Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-12-30

nNHB story came from the victim him
Il self. He offered II not rs an exposition
Of wondrous facts enclrcled by holly and
mistletoe. but merely as an instance Of
surs-enoush hard luck.
The man who told II had been law
breaker in most Of the States Of tho Mis-
slssippi Valley in which laws were being
broken at the time he happened along. He
dealt largely in games Of chance, with the
element Of chance removed. AT the old
settlers reunion he toiled carelessly above
folding table-really q sewing table,
given as n premium by the fashion mag
azlne for one new subscriber. The prop
critics were three haves Of the common
English walnut and a very small sphere
of soft rubber. At the district fair no
sold buggy whips and bought them back
at increased prices, and then sold other
whips and did not buy them back, In
volvlng himself in a series of complicated
transactions which left tho purchasers be-
wildered, as the livery rig disappeared up
the pike.
Chicago was headquarters for the prac-
titioners of graft long before the word
got into politics and began to symbolize
a cheaper form OF indirect larceny
The lean years came after the close
OF the Columbian Exposition, the long
strike of the railroad men and corn 20
cents a bushel. delivered at the elevator
Let mo tell you about It,
"I landed in with the first snowstorm
and my roll was n lone wrapper around
an old glove. If they haven't got 1t, you
can't take Il away from 'em. Clark
street was bottled up-a reporter waitin'
in every hallway to spot n stud game and
then write about the carnival of crime.
The pawnshops were goin' along, but
everybody else was cold.
"My one idea all the time I'd been out
on the circuit had been to bring home.
over and above rent, coal and groceries,
the price of a plano which was already
wearin' a ticket with my name on 1t.
Susie was goln' on nine, and everybody
that heard her sing said she belonged on
the stage My wife had picked out a
teacher that charged FIVE an hour.
well, instead of a piano, 1 slipped
Susie the Swiss Family Robinson and
my wife told tho teacher that we'd de-
| cded to wait and take her to Paris.
Say, do you remember that winter7 Many
one that had got used to squarin' ur
| to n porterhouse was holdln' n blue ticket
| and waitin' his turn at the soup kitchen
Hunt up friend to tap for paltry case
note and he'd beat you to 1t.
| About the time the chain Followed
/
she'd get for Christmas, and 1 was won
| derin' Just as hard as she was. Wee
worked up the Santa Claus thing, and j
was all on the level with her Got home
| one night and wife without sayln' q
| word hands me letter addressed to Sant5
| Claus. I'd taken tho kid along STATE
| street and showed her the windows. anC
| now she was putin In an order for tn
| big doll with the blond hair and the lact
| dress that we'd stopped and looked a
| for SO long, because It didn't cost any
| thing The Santa Claus orders had al
| ways gone through, but this doll PROPOSE
| tIon made 1t look as If we'd have TO tax
her aside and do a little explaining. W.
talked 1t over and wife started to I'LL up
and that settled It. 1 remembered tina
n money order was comm from hansa
CITY and / made the bluff that I'd brln
home the doll.
Next morning I went down to the de
partment store. The price was Sli
told the girl I'd look around and com
back Say, nobody in the world mad u
that day! A million people jammir
| around those big stores spendin' nlckt
| Mt n time / went to everybody l eve
knew and the speech was all right put
we'll YOU remember that winter.
"Can YOU see me-Christmas Eve
drillin UP and down in front of the do
department-gettin' ready to do my mrs
sneak? High class for 20 years an
vindin' up in the door-mat division
The twin sister of the one in the windo'
was standin' on a table right by tn