The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-17
lCopyTight. isl7, By the Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate)

plump and pink and innocent
as well-fed baby, picked up
the hat he had bought in Oroduna'
Iowa. and put it on his head
81 reckon, Ma" he said pleasantly,
ell go out on the street.a bit ana
bunk New Yorker OF two whilst
I'm waitin' for dinner to be ready,
who had been for so many years ms
faithful he1pmate, glanced up from
her knitting and smiled on him
lovingly and proudly. She felt she
had good reason to be proud OF her
husband, for there was no more
honest, kind-hearted man in the
world; and since he had come to
New York to take up the profession
OF confidence man; he had been de-
ing right well, considerin as she
told Mrs WINNER, the keeper OF
the clearinghouse favored by the
what do you figger on doin' this
afternoon. Jabez?"' asked Grandma
Bunker with gentle interest. Coin
to sell some easy mark gold brickF
Gold brickin' seems like such nice,
clean kind of bunco business, some
how. Gold bricks look SO nice and
neat when you got 'em shined up. l
always kind of like to think OF you
goin' around sellin' nice. Cutlery
gold bricks, Pa"
hand. ei1 Ma Ai said Mr.. Bunker with
evident regret. az amt forgot how
proud YOU used to be of that hrst
gold brick 1 bought out to Oroduna
and how nice it looked on the what,
not in the parlor, before it tarnished
up and got greenish. Somehow, Ma,
he said with feeling, home DON'T
seem like home without a gold PRICK
or two in the parlor. Maybe that's
whv I been sort of uneasy an dis
contented here. I've been thinktn It
was because it was boardin' house,
but l guess it's because we amt got
no gold brick on the what-not.
Them was real happy, days. said
Mrs. Bunker, but not sadly. See'1
the gold brick on the what-not al
ways made me feel, Well. we been
bunkcd and got it over with But
amt complainin', Jabez. Seems to
bunk than to be bunked If we
haven't no gold brick on the what
not that used to have two, give that
happiness to others-to New York
ers. Label, who don't have much
pleasure that way. You know your
self that generally when the New
Workers get stang in con game,
thew don't have nothin' at all to show
for it. But somehow, l would feei
more homelike if we had gold
brick on the what-not, or hoioin the
door open, or somewhere
Mr.. Bunker frowned with per-
P' Faint rishtr' he said. "Taint
right YOU should have to feel home
sci HAT wav, Map He showed his
emotion by the working of his faee:
the dear old man was near tears NO
gold brick on the what-not; no par,
rels OF apples with the big ones al
on top; no jars of butter with the
YOU poor critteT, you been sittin,,
here as uncomplainin' as an angel
and not a thing to look at and feel
vou'rc real, human American and
st1lnr. like ali the rest of the Amer
icans. Ill amt been dom my
dutv by YOU. I've been forgettin' you:
Ding take it, if I don't go out and
buv YOU a two-dollar seat at the IN;
motion picture showl l YUM / Will
You got as much right TO teeI yon s
bein' stang as any other -; American
"Dear JabezP she exclaimed; and
The tone was his reward. "You amt
told me what line of bunk you are
goin' to work this afternoon. she
"Ain't made up my mind yet" he
answered. Maybe | won't work any
today, Ma, after what you said
"How do you feel. Par"
al feel like I'd like to snoop around
said. and he went out, closing the
door softly behind himself.
The words Mrs Bunker had
spoken affected Mr.. Bunker strongly
IT was so easy to go out, and with
one confidence game or another, talk
money away from the. loosely cum
ming grasp of New Workers. that Mr.
Bunker had of late hardly bothered
to use any of the tried and true CON
1dence games. He now saw, as in q
flash of revelation, that he was drift
ing away from the sound and con-
servativc methods of the fine old con
fdence men. Least of all, he fell
now. should he have neglected the
p rold-brick graft? If he deserved to
Be called a confidence man-and he
certainly hoped to deserve that-he
should have tried to have on hanc
at all times one or two good golc
bricks. As a dinner should always
have bread in some form as one ar
ticle of food, SO a conhdenee mar
should always have a gold briel
ready for use.
One great trouble, as Mr.. Bunkei
had found soon after his arrival If
New York. was to find gold brick!
for sale other than in the retail way
It may not be believed. but 1t may
be stated as a fact that there are M
gold-brick factories in New York
Before long, however. it is probabl
that gold-brick factories will be es
tablished. and in good time we ma,
have a United States Gold Briel
Company, Incorporated, owning TIL
factories and operating chains o
stores in New York and Throughout
the United States, so that any con
sumner Tor lollop) who wishes to b
defrauded can buy at home withou
waiting for confidence man to com
around with a gold brick.