Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-21

SAID the CdHIOrnla man. ne Was pccu-
liar mixture of parsimony and open
handedness. But these two traits didn't
crop out in him spontaneously. He was
what might be called a streaky :ndi-
vidual. For months at stretch he would
succumb to any kind of a touch. Any
sort of a hard-luck story would cause
Lucky's dig-up mitt to seek his roll.
Sometimes he would double the amount
named by the TOUGHER. On several Occa-
sions he was known to quadruple It,
From such a money-tossing humor he
would all of sudden and without notice
or warning become a tightwad of the
first order, closeroll from whom q dol
lar couldn't be extracted by any method
short Of the use of dynamite. A friend
of mine, New York travelling salesman,
told me story not long ago illustrating
Lucky's varying moods as to the spend
ing end of II.
Nearly twenty years ago this travel
ing salesman, who is in the jewelry
line went up against San Francisco
faro bank and got himself cleaned down
to and beneath the pelt. He was UP
against it. He had his tens Of thousands
of dollars worth of samples, but he was
too honest a man to think Of hypothe-
eating any Of his firms stuff in order
to get himself out of the mess. In addi-
ton to the cash he dropped the faro
bank had his markers for $1,000. The
salesman was due to return to New
York. He had overdrawn on his expense
account and didn't dare wire his firm for
another dollar. But he had to go home
and he had to take up that $500 in
faro bank markers before leaving San
Francisco.
He didn't know Lucky Baldwin ex-
cept in a casual sort of a way. He al
ways stopped at Baldwin's hotel. had
been introduced to the old man, was oh
nodding terms with him In the lobby
and that was all.
.The salesman, pretty we'll wrought up
over his troubles, strolled into the bar
before breakfast one morning to get a
supporting snifter. Lucky sifted In about
half a minute behind him. The two men
exchanged mods.
"'What you having? inquired Baldwin
of the salesman
The salesman told him.
"'Sounds good said Lucky. Make two
of 'em, son. to the barkeep They had
their drinks.
+
".saw you playing some pretty fool
faro bank a couple of nights ago Lucky
salesman hadn't seen Lucky at the faro
bank 'Foolest bank 1 ever saw, you
played, the old man went on. You ju-
nipers from back east have as much idea
of playing bank as mountain cat has
of playing the harp. They took You, of
course?'
.'The salesman replied that they sure
had taken him; taken him bad.
mot in any kind of mess over 1t,
are you. youngster" inquired the old
man.
"whereupon the salesman opened up
and told Baldwin just the kind Of mess
he was in; fifteen hundred In bank mark
ers to pay, no money to return to New
York, no chance to ask the Arm for more
coin without giving himself dead away.
and SO on.
grin. then dug for his roll and skinned
off six NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. bills and eased
the papers to the salesman.
"'Thke this and make good. and then
60 back with your snow shovelers.' he
still call eastern folk snow shovelers in
contemptuous allusion to the rigors of
the casts winter climate. And don't play
any more bank till you learn something
about the game You stick to humble
typeg, son, and you won't get frisked.'
-
THE salesman would only take 5000 OF
the money and had some trouble in mol
lifying the slightly offended Lucky when
he insisted upon returning the two $500
bills which he didn't need. That even
ing he quit San Francisco for New York
and he paid Baldwin back the $1,000 in
inside Of six months And
he was SO grateful for getting out OF
the mess that he never has made bet
of a dime since.
That same salesman was back at the
Baldwin year later, and this time Lucky
happened to be in one Of his tightwad
humors. There happened to be another
New York salesman In the house who had
gone all to pieces from having embarked
upon one horrendous San Francisco toot
This salesman's firm had been franticalIy
wiring him several times a day for a
week to give some account of himself. bnt
the salesman was too busy with his toot
to pay any attention. Naturally. sober
ing up, he was confronted with the neces-
sity Of settling pretty bill at the Bald
win. He couldn't settle anything He
he knew, too, that he'd lost his ion he
was down and out, and what he needed
most was to get back home and attenont
to square himself
Now, this salesman had been IN al
most chummy terms with Lucky Baldwin
He'd been a guest at Lucky's banouets
during the old mans high-spendins be-
RODS; had taken in the races with the old
boy, and had Sambled and caroused with