The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-10-25
PEDRO is PEARL EXPERT.
BUT MAKES HIS MISTAKES
BY RICHARD r. LUssIER

| Pedro is sick-seeck in fact.
The cause of Pedro's sudden ailment
is pearlaritis.
Now the fact that Perdo is i'll and
with pearlaritis cannot be very inter-
esting to the general public, but there
are certain extenuating features about
Pedro's troubles that ought to touch
| say the risibilities of the average per-
son.
| 1t all happened Wednesday night in a
down town cafe. Pedro is the garcon
who has charge of the oyster counter.
He is the strong arm boy who Jim
mics" the succulent bivalve from its
shell and with the aid of cracked Ice
prepares dish worthy of the eater. He
is the ardent Greek patriot who re-
gales you with the latest atrocities of
those detestable Bulgarians and Turks
while you are flirting with ptomaine
poison and other regretable things. He
| is the temperamental waiter who
amuses one day and annoys the next,
| but who in the general average pleases,
but that has nothing to do with Pedro's
troubles. And what are Pedro's trou-
bles? Oh, yes; he found a pearl Wednes-
day night, and like the philanthropist
, he is, he gave It away to customer.
There was one patron waiting on
Pedro about o'clock Wednesday night
and the quaint little chop house was
unusually quiet Pedro of course, as
| usual, was giving his monologue on the
virtues of the oyster and its peculiar
characteristics, and the patron was
listening idly while contemplating thu
deft way in which Pedro prepared a
dozen oysters for consumption. OF a
sudden Pedro changed the subject and
started to talk on pearls being found
! in oysters.
Yes" he stated. II have watched for
many a day for pearl, but these are
not the right kind of oysters for pearls.
You see / know all about oysters
"Indeed?" absently from the patron.
eyes; and if there was pearl in this
big pile of oysters l would find it in d
moment. You see, l can tell an oyster
that has pearl on the inside by just
giving it one glance"
"You don't say2'
:Yep, leave it me to find the pearls
eyes shut"
well. that is interesting to be sure,
but what is this?" and the patron picked
up small piece of black shell which had
just fallen from one OF the oysters that
Pedro was opening.
oh" said Pedro, who knew all about
pearls and oysters. giving the object u
keen glance, that's piece OF she'll"
Are you quite sure?'
why yes, do you think that's a pearl?'
'Well, frankly I don't know. but 1t
might be and IL it is, of course, it is
yours"
That's no pearl, believe me-" positively
asserted Pedro, 'and If it is you are well
come to it. but I tell you that it's no
pearl I know all about pearls"
! "All right, thank you, I'll keep this
then"
sure, sure keep it L have plenty OF
these small pieces of black shell, but
they amt no pearls"
Maybe you're right" and the patron
| finished his oysters and went out
\ The patron returned yesterday about
| noontime and wore a broad smile.
You seem very happy today" said
Pedro.
81 ann replied the patron, and by
the way you said last night that yor
had plenty OF those black pieces of shell
like the piece you gave me.
"Yes, | have"
'Well I'd like to look at them because
he piece of shell you gave me last night
had examined by a jeweler this morning
a he mo for.
may not have been u pearl as you say