The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1910-09-25
60 1zsacza-s...,e.,..-' -. -

to butt in. You don't have to tell.
thought You ought to tone down a lit
tie, so tried to put you wise Wish
| you success at your graft. whatever
/ 1t k Come and have Il drink, any
| how
Il wouldn't mind havin' glass Of
| lager beer" acknowledged the other
They Went to a cafe frequented by
men with smooth fHces and shifty eyes
and sat ut their drinks.
I'm glad come across you, mis-
ter" said HHylocks. How'd you like
to play Ii game or two of seven up:
I've got the Eeerds"
He fstlpd them out of Noah's valise
"A rare. inimitabe deck, greasy with
bacon suppers and grimy with the soil
Of cornGeIds.
"BunEo Harry" laughed loud and
briefly.
Not for me, sport" he said firmly.
Il don't go against that makeup of
yours for a cent. But still say you've
| overdOne it, The Rubes haven't dress
ed like that since 10 l doubt if you
could work Brooklyn for key wind
ing watch with that layout"
"Oh. you needn't think | amt got
the money" boosted Haylocks. He
drew forth a. tightly rolled mass Of
bills as large as a teacup and laid it on
the table.
Got that for my share of grandmoth-
er's farm he announced. There's
| $3.50 in that roll Thought I'd come to
the city and look around for likely
business to go into"
"Bunko Harry" took up the roll of
| money and looked at it with almost re-
spect in his smiling eyes.
I've seen worse" he said critically.
But you'll never do it in them clothes,
You want to get light tan shoes and
black suit aud a straw hat with a col
| ored band and talk a good deal about
Pittsburg and freight differentials and
drink sherry for breakfast in order
to work off phony stuff like that"
whats his Iine?" asked two or
three shifty eyed men of "BunkO
Harry after HayIocks had gathered
up his impugned money and departed.
1.-The queer, guess" said Harry. ''or
some guy with new graft He's too
much hayseed. Maybe that his--I won
der now-oh. no, it couldn't have been
real money"
Haylocks wandered on. Thirst prob
ably assailed him again, for he dived
into dark groggery on a side street
and bought beer. Several sinister fell
lows hung upon one end Of the bar.
At first sight of him their eyes bright.
ened, but when his insistent and ex
aggerated rusticity became apparent
their expressions changed to wary sus
picion
Haylocks swung his valise across the
bar.
Keep that awhile for me, mister
he said. chewing at the end of a vir
ulent claybank cigar I'm be back
after / knock around a spell. And
keep your eye on it. for there's $3.50
inside of it, though maybe you
wouldn't think so to look at me-.
Somewhere outside a phonograph
struck up band piece. and HayIocks
was off for it, his coattaiI buttons
Topping in the middle of his back
.'Divvy, Mike" said the men hang
ing upon the bar. winking openly at
one another
Honest, now" said the bartender,
kicking the valise TO one side. You
don't think I'd fall to that. do you?
Anybody can see he amt no jay-one
of McAdoo's come-on squad. guess.
He's a shine if he made himself up
There amt no parts of the country
now where they dress like that"
When Haylocks had exhausted the
resources of Mr.. Edison to amuse he
returned for his valise. And then
down Broadway he gallivanted, Gull
ing the sights with his eager blue eyes
But still and evermore Broadway re-
jected him with curt glanees and sar
donic smiles. He was the oldest of the
gags that the city must endure He
was so fiagrantly impossible. so ultra
rustic. so exaggerated beyond the most
freakish products of the barnyard, the
bayfield, and the vaudeville stage that
he excited only WEAKNESS and sus-
picion. And the wisp of hay in his
hair was so genuine. so fresh and
redolent OF the meadows. so clamor
ously rural that even a shell game man
would have put up his peas and fold
ed his table at the sight of it.
HaylocEs seated himself upon a fight
of stone steps and once more exhumed
his roll of yellow backs from the va
lise. The outer one. twenty. he
shueked off and beckoned to news
boy.
Son." said he. run somewhere and
get this changed for me. I'm mighty
nigh out of chicken feed. guess you'1l
get a nickel if yap'H hurry up
A hurt look appeared through the
dirt on the newsy's face.
Aw. watehert'ink. G'wan and get
yer funny bill changed .yerself. Dey
amt no farm clothes yer got on