The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1910-11-13

!
You are outrageous, Ferg,' I said.
! surely there is none Of this graft,
as you call it. in a perfect and harmo-
NOUS matrimonial union"
"WeH." said Pogue. nothing that
would Justify you every time in call
| ing up police headquarters and order
! ing out the reserves and a vaudeville
manager on a dead run. But it's this
way: Suppose you're a Fifth avenue
millionaire. soaring high. on the right
side of coppers and cappers.
| You come home at night and bring
! a $9.OO0OO0 diamond brooch to the
lady who's staked you for a claim.
| You hand it over. She says. Oh.
| George" and looks to see if it's back
| ed. She comes up and kisses SOu.
You've waited for it. You get it. OIL
riSht. It's graft.
But I'm telling you about Artemi-
STA Blye. She was from Kansas, and
she suggested corn in all of its phases.
Her hair was as yellow as the silk
her form was as tall and graceful as
wet summer. her eyes were as big and
startling as bunions. and green was
her fav0rite color.
"On my last trip into the cool q
cesses of your sequestered city | met
human named VaucrOss. He was
wOrth-that is, he had million. He
told me be was in business on the
street. A sidewalk merchant| says |,
sarcastic. Exactly says he senior
partner of a paving concern
Il kind Of took to him for this rea-
son: met him on Broadway one
night when | was out Of heart, luck,
tobacco and place. He was all silk
hat. diamonds and front. He was all
front. If you had gone behind him
you would have only looked yourself
in the face. | looked like ii cross be
tween Count ToIstOy and a June lob
ster. I was out of luck. had But
let me lay my eyes on that dealer
again.
"Yaucross stopped and talked to me
a few minutes. and then he took ne
to high toned restaurant to eat din
ner. There was music and then some
Beethoven and Bordelaise sauce and
cuSsing in French and frangipangi and
some hauteur and cigarettes. When |
am flush | know them places.
Il declare | must have looked as
bad as a magazine artist sitting there
without any money and my hair all
+r
chapter from 'Elsie's School Days at
a Brooklyn bohemian smoker But
EaucrOss treated me like bear hunt
ers guide. He wasn't afraid of hurt
ing the walters feelings.
"'Mr. Pogue,' he explains to me, I
am using you
GO on says |. 4 hope you don't
wake up
"And then he tells ME. you know,
the kind of man he was, Tie was a
New Yorker. His whole ambition was
to be noticed. He wanted to be con
spicuous. He wanted people to point
him out and bow to him and tell
others who he was. He said, it had
been the desire Of his life always.
He didn't have but million, so he
couldn't attract attention by spending
money. He said he tried to get into
public notice one time by planting q
little public square on the east side
with garlic for free use of the poor.
but Carnegie heard of it and covered
it over at once with library in the
Gaelic language. Three times he had
jumped in the way of automobiles, but
the only result was Eve broken ribs
and q notice in the papers that an IN
known man five feet ten, with four
amalgam filled teeth, supposed to be
the last of the famous Red Leary
gang, had been run over.
Ever try the reportersT l asked
him.
last month"; says Mr.. Vaucross.
my expenditure for lunches to report
ers was $124.SO.'
=" Get anything out of that?' l asks.
THAT reminds me- says he; add
$3.50 for pepsin. Yes. got indiges
tion.'
How am l supposed to push along
your scramble for prominence? l in
quires. Contrast?
Something of that sort tonight
says Vaucross. 1t grieves me. but L
am forced to resort to. eccentricity'
And here he drops his napkin in his
soup and rises up and bows to gent
who is devastating potato under
palm across the room
1.-the police commissioner says my
climber. gratified. Friend says l in
a hurry. have ambitions. but don't
kick rung out of your ladder. When
you use me as a stepping stone to sa-
lutte the police you spoil my appetite
on the grounds that may be degraded
and incriminated Be thoughtful
"As the Quaker City squad en- cas-
serole the idea about Artemisia Blye
comes to me.
:" Suppose / can manage. to get you
in the papers, says Ia column or
two every day in all of 'em and your
picture in most of 'em for a week.
How much would it be worth to your