El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-02-18

two stood at the corner of the Mills
building; the railroad man pointed at
| a well dressed, middle-aged man
who was walking southwark along the
west side of the plaza on the concrete
walk. The man in question was ; NIB
ling along at sort of Step-and-a- half
gait with his eyes set upon the walk
just ahead of him.
iii bet you a cigar that the man is
not crippled. even though he Iimps. =
continued the railroad man.
Il am willing TO go YOU said the
real estate man, but how are we to
know whether he is crippled or not -
Just wait until he leaves that walk. -
answered the challenger. They had
less than a minute to wait until the
man turned eastward on the walk that
runs along the south side of the plaza
When he started eastward he lifted bis
face. looked straight ahead and walked
without the least semblance of a limp
See; l told you So exultantly ex-
claimed the railroad man. as with a
loud haw, haw. he slapped the loser on
the back.
Yes. you win" Sullenly answered
the real estate man. and now | want
you to tell me how it happened; it
looks to me like l am the victim of
skin game manipulated by you and that
man who was playing crippled along
down that walk"
Let's step over to the Sheldon and
get the weeds and then I'll tell YOU"
said the winner. The two men soon
emerged from the hotel in a cloud of
fragrant smoke and walked over 20 the
corner of the plaza. where they were
joined by the Stories of the Streets"
man.
IL.
said the railroad man, but simply the
result of observation on my part. In
fact l have been guilty of the same pc
culiar actions myself. Now notice the
formation of this walk. 1t is LAID off
in blocks about fourteen inches square.
| will walk a short distance and show
you how the man was walking. He
is a stranger to me and l did not ask
him to walk that way so | could chal-
lenge you to a wager"
The railroad man walked few yards
with the same Incorporating amble
that the other man used. He would
step in the center of every other block
with his left foot, but his right would
entirely miss two blocks and step in
the center of every third one.
Now you see how he appeared to
limp said the winner: l call such peo-
pie crack walkers because most of
this kind of walking is done on walks
with cracks or marks running cross
WISE 1t is done while the walker is
in deep thought. or while wishing to
occupy the mind so that distance may
seem shorter.
Il have heard people speak of count
ing ties meaning to walk on the rail-
road track / never did much of that,
but | guess il makes distances seem
shorter TO tie walker. and have seen
men walk on the ties just as this man
walked on the sections of this walk.
heir left foot hitting every other tie
and their right every third one. And
suppose that crack and tie walkers
often count the cracks and ties when
.hey have nothing else to employ their
mind.
Il do not think it indicates a weak
ness of mind 10 be a crack walker.
But | guess most of the people who
practice it find il hard to concentrate
heir minds upon subject or have
heir minds set upon something ahead
which makes the distance between |
hem and it seems very far and to keep |
heir mind diverted from the distance |
hey must travel to reach it, they |
.ount the cracks. Children may be |
seen hopping from one section of a |
walk to another nearly any time you |
hink to notice it. They have that rest
ess spirit. that anxiety for some wear
some period of time to pass away |
thought of it. Just so with |
he older crack walkers and it may !
,e said that they exhibit a childish
pirit when they engage in this time
Killing exercise"