Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1911-02-16
DISCOVERS
AMERICA \

be discouraged by u setback If your
games square, and I bet it is or you
wouldn't be in the dog savin' business.
What is your lay. anyhow2 Excuse
the liberty"
retrieving my fortune" said Val
after a moments reflection.
You a see me one better. Mines
to make yet, and Pm no kid like you.
l won't see ~thirty-eight again. I'm an
artist. But New York amt woke up
to my talent. Maybe I've beer too
versatile. That never did pay. The
line I'd mapped out was paintin' pic
lures, but my chance was slow comm.
Had to take what I could get on the
way along. supin'. sandwichin', bark
in'"-
"Eh. what?' broke in Loveland.
You don't savvy? Oh. supin' in
theaters. There's several. specially
one in the Bowery. wouldn't "a been
complete without me for years till l
got the chuck like you did at the Wal
dorf. I've always kind Of lowered
around the profession. though 1 don't
say I'm proud of my career as a
barker in the dimes-museums, you
know. There was money in the bust
ness, though. if the freaks hadn't
caught on that l had the heart Of a
soft boiled egg. Besides. my voice
amt an automobile horn. and barkin'
for a couple of seasons stove a hole in
my top note. One Of my old COWS
switched me on to a job paintin' freak
showboards. and I'd "a been at it yet
if freaks didn't last too long. Once
you've put them OF the boards there
they are. At present my specialty's
meenoOS."
Val looked blank, thinking of emus.
French for grub cards. A swell like
you ought TO be on to that. But I'm
just thinkin' what there is for you.
This stunt Of mine l dropped into by
luck. Twas Shakespeare introduced
me, like he did you tonight"
"Why Shakespeare?" Loveland cut
in.
"Oh. there's "a girl in that story
actress in the theater where 1 suped-a
real actress, mind you, a fascinator
from Fascinatorville. Why Lii so
much Is looked at me l don't know.
but she did. | was near twice her age,
and 'twould have been playin' the
game too low down to try and hook
on to her. though l was tempted, she
was so pretty. so good to me. l don't
know what would "a been the upshot
if the property man, who had his eye
on the gal, hadn't got me the sack and
Lii an engagement on the road. She
and l drifted apart. l never wrote.
though she asked me to. l knew twas
better not-for her. But you see why
I'm nuts OF the dog. He was hers.
and Shakespeare was her name for
him. She loves S~hakespeare's plays.
and her ambition was to act in 'em.
But all that's somethin' 1 wouldn't "a
mentioned if you hadn't kind Of earned
the right to Shakes history. / was
tellin' you about my speciality and
how Shake introduced me to it. We
was on our beam ends, Shake and me
our ribs shown through like silk.
One mornin' after a night out like this,
only a square downtown, l was circu-
latin around till l blew into Twelfth
street and dropped my eyes on to a
new restaurant with a good fried
smell, and an idea hit my brain like a
hammer. In l walks and offers to
swop it with the boss for a dinner.
He wasn't takin' any just then, but I
talked till l walked him up, showed
him what l could do in the art line
and began to work on the spot with a
grand new thing in meenoos. I've
been at it ever since, and, though the
pay don't go up by leaps and bounds,
the house has, and lots O. the eaters
say it's my works made it what it is
brought in the public like a flock Of
sheep. I get two meals and three
dimes a day out Of the job, and I
wouldn't be sleepin' in my country
house tonight if I hadn't run acrost a
guy who needed my money more than
I did. I guess there Amt many swells'
have. got a finer palace than this,
though it's kind of drafty. Your cas-
tie across the pond amt got a finer
park. I bet"
"My castles full of drafts, too"
Loveland humored him.
$50 you came over here to get out Of
'em? Wish l could invite you to
my hotel where I hang out when I'm
not at my country place. but the trou-
BILE is to see the color Of your money
or you don't see the color of their
beds"
"How much is it for a room?" asked
Loveland.
ooh, a room! / don't run to a room.
A bed in a vast wilderness is good
enough for me. But a quarter III get
you one Three nickels for a bed"
Loveland searched his pockets and
obviously exhibited two silver coins
mixed democratically with a few nick
els and impotent looking little coppers.
The prospect appeared hopeless to him,
but Willing exclaimed with delight:
"Gee-45 cents! You're a bloated mil
lionaire. You might be asleep in two
beds at the Bat, hotel instead of cool