St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1900-05-12


silker an long coat and a diamond
lamp fit to knock an eye out of the
prince of Wales, and, say, when / saw
Hennessy that way | thought it was
like findin mine. There was ready
money all over him."
'tAn', Of course, he staked you good
and p1enty?n said the faro man.
did I say that Hennessy had a
pint?" unused the race follower. We'll.
maybe it was two of them and maybe
it was three. Anyway, Hennessy had
a little skate on. Tt wasn't enough to
excuse him and it wzs just enough
to make a mean man Easty.
"Hello, Hennessy,' says /.
Hello, says Hennessy.
sand / saw then and there that my
gold mine was a frost. Hennessy was
givin' me the go-by. But | was too
hard up to be naughty, SO | stops him.
"'Say Hennessy,' says I, are you
goin' to walk past a man like that?
Don't you know me?'
Yes says Hennessy, with a kind
VI ah ugly Siih' hho' Soo "SA
enough
"'I've been in hard luck since / saw
you, Hennessy.' says T. I'm on the
hog for fair-stone broke, old man!'
THAT don't surprise me- says Hen
messy, not a little Bit
SIT don't!' says /, and you can bet
I was surprised, if he wasn't.
"'Not PARTICLE says Hennessy,
you went broke when I quit you. be-
cause I was your mascot. You stole
my luck. and l figure that you owe
me ABOUT $4,000. The minute / left
you things came my way.
We'll, tried to laugh. why, Hem
messy, old man says I, you're string
in me. Dye take me for a hoodoo?'
That's what I do he says, the
worst hoodoo this side of the Rocky
mountains -
"SWell. say, Hennessy,' says I,
stake me for hundred and let it
go at that?'
"'Not Nickel says Hennessy.
You got my luck once, but you don't
get 1T again, see!
Then he turned back into the cafe,
and could see him through the win
dow ordering a new quart"
''Wouldn't that bump you!" said the
faro man. -
Say, isn't luck about the queerest
thing ON earth?" continued the race
man philosophically. Here was Hen
messy tramp only year before, when
| was high rider. Now, I'm on my
uppers, and Hennessy's on the wave,
and yet at that very minute my luck
was on the turn. 1 walked around the
corner where | could curse Hennessy
on the quiet and there in a little heap
of wet dirt by the curbstone | saw
something shining. Il picked it up. 1t
was fve-dollar gold piece, and there
was hole in it. Say, do you remember
me coming into your bank with it?
Sure" said the faro man
Say, it needed a lot of nerve to lay
the whole five on one card, and me
hungry, too, but was afraid if I'd
break the five I'd break my luck, see?"
The faro man saw.
$50 l laid it in one bet, and won ten
times running. Then [ called the
turn, and finally quit $4,000 winner.
Say, that was about the dizziest game
II ever played, and when / cashed in /
went and eat the best dinner that the
TenderIoin afforded.
"Wel1, l didn't see anything more of
Hennessy until January, when I went
to New Orleans again with small in
terest in a string of good ones
and another interest in com
bination book that a guy named
Shorty Allen was running I was
riding high again, and Hennessy
wasn't. It did seem queer, but it looked
like we both couldn't do business at
the same time. Iran against him sew
eral times and made as if I'd forgotten
the throw down he gave me in front of
Martins, and at last one day he came
sweatin' around to my rooms, lookin'
for a tip. One of our horses was en-
tered for seven furlongs on the next
day. with about one chance in million
in his hat that the race was to be fixed.
He didn't know was interested in the
nag, but he did know that I had an in
side track with the stable and came to
find out which way the cat was goin' to
jump.
Say, old pal,' he said, I've only got
$1,000 left and [ want to make big
play tomorrow SOS to get even again
and i can't take any chances. Can't
you put me wise?'"
Say said the faro man, wouldn't
that bump you?"
$50 told him to see me an hour be-
fore the race, the race follower went
on. and he went away. Say. dye think
twas up 10 me to give him any straight
tip?"
after the way he turned you down?
Nit!." returned the faro man.
swell. next day the mare was FIVE
to-one shot, and about an hour before
the race Hennessy came sneaking up.
""'Do play her?' he says.
I" For all you're WORTH says I.
'Sureg he says.
Sure. says /.
We'll, the book was interested in
was offering shade better than the
Others, and Hennessy went against it
TO the limit. In 20 minutes every nickel
he had in the world was laid against
my horse. When they were at the post
Hennessg sneaked up again.
g tSitrs q he asked