Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-04
Continued from page 4

AS One Arm lake, at the behest of Tom
Cuniff, selected the various articles, they
were passed over to me, and my arms were
full. But | was clever-aha! clever. was
not to be caught insolvent, and, as each
thing became mine paid for it before took
another. l knew the moment must come
when my wealth would be dissolved, when
its purchasing power would cease, when the
last nickel would have been fshed up from
my pockets! And yet-and yet-though |
bought and bought and bought, the store of
coins did not seem to diminish with astonish-
ing speed. still found, as paid for jack
knife that cost the huge sum of fifteen cents,
that had millions of nickels and other coins
left.
Tom Cuniff regarded me, loaded like
Santa Claus, with satisfied smile. Then he
said, "My goodness Paulie but you can't
carry all them things! Don't you want me
to carry some O. them? The bat an the ball?
Course don't mind carryin' them fer good
Teller like youse. An, say, if | carry some of
EN-, will you lend 'em to me?"
"You-you can have EN- all!' exclaimed
in a mad burst of generosity. IL got plenty
more money, amt l, Mr.. Jake? Go on,
Tom, you keep 'em. Mr.. Jake, gimme an
other bat, an another ball, an another
another-all them things. An kin have
dagger, an five pieces O molasses hunk?
Don't you like candy, Tom?"
Oh, yes, Tom liked candy, and, warming
up to my offer, he selected his favorite COM
positions from the showcase, and stuffed
them into his pockets. Then we went out of
the store again, and were met by the ex-
pectant rabble.
ooh, lookit Oh, Paulie, leave me try yer
bat?" 1t was grabbed from my arms, and
with it an impromptu game of three old cat
&c no no
fore had time to realize that l was robbed.
But Tom flew to the rescue and restored my
property to me, though not without some
little trouble.
"Come on, Paulie," said Tom Cuniff.
"Let's GO somewhere an have good time"
"Where?" said l.
"Down the swamp" whispered he.
l blanched. l had been taught to dread
that place called the swamp as l would dread
fever haunted district 1t was over behind
the factories, and the employees of the
chocolate mills lived there. 1t was dis
reputable neighborhood, the horror of
mothers.
With the vision already forming in my
mind of an angry maternal parent awaiting
nv tardy homecoming, declined to go with
Tom; whereupon, shouldering the bat had
"1ent" him, and tucking the ball into his
pocket he said nonchalantly:
"All right, then, don't care" and left me.
stood deserted by my false friend
RUT was not deserted for long. The rest
- of my acquaintance, seeing that the
ogre had left me, now flocked to my side, and
l was once more the center of fawning
flock l welcomed the return of those with
whom l was more familiar. In Toms COM
pany had seemed like lesser quantity;
but now the masterfulness of wealth came
back to me, and l assumed the dictatorship
again.
However, when One Arm Jakes was men,
toned declined. Somehow, on my second
trip there had imagined that noticed
suspicious look in that merchants eyes, and
it began to dawn on me that perhaps he was
wondering where l got all my money.
would not take any chances. Furthermore,
had l not bought all the stock of his store?
l could remember nothing more.
But we went to the drugstore, where
emptied jar of rock candy of its crystalline
sweetness, and made Danny Draper, the
clerk, cape open eyed by ordering vanilla
soda for all hands.
We next visited Henry Davis, the grocer,
and there l purchased egg biscuit by the
-four bagful, raisins, citron, dried currants,
and animal crackerS-and more citrOnl