Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-17
TURNED THE TABLES

graft q Turk asain for a long time to
come" said man from . northwestern
city who lifted in and out OF Washington
recently. THE one Turk that they picked
out and set aside for a tall. luminous mark
took all the play out OF them. and It's 20 to
that hencefdrth they'll chart all Turks
that they meet up with as ringers from
Ring Forks. 81
Just about year ago this Turk that
caused them to sit UP and take notice zeph-
yred into our town and opened up q sort Of
a cosmopolitan drug store. He spoke thir-
teen languages. which just about bottled UP
all the brands of funny talk that are heard
up our way. where every known kind Of
conversation IL spelled. from slsvonic to
Swatese and from Basque to Biliybe dunn
med. He was a smooth gurgler in any old
tongue, was Mustaph. the new Turk. and
the drug shop that he got under way was
fixed up about right.
wen. there wasn't much doing in local
politics at the time Mustaph got along ana
started the drug plant. A bunch OF politi-
cans. man1pulators OF the ward, In which
the orug store was located. looked Mus
under way.
He looks like a live one they said to
each other, and they decided to nudge him
along some.
you've got q. cunnin' lIit.H ftout here
salo the boss OF the knot OF politicians to
NUS walking into the drug store one
day soon after the doors were opened for
business. You ought to do well. But you
want to Kind o. jar your place along in the
esteem OF the people In the neighborhood.
Tass the cigars out to the boys that drop
in Tor instance-that 'ud be a good way to
begin
me Turk grinned agreeably and coin
tlueo win the politician. He asked the lat
n yer waa A. brand he smoked. The politician
named the brand. Mustaph didn't have any
OF that kind in stock, but he sent down the
street Tor box. and the politician stuffed
his pockets with them.
On the following evening about dozen
OF the politicians who had been put next
drifted into Mustaphss drug store. and he
stakeo them. all In the way of good nature,
10 ABOUT $l2 worth of the best smokes he
nad IN his case. They didn't have to spend
=. ~ cents on their tobacco-Mustaph was
there with the goods.
On the following night the politicians
happened to traipse into Mustaph's drug
store again. and one Of them suggested that
nttle game OF draw in the rear room of
MustapnS drug store would about go all
right. Mustaph scratched underneath his
Iez DIT over this, but they were already
seated around the table in the back room.
anu SO ne dldn't emit any roar. He didn't
happen 10 nave got any playing cards in
stock yet. and so they Instructed him to
send ms boy down the street for new lay
out Of cards and chips-at Mustaph's ey-
pense. Mustaph sent out for the gear and
Tbe was brought In. The game started.
clans; but that was all right
hey, Mustaph, lend us four dollars for
minute said one Of them to the poIyglot
t, and Mustaph dug. The others
tuned him up for twos and threes and f1yes
AM, then they We're all in. Mustaph was
I'VE one, sure enough, and the politicians
mad to hold on to themselves to keen from
laughing out real loud
This sort of thing went on for a coun,a
OF months, Mustaph standing the gan like
a cow tied to tree. The politicians didn't
want the good thing to get to thinking too
naro ABOUT the way they were handing it
out to him. and SO, one day, one of them
passed 1t out to. Mustaph this way:
Mustaph, this district needs a good,
ciean, sollo, conservative, on-the-level man
1or IT'S representative in the legislature.
You. Mustaph, are 1t. Dye want the nom
ination?' :, o A-oAA
Mustaph, smiling sagreeably, replied yes,
he wanted the nomination in all the thtr-
Teen OF his languages. but he was mild In
All right-it's yours said the politician
BY the way, Mnstaph. my wad dropped out
OF my pocket this morning while I was
dressing, and just happen to need ST.
ETC., etc. - w
'Of course, those politicians had no idea
Whatever of9 nominating Mustaph for as
much OF a Billet as fourth aid-de-camp to
the eighth assistant dogcatcher, but they
s nloh want to let him get away from them
Iney passed the word around as joke that
Mustaph was going to be the districts nom
1nee for representative in the legislature.
They made 1t stronger than that. A little
while before the primaries they began to
make speeches for Mustaph The speeches
they intended to be farcical, but, as thew
were addressed to mixed audiences OF
Syrians and Turks and Huns and Coo
lashes OF all sorts. the funny effect was
ho ILL -,
balance of power in the district failed to
perceive how much fun the politicians were
having-they only made out that Mustaph
was being argued for as proper represen-
tative OF the district in the legislature, and
that was the one idea that stuck with them.
"A few days before the nominations were
to be made the politicians woke up, in
state Of frenzied alarm, to the fact that
seriously instead Of as joke. It seemed
Incredible to them, but they found It to be
the fact.
$50 they rushed around with their snick
ersnees to knife Mustaph at the last mo-
ment It was too late. Mustaph had been
exhibited too much by them in their Joking
way, and his polygiot ability was too
strong. Mustaph had the district solid for
handouts of hair out, but it was no good.
Mustaph got the nomination and the cleo
ton as representative in canter and
under pull On the night that he got the
nomination when the politicians who had
been having fun with him and grating
him called at the drug store to tender Mus.
taph their crestfallen congratulations he
met them at the door and told them that
from then on there would be nothing
Transporting In the way Of poker in the back
ROOM that the free list on cigars was COM
pletely suspended. that he'd rugged himself
out with armor-plated dough-pockets and
that they'd have to get out search war
rant for another hang-out. Mustaph knew
that he had a cinch, for the district was
overwhelmingly with him. The politicians
tried to knife Mustaph at the polls, but
they landed on the Stag heap, and, as I
say, Mustaph won 'on the Bit
"Now he's the boss Of the works and
those politicians are not getting a smell
Mustaph fumbles and draws down all the
graft himself He's not only a representa-
tive in the legislature. but he's the cheer
full workman for all of his constituents in
the city. When the Syrians get to rioting
with the Greeks and all hands get pinched
after breaking each others conks Mustaph
does the little fixing. whereupon the re-
leased rioters, each and every one make
little presents to Mustaph-this graft
mind you, formerly being one Of the big
perks Of the politicians who had amused
themselves with Mustaph. Mustaph gets
all the contracts, house-to-house visits all
of his people and spins the dialect or pa
tots Of all of them and Is the Top Toohoo.
The politicians who Etoyed with him are on
the fritz and whiting snow-balls. Amt