The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-12-01
BAekEeNEWYORKONONE TURN
ZEN SPOT BROUGHT ROSEBUD
AND mrs PARTNER HOME

e. AANEA - "
1SO.O q for the Pair AFTER tine PluDIer
Had started Ia Play the Ten Open.
I'm never forget that happy day. Joe
and had gone to a new boom mining camp
in Nevada with a promise each 10 the other
that we would quit the game and 20 back
20 New York at the end OF a month. No
matter what happened we'd do that. we
solemnly agreed.
II you are New York born, and We were
Joe, you'll understand. vas Lady Nc
GOwan's fa~ther-yOu'n understand the
longing TO get back e the little OLD island
Of Manhattan.
And there's a curious feeling, too; men
from places you'd think a sane person
would run from like a scared deer are as
keen 20 get back to them az a New Yorker
Il TO get back to Broadway. l could never
understand il.
But I'm glad IL Is so, for IL was n such
man who put IL square up TO Joe and me
that We should quit and go home. 1t was
in Arizona. You may mind my speaking
of a game we ran there. Well, this was a
lanky,~ shambling. shy sort of "a chap. That's
what he looked like. l know OF no game
you can lose at easier than playing a mans
looks. Why not? Men nave n thousand
different ways OF looking, but only two
ways Of living-straight or crooked. Or
you can call that brave or cowardly. IL
works out the same.
Well, this chap, Hank-Henry Sander
son-held a copper claim. He'd no capital,
but gophered at an open cut, getting a car
OF ore to the smelter now and then. There
was no more than wages In il.
One day a man goes To Hank and Jumps
at him quick, but Offhand like. with an
Offer Of IS 900 for the claim. Hank smiled
and kept on smiling while the man raises
the offer 5000 a jump to $4,000.
What do you want, friend?" says the
man.
Il want $3.50, OOO,' says Hank; smiling 40
soft and shy the fellow screamed with
laughter.
That fellow tried having and We told
Hank ~s'd back him as far M he liked at
chat. He tried bulldozing and Hank
laughed at him; he set some bad men OF
Hank, and Hank broke their heads with a
pick handle and we ran them out.
Hank got his s25O,OOO. Experts in the
big mine, shipping trainloads OF ore a
day, had found that the richest ledge they
had dipped in from Hanks mine. They
gave the man SIS 900 for getting The mine
for them-and they sold it to the hig COM
pany for a million.
That wasn't what 1 was going 20 tell you
about. Hank said he was going home and
never leave it again. He began TO talk
beautiful, all about. the little old school
house he used to go to and he big farm he
was going to buy and the fine stock he'd
have on il. He was eloquent "a a parson.
For. the same reason. too. for he was talk
ing of heaven.
That's as true as you are a foot high. A
little, dirty. lonely, fat crossroads in Iowa
was that mans homeland heaven.
Il suppose you boys can understand It's
he says to us. you not having any home
but New York. where there isn't anything
to pull you back, pull you back by your
heartstrings. back home
Say, Joe and l didn't say a word. We
couldn't say a word and be polite. .
Homssick2 We didn't open our game on
Sundays. We used to get the laugh for
not doing IL. but we could stand the laugh
better than we could stand-well. on Sun
days we'd take long walks out on the cactus
desert and talk about home.
I'm one of those who know a good thing
when l have it. hut when l don't have it l
can grin as cheerful as most men. Except
about New York. There is no place so
homelike. 80 friendly, 80 chummy, 80 sim
pie. 30 easy to get about in. so quiet and
well behaved as New York. and l suppose
that is why Joe and / used to feel $3.50
sentimental about it. Being New York
boys. too. you know.
We'd trudge along out there in the desert
talking about home; we'd look of to a bluff
faced mesa and try to make it out to look
like the buildings on Broadway. We'd
stay out there till the moon came up and
reflected almost like the lights Of New York
on the Spanish bayonet cactus away OF
forever across the desert; then the mount
aims really would look like the downtown
buildings when Joe anne home from Coney
At night on the Iron Steamboat Line. We'd
hear a coyote howl now and then, and we'd
pretend IL was a fog horn on a liner when
the river was all misty.
II was real comforting while il lasted,
but it only made us feel tho worse next day.
Like champagne.
And Hank thought We weren't homesickl
He got his pile and was going home.
And why not us:" says Joe to me.
Then we threshed it all out again. We'd
set our heart on taking back s25, 900 each.
We'd set apart one S25. 900 already, and
had about $4,000 for bank, for the game,
you understand. II wasn't enough. for a
straight faro banks winning. aside from
he percentage in its favor from splits.
comes from it having more money TO lose
than the usual player.
Never had thas explained to you, Ell?
It's true. And simple. The player has
$50 OF $500 or 5000 to play with. When
he loses what he has he quits. The chance
OF the bank winning what he has before
he wins what the bank has is against him
just in proportion as the banks roll is
bigger than the players.
We'd run up against some stiff players.
Cattle men who'd sold a bunch of steers,
men like Hank. but who didn't care abou.
going back home,
just before Hank left he told US of the
new boom town in Nevada. and we TOOK 10
the notion.
We hao not been playing there long
before Ouf safe held the second $4,000
and we had another. $4,000 for bank. IL
was enough for a time.
But one evening in drifts the man who
did the business for Hanks claim.
you backed that farmer against me