The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-05

gu Rretty III o. deep ana rich and con-
o aq% t % sSa *, S$syS !, f1' Ek;sn I Pg. IT back into !.s
worth ss5., anyhow and The Hat P1 paitc imn n1 I |
f SSf me ' oS Il w PlfS yet tF The iii 5Fif tS, %pss nf nS9SIS9
old stun, and not thinking much about bust
money and business wasn't botherlng me. Then
S Sreen ts sts SiG h. that I'll ! vent up against the
irsppds fOT YOU W." and i was sS al OF afn'f The 'h hood Ro5
R iaTso T nSd td ! sSt Sqt stack Of the e, t tSiSs,l I { found ndI 9
my Dayton, people. Most Of ON we're asking
me for explanations as to where 1 was at. The
You IRE fred
The thunder YOU say says /. and I went
o eoO 9 Thap t99 IKE np again Tor another week or
pay up the bill for that Laelede suite and to
1aSe h a , y q ida day room on The European plan.
it f. work GdG By this time all right. and could see
II, Well the same threeiballs outfit got the
the thing a good deal Of a a1 dizzy snS blank T,Ee until tp" /
came, TO IN n little q by 4 room In a theatrical
boarding house with nothing much to speak OF
beer tickets, and the, whole wardrobe in.
Didn't recall putting, the things In. but they
tlckets in my pockets when ida the usual dig
Ring around act customary under such circum-
S%fShf Beer t / Tkehs G sna n the6 PEW / Sa IN t bsct 10 to cents tbs
room to see II 1 couldn't find something else
WherenRon to raise the price. The end Of the
bunk, and | pulled It out. i. Thought | might
be able to get 80 cents or a dollar on it, and |
been on my part that afternoon to buy it in. i
took " out q the case to, see II the strings. were
arY r1F The f Sow 4 neao piet tSe s Strings 1t sG tn see T b the
broker guy tried it he'd find It all right. I was
says l. and the queerest little chap YOU ever
e".I hairti Se veseolin.' he said. unit I ze
iippss,rty ,took-it FOUND most veil. May him
II handed It over to, him. and he looked. it
over. and then he looked me over. Then he
felt all over the fiddle. and raped OH the back
that mask OF tragedy headpiece.. and finally
picked the strings. Then he looked me over
- WyalE you get zis p be asked me, and derped
didn't examine me with suspicion.
s,id 4 4 2 eR R8ck shop. for a couple o dollars
he went on picking the strings again. and
s sesr Z" out TOT Of his isl biz suf fer : e eyes hat "a tSSSs he soTt q
"Ff is there anything ailing you. Jim p I asked
He didn't make any reply. but he nut that
old fiddle under his chin, made sweep with
q up to the Z and ali on the, bridge in a Chord .
sbdms1 XII i S Sset @e mm ar9GnSb o the n1 i d to talk
simply devilishl, What he couldn't do to that
old thing,n,well. he gave a lot OF those crashing
chords all over the violin, and then he began
way down on the bottom Of the q string and
fooled around there with those stubby fingers
there was. a woman in the room with a con
!; %ssp i ill., IT, g;55 aS 10y sorf#sd ~. .,L his way
there. and. after keeping, that up awhile. down
a little cascade. andHweII. I walked over to the
dirty window OF my room, looked out into the
my life, and I'm, not such a soft slob, either.
There's not q fellow in this room that that mu-
sic wouldn't have made 70 feel like 30 cents.
I turned around, KNEW that he couldn't have
badly as / was in need Of the price. I had al:
ready reconsidered the idea OF taking it to a
three-ball shack and putting it In for a half
You play that thing pretty well. jim saidI
He pulled out q big red bandanna handker-
his shoulders.
Tint who could nod 2 he said. 'Besites. I
pelong to re Thomas Orchestra-am a fairst
Then he sort o shook himself together.
been m e my mn i family s's eincs 17 f51a and N It isn't a FOR
hanging on to that violin all right.
He looked me over again.
You must think I'm dead easy said /.
'em when see them. You ought to be a good
violin is a first rate strad.'
Nod exactly a trsd rate one he said.
sec3nd-a Goot eggsample. bud nod re vair
highest. gil you zWei huntairt.' -.
ply that about lve times, and then maybe iii
dc. business with you. know what its worth
He played on it again. and then he made his
have made him hit it up to the $500 mark. but
saw the way the thing was. and / wanted to
finally told him that he didn't have the price
to pay me for the violin, but that L h, would
$1,000. or. 81, 500-I'd treat him right. He
Enthusiastically to this idea. but at last he said he
quite q famous man in that ~line-who would
buy the violin lin a IT. sight He went along
little month Of it., thought that he could
Questioning me me as to Where ! I iais got S't The IN in:
strument. &c, 1 called his blur. and marched
him doSwn 70 the pawnshop where had bought
brokers' eyes stlck, out when he learned OF
what a good thing he had let get way from
told the collector that the violin had been
brought in two or three years before by a col
at the annual sales ever since: The nuctioneer
hadn't been able to get rid Of it at any
stolen it somewhere. OF course. but that wasn't
up to me-. The collector gave me my figure.
81, 800 spot cash. for it that afternoon. and he's
had to fight a claimant OF 1t. although It was,
he told me-and he's n man that knows about
these things-as genuine, II not as absolutely
perfect. a Strad. as ever came out OF Italy. L
gave the '~fairlst ~veeolin' Of the Thomas Or
chestra his bit for putting me next.
II eloped from st. Louis the next day with
the ring and pin and the rest of the ticketed
things on again. and / made faces at that st.
Louis hoodoo until the train was In the middle
OF the State OF Illinois. But | haven't taken
any chances on that town since"
u1ursDrr