Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-01
LIVE BY THEIR WITS


"A queer lot Of grafters and beggars are
working the Atlantic City cottages even at
this early period Of the season." observed
Washingtonian who recently returned from
the Boardwalk resort. "One forenoon last
week I was sitting on the porch OF
friends cottage down there-thereve oeen
about two mornings this year when one
could sit on a porch in Atlantic City with
out freezing to death-when hatchet-
faced, sharp-eyed woman with oionolne
hair, a wine-colored silk dress that made
considerable of rustlng noise. and quite
an assortment Of diamond rings, walked up
the steps with a majestic air.
~ DESIRE she said to me In q most
naughty manner. to see Mrs. Blank. nam
ing the wife of my host. in private
She hasn't made her appearance for the
day yet told the woman. She'll prob
ably not be down before luncheon. am
pretty well acquainted with the lady. how
ever and perhaps you wouldn't mind stat
ing your business to me, 1t isn't too pri-
vate.'
81 feel that you would not understand
she said then. hesitatingly; Lam, am a de de-
tality. the manifold will and the muitituoi-
nous spirit. and I have heard that Mrs.
Blank is immersed in the occult and the
esoteric.'
KNOWING Mrs l.ank would Just as lief
meet a cyclone as any such person as that.
l famed the woman. The developer OF the
dual soul and things staked me to series
steps with q frou-frou Of her wine-colored
silk dress that sounded almost like clatter
went back reading the base ball scores.
when. few minutes later, shrewd-eyeo
young chap, carrying the dummy or a
book under his arm. hoped up the steps
two at clip.
IA! good rnorningr he breezed. ad-
vancing upon me and grabbing my hana
and shaking 1t impulsively. 'Balmy day
for a wonder Ell? Beautiful piazza here,
though? Get the breeze when the sure
enough hot weather comes. hey? The
honeysuckle will be blossoming soon around
the porch too Ell? Well. we're sure to get
you, Mr.. Blank naminA my host. for whom
he mistook me. Just got to have you Tor
a sure thing.
".Got to have me- eh? 1 said to him. al
lowing him to go on thinking that I was the
boss of the cottage. What have you got
to have me for?'
why. the Who's Who in the Atlantic
City cottages thing he replied. displaying
the cover of his dummy book with the
title printed in gilt all over it. I've al
ready got most Of the swell cottagers-only
the real kind get in. you know. only need
you and a few others to complete 1t. Going
to get 1t out in midsummer-greatest souve-
mir thing you've ever had chance to get
in on in your life. Your picture. and your
wife's. too. for that matter, or your daugh-
ter's II you prefer. and photogravure
of your cottage, with an interior view or
So and the write-up-'bout two full pages
Of write-up. You can do the writng-up
yourself. and no matter what you say about
yourself. 1t goes. And only $SD Just CIV
ing 1t away. Next year We'll get $500 a
throw for the same thing. Er-here's
fountain pen-just sign here. please. and
the rapid young chap spread out form or
contract and indicated dotted line at the
,tal, xn1 hn cd
ment to dig up for $500 for the Who's Who
thing.
II gave that one the about-face in about
four words. and he wasn't In the least
taken aback. In fact. there was GER
tain amount of admiration in the grin to
which he staked me as he started down the
steps.
said. looking over his shoulder and still
grinnine. But It's all right. No harm
done. Say. what's the name OF his nobs
next door--the old party with the white
spinach on his map. reading his paper on
the porch?'
II didn't make him any reply to that. and
he went his way, whistling merrily.
I'D barely got back to reading the base
ball junk when trig. but excessively cal.
cimined and otherwise made-up woman or
middle age tripped up the porch steps with
a fine stimulation Of youthful lightness. l
put aside my paper and rose and bowed.
" The laQy-can L see neT! she dSheu thS.
I'm the only up yet said to her.
Anything I can do for your
"She considered for a moment as She
tapped her foot, and then she gazed at me
with great winsomeness.
"fYou have troubles she asked me,
cooking her head to one side.
".None that a dyspepsia tablet or 50
won't fix up told her. 'Why?'
I'm a healer of troubles she said. pro-
ducIng a card with mental healer under
her name. I teach repose of mind exor-
else cares by instructing people to take the
opposite thought. i
II had to get her to bite 1t of right there.
for l was becoming some tired, and she
was real peevish about me when she went
down the steps, 80 she was.
"a few minutes later a rough-looklng
chap, evidently foreigner. with bullet
head and heavy layer OF fat on the back
of his neck. wheezed up the steps.
".Palms? he said to me- hoarsely.
".Palms? What Is TT I asked him.
"T mean, do you want your palms read
alretty YETI said the bullet-head.
"'Do I want my palm read. before I've
so much as read the front headlines of my
morning paper-get outF l said to that one.
and he hustled down the steps In an obvious
state Of alarm.
They're spinning along that way to the
Atlantic City cottages by the dozen every
day, and there's movement on foot TO
choke them off by police methods when the
sure-enough season sets In this year. II 1t
ever does set In