The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1914-11-16
PANHANDLE PETE TALKS
BY CLARENCE L CULLEN.


fCopyright)
In the darkness that seemed dark
er after turning from Broadway into
an uptown side street, heard a ia
miliar husky voice, the owner Of which,
springing from nowhere, was shut
fling alongside me.
Cap" said the voice. "'scuse me
fr 'dressin' youse; but. on de dead, IL
youse could stake me q de price OF
cup O. cawfee an boiler O beef stew,
I'd"
why go back to the old coffee
comedy, Peter" asked him, stopping.
and In the fare OF street lamp he
recognized me. Didn't you tell me
only few nights ago that the coffee
request was frayed at the edges, and
that they were more likely to produce
If pronged for the price of a dram?"
"Oh, good evenin' guv." said Pan
handle Pete, not in the least discom-
flied because had caught him in an
inconsistency. Il didn't make youse
at first. ! guess me lamps needs trim
min. ! find I'm goin' bad wit de
glims, anyhow. ! slanted youse FIR
coffee-tap wen might ha' knowed by
de swing O. youse dat you was booze
touch An if I'd piped who you was
wouldn't ha tried t spin youse at
all, because youse has come troo
enough. I'm macin' all skeegy 'nough.
but never tries t sting mark.
specially if he's good gun like youse.
more'n oncet, or twicet at de out
side. When zob is righto | hate t
wheedle him more'n twicet f'r de two
bits"
But how" | asked, him, slipping
him something SO as not to appear to
be wasting his valuable professional
time, do you think you can at q
glance in the dark distinguish be-
tween coffee-tap and booze touch?
What's the difference in the looks Of
them?"
well, dat's de inside ball O. pan
handlin', judge" was his reply. IT'S
de hunch ting, an wit'out de hunch
no macer's got chancet t nudge into
de change in dis mans boig. | mem
ber tellin' youse de odder night dat
de coffee-taps gettin' t be dead one,
an so 1t is. But on some nights, Wen
de airs kin O. nippy an penetratin',
an de- zob | pick out looks like he
might be comm from lodge meetin'
o. de Sons O. Jonadab or some ag'in'-
de-redeye outfit de like O dat, figger
dat he's a fall-gink f'r de Jaw ting,
an so slips him wot ] call de Mocha
mace What meant de odder night
was dat 1t don't connec SO often as
1t useter. o
Il find right long now dat I'm git
tin In Heine wit de Mocha mace. 1t
on'y lan's casionally. But a macers
gotta gamble same as de rest. It's a
case of takin' chancet
But, bo. de games goin' bad,
speakin' general, at dat. Dere's too
many panhandlers workin' de stuff
dat woiks de hurry-up touch on deir
mateys. s8Hn
Many puffeckly good sludge, dat
would be meat f'r macers dat woik de
game because, like me, dat's DER graft
many good tap would come acrost
FIR de macer If he wasn't gittin' maced
SO ofn by zobs dat he knows, dressed
up rummies, dat sink de pick into
him evry time he goes out t take
de air.
DE odder night a good gun dat
eased me de two bits stopped, fr
chirp, jes' like youse is doin', an, he
toll me dat he'd bin pronged fr seven
bones durin' de day by guys dat he
knew. He tor me dat he was jes'
takin' stroll rr hisself, an dat dey
all staked him t. de stick-up at diff'rent
points along de line o march, an
passed him de moan about de room
rent ting an de get-outde-laundry
gag an dey needed de shave t snag
de job mex Tuesday. an de smalles
dat he slipped any o. desc runs, he
toll me, was de ace. Some O. EN-,
sezzee, come at him fr de fniph, an
den grajooly drops down t de two
specker wen dey seen dat he wouldn't
toppel f'r de fve-gouge.
"All O. dis stuff puts de macin' gag
t. de fritz. A good zig gifts de pounce j
by ginks dat've been kind O. buddies
O. his'n as he trudges troo de hotels,
an by de time he makes de street an
starts f'r home he's SO shy O gum an
cigarette change dat wen a macer
dat's workin' his beat tosses him dc |
spear he's bellerin' murder inside o
him because he's been SO soft on de |
perduce wit his fr'en's, an de best
de macer gifts is de coyote music outa |
de zob's pipes an invitation t do
a Durando down de pike or stan f'r
a pinch.
"Youse don't mind runnin' along |
now, do youse? / see a cook swingin'
along dat looks like de till wide open,
-, L. 49,. .z.....a 1..at a, do cfnrain