Evening star., 1909-09-12

snapshotted the same vitagraph film with him
I'd been down in Callao with the idea of building
a trolley line from there up to Lima. That's all
had, the idea Such being the case, the Callaoans
wouldn't give me carte blanche and fifty-one per
cent of the stock go ahead and build the projected
by me proected-trolley line from Callao to Lima,
and SO came away from there back to San Fran
cisco The trolley line between Callao and Lima is
now in profitable operation, and has been for long
corked off here, telling lot of dormant crawfish
about how happened to be in possesson-occa-
sional possesson-of piece of carved Chinese jade.
When got back to San Francisco l was strong
enough to put up if only for little feeting period
at the Palace Hotel, and that's where l went On
my first night in | was mooching through the mobs
OF racing in the Palace lobby listening to odds
and ends of their patter to the probable winner
of big stake at the Bay District track the
following day. | wasn't much interested The
ponies never had me worth mentioning I'd plav
fyloo, chuckaluck, mustang monte, bracewheel,
keno, two-sllp bank, or just poker for money,
bes, chalk, or tin tags but never took the hurdles
for game like the pony thing where aces in the
whole for the fellow dealing the game are COM
moner than Jimson weeds in suburbante's truck
patch. But did cock my name that hit
it right often prowled around the Palace lobby
The name was Mazatlan, town l knew. They
were all saying Mazatlan this and Mazatan that
All Of them, it appeared had it doped to the final
buckle strap that the horse named Mazatlan would
win the morrow S big
Whats this plug Mazatlan?' / stopped and in
quired of the Palaces house detective whom l
knew. l hear EN- unreeling that ones if
Name of crack eastern horse that they all
figure to win the big tomorrow, said the house
gumshoe man. Overwhelming favorite already.
The just got in this afternoon. He's around
here somewhere now, and he nudged on about his
business
= Turning around, there Little Pete stalking
me to his slow-moasses- -slow-grin knew him by
sight; but he didn't know me. His eyes were little
and full of what you call amiable evil; his face
lined and scanned with OVERRIDING it, though he
still under forty, far anybody ever knows
Chink's age He was dressed to the mines and above
in his lavender puffy Ascot tie big boys taw
agate and bluer than strained violets His English
good yours-if that's any boost for it.
But | couldn't figure why he had touched me on the
elbow.
You know me?' he asked, standing there sway
ing easily from heels to toes and waving his walking
stick back and forth The slibub-sow grin still
ickered his seamy face and dribbed out of his
beady, observant eyes.
That told him. depends upon whether this
is trap, deadfall or joke. If everything's all
right and the coast clear why, you re Little Pete,
aren't you?'
- reckoned perhaps they'd pointed me out to
you, he said simply. 1t wasn't vanity. 1t only
that Chinaman says exactly what he means-when
he wants to. As afterward figured Little Pete
imagined that he had just been pointed out to me
that evening.
Perhaps you would to dine with me- said
Little Pete tentatively, watching keenly out of
the tail of his slanted eye.
Everything else being equal, where do you
dine?' l asked him
"'At my house, said Little Pete, manifestly
taking my question for assent. III have my car
riage called
He darted over to the carriage desk and then
darted back to / didn't understand his game;
but always make point Of going through with
game before picking flaws in it So spun idle
talk until boy ur and told him his carriage
waiting outside. l got into the carriage with
Little Pete.
1T labyrinthine drive, good deal of it at
the end through dark and narrow streets. Little
Pete talked horse guardedly, but horse all the time
of the rubber tired wheels of Little Petes euipage
IIo fho i hot