The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-10-18
Some Stunts in the Real
Fakir Life.
THE BOTTLE EFFECTS
The People at the Fair Will Find All
Kinds Of Samples and Full Pack
ages OF the Fakir in His Glory
Ito Watch and Study This
Week.

These days before the Fair are those
of the homeless. the time when the
"fal<irs" begin to arrive from the un-
known, when the catch penny is COM
ing by freight Or express anu the
streets are filing up with the cast of
men who bear the sign of wanderer
I'm every line of their faces. in their
bow legs, in the unmistakable cut OF
their clothes, be they old or new.
They are a queer lot these fak1rs,
fiotsam on life. living in crowds, skep-
teal, profane, instinchvely immoral
and dishonest Almost one feels as
though they should be forgiven their
crimes, they are so jolly about COM
hitting them. 1t is hard to abuse
such helpless folk: they take ours
ing so nicely. Buster at a fakir and
he vanishes as snow from off the riv-
etr's face. Argue with him and he will
buster like a winters storm. The
fakir's idea is. certainly, to get the
coin To do this he wants a sucker.
III he makes mistake in his diagno>
sis, there is no man who Will so
quickly take to cover and oblivion
The fakir IS not d coward. but ms
trade is He cannot afford trouble.
In a pinch he will fight with despera-
ton but he will run like turkey to
avoid the pinch. The fakir's ways
are ways of peace and silence. when
he is at work. He will talk on occa-
sions like a reaping machine in action.
Give him a few straight flung SEN
tences to indicate an utter lack of
belief in what he says and he will
grin at you and depart. The fakir
wants an audience. If he gets your
ear he gets your purse also, as rule.
| was Watching some of these adj
vance agents the other day playing
pool. Presumably they were the best
of friends. They cursed one another
jovially over the game. Now and
again they retired around the big fakir
who held the bottle After these liba-
lions they played with renewed vigor.
There was q big tall fakir with the
nose and chin of a Roman Senator, a
small fat fakir, with very red cheeks
little blue eyes set in his head with
the opaque glitter of q pigs. a small
slight fakir. of a slick countenance
and an over coat that talked in seven
languages. They were much Interest,"
ed in their game. They played it like
life and death. Only the bottle could
persuade them away from it.
Suddenly after one of the bibulous
excursions on the part of two OF the
party. / noticed the man at the table.
He took a long shot straight down the
cushion: the ball graZed the cloth, slid
along the cushion with the reverse
English and bounded away from the
Jaws of the pocket. AT that moment
one fakir who was coming towards the
table turned his head and the other
was Just coming in the door with his
bottle The fakir with the cue sup
pressed an oath at his miss and with a
face that was a study in gravity pro-
cceded olput in another ball. Yet
tl.tse ". r. friends ana the game WAS
for fun merely, the only possible loss
being the price of the table to the
house Surely this inan WIS a traitor
who was imposing on his two friends
the other fakirs! This, however.
seemed not to be true, for moment
or so after another one took an easy
shot and while his companions eyes
were rivited on the falling ball, gently
slipped another in a pocket. / con-
cluded that the game was being fairly
played. according to fakir standards.
The real fakir life came out, how
ever. very strongly a few minutes
later.
The large fine Roman senator fakir
was one of those whose liquor acts in
a bunch. He had been playing pool
steadily and was standing up under
his drinks like man. Suddenly,
without a seconds warning, he fell to
the floor with a crash. 1t looked like
sudden death. The crowd that wit
messed it thought that he was a dead
man. The action of the two fakirs,
however, was Illuminating. While the
rest of the witnesses were in the first
shock amazed, the two fakirs ran TO
the PROSTATE body like terriers to a
rat.
We'll rake care of his money
they said. I'VE know him. Stand
back Let us see what he has in his
pockets. We are his friends Blank
ETY., blank. Make way for the gents
friends!"
But the manager of the room knew
a fakir when he saw one. Let him
alone" he roared. Drop him, |
say."
.sOh, certainly. certainly they ac-
quiesced. 1--WE just didn't want him
to get robbed"
Later the tall Roman senator fakir
got better and came partially to his
senses. In company with the small
fakir with the pigs eyes and the slick
fakir with the declamatory overcoat,
ne approached the desk after his
money.
The fat fakir made gesture as of
dramatically counted off the contents,
thirty-six dollars. He handed the
money TO the still drunk and stupid
Roman senator fakir.
Just to avoid any misunderstand-
ing afterwards said the fat fakir, as
he turned over the wad. Then he
slipped an affectionate hand under the
arm of the tall fakir. and the slick
fakir with the college yell coat put his
hand under the other arm and they
walked out into the dark.
The fat fakir made gesture as OF
one warding off blow, or stage