Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1909-10-15

DO" says Tobin. leaning against MS
sleeve. DO be off to your home. And
/ will sit at the door Of 1t till We come
out In the morning. for the depend
ence is upon We to obviate the curse
Of the niger man and the blond lady
and the financial loss of the one-sixty-
five"
otis a strange hallucination," says
the man. turning TO me as q more
reasonable lunatic. Hadn't ye bet
ter get him homer
Listen. man," says to him. Dan
lei Tobin is as sensible as he ever was.
Maybe he is bit deranged on ac-
count of having drink enough to dis
turb but not enough to settle his
wits. but he is no more than following
out the legitimate path of his super
stitions and predicaments, which | will
explain to you" With that relates
the facts about the palmist lady and
how the finger of suspicion points to
him as an instrument Of good fortune
'Now. understand" I concludes, my
position. am the friend Of me friend
Tobin. according to me interpreta-
tons. Ills easy to be q friend to the
prosperous. for it pays. IT'S not hard
to be friend to the poor, for ye get
puffed up by gratitude and have your
picture printed standing In front OF
tenement with q scuttle of coal and
an orphan in each hand But it strains
the art Of friendship to be true
friend TO born fool And that's what
I'm doing" says /. "for, In my opin-
ion. there's no fortune to be read from
the palm Of me hand that wasn't print
ed there with the handle of a pick.
And, though we've got the crookedest
nose in New York city, | misdoubt
That all the fortune tellers doing busi-
ness could milk good luck from ye.
But the lines Of Danny's hand pointed
to We fair and III assist him to ex-
pertinent with ye until he's convinced
ye're dry"
After that the man turns. sudden, 10
laughing He leans against corner
and laughs considerable. Then he
claps me and Tobin on the backs OF
us and takes us by an arm apiece.
"'Tis my mistake" says he. How
could be expecting anything so fine
and wonderful to be turning the cor
ner upon me? came near being
found unworthy. Hard by" says he,
is cafe, snug and suitable for the
entertainment of idiosyncrasies. Let
us go there and have drink while we
discuss the unavaiIability of the cate
gorical."
SO saying, he marched me and To-
bin TO the back room of saloon and
ordered the drinks and laid the money
ON the table. He looks at Inc and To-
bin like brothers of his. and we have
the cigars.
eye must know" says the man Of
destiny. that me walk in life is one
that is called literary: | wander abroad
be night seeking idiosyncrasies in the
masses and truth in the heavens above.
When We came upon me was in con-
temptation Of the elevated road in con-
junction with the chief uminary Of
night. The rapid transit is poetry and
art, the moon but tedious, dry body
moving by rote. But these are pri-
vate opinions. for in tie business OF
literature the conditions are reversed.
Ills me hope to be writing a book to
explain the strange things have dis.
covered in life"
"Ye will put me in book" says To-
Din, Disguised. will ye put me in
book?'
81 VII pot" says the man, for the
covers Will not hold ye-not yet The
best I can do is to enjoy ye meself.
for the time is not ripe for destroying
the limitations of print. Ye would look
fantastic in type. All alone by me-
self must drink this Cup of joy. But
| thank We boys. am truly CRATE
full"
1.-THE talk Of ye," says Tobin, blow
ing through his mustache and pound
ing the table with his fist, lis an eye
sore TO me patience. There was good
luck promised out of the crook of your
nose, but We bear fruit like the bang
of drum Ye resemble. with your
noise of books, the wind blowing
through Il crack. Sure, now, | would
be thinking the palm of me hand lied
but for the coming true OF the niger
man and the blond lady and
whist" says the long man. Would
sc lie led astray by physiognomy? Me
nose will do what it can within bounds.
Let us have these glasses filled again,
for it's good to keep idiosyncrasies well
moistened, they being subject to de-
terioraton in dry moral atmos-
phere."
So the man of literature makes good.
to my notion, for he pays cheerful for
everything. the capital of me and
Tobin being exhausted by prediction.
But Tobin is sore and drinks quiet,
with the red showing in his eye.
By and by we moved out, for twas
II o'clock. and stands bit upon the
sidewalk. And then the man says
he must be going home and invites me
and Tobin to walk that way. We ar
rives on a side street two blocks away
where there is stretch Of brick houses
with high stoops and iron fences. The
man stops 1T one Of them and looks
up at the top windows, which he finds
dark.
"'Tis me humble dwelling" says he.
"and / begin to perceive by the signs
that me wife has retired to slumber.
Therefore | will venture bit in the
way Of hospitality. TITS me wish that
We enter the basement room, where we
dino nd lanrta ka of q reaSQna bile re-