The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-05-12
POLICY ON THE CURBSTONg
Its Agent Alert and Customers AL
ways on Hand.
Players of the Fascinating Game
and Their Gigs-winnings Few but
Attractions Numerous-Picking Out
Numbers According to Dreams.

ciese-mouthed little man of shifty eye
takes his stand in the shadow of a certain
| East New York street corner at Just
O'Clock every morning. To him come
struggling groups of laborers on their way
to work. Office boys. clerks. and street car
men. Delivery wagons draw up to his
curb and even chattering shopgiris slip
s'yly across to his side OF the street With
| each of these the quiet little man ex-
| changes few hurried whispers, and as
they turn away. makes a note on a slip
OF greasy paper. digs his fists deep in his
overcoat pockets. and whistles.
In the neighborhood oil this corner OF
his the little man is well known. Time
was when It was not street corner, but
the back room of a neighboring cigar
store where he conducted his mysterious
business with his clients. There was no
whispering then. but shouts and contin-
uous buzzing Of excitement: the calling
off of strings of numbers and then curses
drowning out the shrill exultation of the
Few. For the little man Is one of the in
Vulnerable army Of the great policy sys-
tenn, and the police who drove him from
his cigar store. when publicly demanded,
w.nl. and smile as they pass him on the
street corner where he has temporarily
pitched his tent
Mines blood today says a hulking
.hGdcarrier to his mate as they make for
the policy man on their way to work
'Dreamt seen one Of them Boxers when
his head'd been cut off. Little old 5-10-40
for mine today. Here's 10 cents says it 5
a winner
.'Tain't blood that's mine today" the
other growls. Its the good old fish gig
with me. Mackerel for breakfast, the
wife she puts out. and not being Friday
at that. Blood amt on the slips today.
T-l7-27 she comes. sure: that's the fish
gig. and them don't often go wrong. I'm
on the fish for fair
The mystic numbers are hoarseiy whis-
pered into the ready ear ef the policy
man, and the dimes go chinSing deep
into his pockets.
When the slips out today?" asks the
bigger laborer anxisusly.
Morning slips gets up at the end of
dinner hou-" replies the little man
you on for the night ones, gents2
Nit. Ten cents is my limit. Got burned
bad on the game last week or two" says
the fish-gig man, and the two stalk clum-
silly away to work.
cold mans dead two floors up in our
house; died last night l was told, pass
ing ing clerk eonfides to b his so friend That's
and I'm out for sure today. Here's a
quarter says So.
The friend is not so sure. A big fight Is
to be pulled off in the West, he points
out. and everyone knows. the fighting
gig is 6-4e-59-6s. He places his quarter on
the big gig.
Better make it on the night slips;
fights not on this morning. advises the
first.
''Ah. take a shy at both; it's only 50
cents against $50. croaks the policy man,
and the two young men leave him - cents
With their string of numbers.
And so il goes. The twittering shopgirl
has dime for S-l2-40, cause some men
cut up nasty down in a saloon my way,
and there was shooting" Her gig is of
course, the shooting gig" The next
dead cincf on 2-11-19-22,' the quadruple
goose gig. while another is doubtful of
just the spot where he met that piebald
on Brooklyn Bridge. the Brooklyn horse
gig, 6-32-43. or the New York horse
gig" 4-16-21. hanging in the balance. A
tramp has cents to pin to the beer gig,
while the eolored gentry-place their small
coin Loyalty on E11-A, the old policy
gig
As the crowd passes back again by the
policy man at the end of the noon hour
a printed slip is quietly passed to each
One, perhaps. out of all is made hysteri-
cally jubilant by the sight of his gig and
the envelope with his winnings, amount
ing to about a dollar on the cent. But
the rest file off in glum disgust as they
scan the printed slip.
They never misses next morning.
though" confides the little policy man as
he chuckes. and his pockets bulge. IF
horse loses today it's fish with them
tomorrow Bobs up, all of EN-, next
coclSsure. and onto new one.
Funny amt it?''-The New York Com
Advertiser