoEnrmraSpe n poI'i1 nois
| hltro,eisss. Iildb Goh'theeu iio' 'ouiu
| see mat ne was "; N s.
| see mere PouileI, saiu r., ~, go. .sr VIC
| TAXED Tor "!llle ioliger: III soriy ~
| break away, put mere htsI peei! iii'tI - =
| cong VII me !ateLS' ntao neeu a.. ,ie pi :.
| glri SUN hekI uo4r. anu 20 see Sis >
ielt ner gig amps pel'iild' anu eFel IL SIie
hasn't there, De enough IN tne ciean-up
~ pay iol 'he nun ,to,, ar. ~ 49,