The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-03-19

The Retired Hack Driver was com
menting on the people of the town who
have been here for a quarter of a CEN
fury The R. H. D. was holding down
an easy chair in his office There were
several listeners and they hung on his
words as if he were an oracle
NOW there goes Blank Smithers and
MS wife, said the r. H. D. .Whitest
people that ever breathed. know 'em?
Guess l do. Don't / remember when L
was hacking twenty years ago. They
USED TO drive around a bit. Mr.. Smith
ers mad to drive home occasionally at
night and sometimes, now mind me not
always. l had to find the keyhole for
him. That don't make any difference
II did, young fellow" he remarked
looking at younger member of the
crowd who snickered. "Keyholes wasn't
and anyway. when I did find it I went
IN with him to sup a little and have a
cigar. He used to play a little solitaire
20 quiet his nerves and he had me stay
tnere IN the dining room with him
While ne ran the cards. My time at so
much per hour went right on through
those games Of solitaire and 1 didn't
even have to keep awake. He don't
ride round in hacks any more.
ana Mrs. Smithers; now there is a.
lady. One of the real kind. She made
her weekly trips and I hauled her
Used to drive up to the house. She
wouldn't be ready. Would send down
word for me to go into the dining room
and have a piece of pie and a glass of
Wine while she was getting ready. She
wore dress that hooked UP the side
and on the shoulder and had lot of
fancy flaps and things that had to be
pinned and hooked. Some times I had
to wait an hour or two hours and then
L always got two pieces of pie and two
glasses of wine. I knew when I wait
ed like that she was trying to get into
that dress that hooked on the side and
shoulder and that all the neighbors
were upstairs with her trying to har-
ness her up.
"She would be late and that would
mean that she couldn't get through the
calls that day and that she would have
to make another trip the next day.
OF course 1 was being paid per hour
while I ate that pie and while the neigh
bors We're Harvesting her up.
"One night took Smithers home. He
was laxative and we had a two hours
chat in the dining room It cost him
$3.50 an hour. Rates were high then
and We didn't haul people to Wabaun-
see county for so cents. Snithers got
to talking about his wifes dresses ]
told him as how I had heard lots of
people hauled in my hack praise that
dress of his wife's the one that hook
that she looked finer in that than any
thing she had in her whole wardrobe.
Smithers was pleased. It worked
What worked?" asked the young
man who didn't act bright.
young man. you'll never be a J. P.
NJ said The R. H. D. why, he had
his wife order half a. dozen of those
kind of dresses. That little talk about
the people liking that dress made me
over 500 that winter. for every time
she went calling she wore one of those
hooked up dresses. and I ate about
"a pies. drank two gallons of wine and
waited at least 40 hours. during that
winter while she was being hooked up
hour straight and no discount for cash
or pie.
Il worked Smithers even better than
that" continued the R. H. D. You
know that game the Mexicans play
when they run out of money and can't
buck the monte games any more? It's
called Coon Can Well, you Just drop
| into a New Mexican or Arizona saloon
where the tables are running. Watch
a couple of Mexicans go broke They'll
| borrow an old deck from the dealer
and go over to a deserted table and
play Coon Can for fun and not for
money.
"One night when took smithers
| home and he was tired of solitaire
! told him about Coon Cam I taught
him the game and we played. It's 9
mighty good two handed game and
only two can play 1t. Nobody else ir
the neighborhood could play it. He fel
| in love with it and wanted to keep ir
playing. I told him I would have tc
go out and haul few people from the
| depots to the hotels to make little
money He wouldn't let me go. I in
sisted. He kept on paying $3.50 pei
hour and we played Coon Can all the
rest of the night. had breakfast there
in the morning. The next time I tooa
him home he went home at $3.50 O'CLOCK
/ in the evening and insisted that we be
gin playing Coon Can right away. He
! had his hostler put my team and hacE
| in his barn and he kept me playing al
night at $3.50 per hour.
There's no money in hacking now
though. I quit it years ago ana
haven't played Coon Can for twenty
| years.