The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-12-24
TRAVELLING BAG LUCKY.
Plunger Who Lost All Sold it to a
Kind-Hearted Man.
New York Correspondence Chicago
Inter Ocean

CNew York Correspondence Chicago
Inter Ocean.
I've heard a lot about the ups and
downs of the regulars who make a bus
mess of following the horses said a
JeWeiry salesman whose territory en-
braces the Pacific coast, but l never
mad such a close, first-hand view as
! mad at San Francisco more than a
year ago and at Sheepshead Bay only
the other day.
The story had its beginning at San
francisco year ago last March, One
rainy, gloomy evening during the
month | dropped into Kearney street
paWnship TO price some valises that
were displayed in the window.
i was looking over the stock when
tall chap who looked considerably IN
against it came into the pawnshop. De
spite the raw weather he wore no over
coat and his clothes looked shabby and
thin for the season. His collar Was
trayed and his cravat appeared TO have
had lot of wear.
He needed a shave badly His shoes
were broken at the sides He was a
good-loOking, well-built man, but he
had gaunt undeTfed appearance. and
there was a certain desperate cast in
ms eye that attracted my attention as
soon as he entered the pawnshon.
But the fact about him that chiefly
attracted my eye was that he carried
very fine Gladstone alligator bag
just the article l was looking for. II
mad hardly been used at all as / could
easily see and I judged it to be worth
at least $50
When the owner placed it on the
paWnshop coutner / was surprised 10
observe that on one side. i'm neat. small
gold letters, was a tidily stamped set
OF initials. three of them, exactly cor
responding TO my own initials
III take ten on that said the gaunt
chap to the pawnbroker.
The pawnbroker shook his head with
the aggravating smile of some men who
follow his business.
Five he said that's all we ever
lend on valiseS.'
Just look this one over said the
man without an Overcoat. and see if it
calls for any hve-dollar loan
on. / can see that it's a good bag.
all right, said the pawnbrOker But
we cant gel anything on bags. They're
d drug, like fiddles. Besides your init
ials are stamped upon il That spoils
II for me. The feathers scraped awav
ing stenciled letters Five is all
The man with the bag looked for a
moment as il he would have liked to
Jump over the counter and grab the
paWnoToker by the throat But he
swallowed gulp or two of pretty Wis
ibie wrath and ] could see with what
an effort ne restrained himself
He was perhaps thinking of the big
amount OF interest money he had paid
out TO pawnbrokers in his time and if
made him sore. But. as I say, ne kept
MS anger down, and he started 10 stake
the paWnbroker to a little talk.
1t was as good a talk of that sort
2'i ] ever heaTd-the talk Of an edu-
>ated man pretty nigh down and out.
He had been with the horses in San
Francisco all winter. it seemed. The
horses had got him, as. of course. thew
get everybody who stays with them
ong enough.
He wanted to get east for the be-
ginning OF the eastern racing season.
But he was all in and he needed a-front /
20 enable him to get cut and get the 7
price of ride over the mountains to 4
The Atlantic seaboard.
he couldn't do much with a five SPOT
but with ten dollar note ne could (
90 down the bay and get enough tog
stun TO put up some kind of an ex-
erior
That was the way it stbod with him.
led be getting the baa nut inside Of
month-there was no manner OF
louDt as 70 that. Would the pawn
'roker let him have the saWbuck2
No, the pawnbrol5er wouldn't.
There's no use in talking about IT.
AID the three balls dealer Tn
taxed to talks ike that twenty tines
day. If / listened to all or half of
I'm Ia have to go out Of business. Five
or the grip. and no more
The gaunt man with the grip picked
up-and he was pretty ashy about
ne mouth, too-and walked out with
ut another word I followed him out
hat grip he was carrying seemed to
ave been made to order for me, in
-ials and all and. besides that. l
iasn't unwilling to help the man if
G cared to be helped my way.
il give you $50 outright for that
ag,' l said to him, hating him in the
listy drizzle.
He turned around and looked mo
yer for minute, and then he passed
yer the bag.
So All right pal he said, and thanks
} you.
udllutu MN over lNGily-uolldf |
III He took the money with a mod |
nd disappeared around a corner
1rried the bag to my hotel, and have
cen enjoying the use Of IL ever since. |
Wen, at Sheepshead Bay the Ouher
fternoon l was being pushed and !
auled down the line Of boOknzkers.
elplessly trying to get a peek at the
ices against the horses IN the Twin !
ity handicap. Sd as TO get a little
king holiday bet down. when a tail
zap, dressed 10 the Rines-pro--
.e most tastefully dressed man on the
-oundS-swung through the crowd
I'd began 20 bet $500 at a clip with
cry bookmaker. he could reach n the
lrse CaughnaW2ga.
The b0okmakers accepted his bets
ithout the money-he had merely 10
I'D up his fingers to indicate the
Mount he wanted 10 bet. and the sheet
riters clapped the figures down VIM
4 the interchange of any money
@ method. in short. whereby only the
cogniZed plungers make their bets.
I recognized the tall man instantly
the fellow from whom / had bought
Q Gladstone bag i'm the drizzle cut
lie of a San Francisco paWns..OD a
ar and a half ago.
As he strobe by me ] couldn't re-
lin from giving him z bit of nudge
Il saying 10 him. H
Useful and ornamental travelling ! :