New Britain herald., 1919-08-16
(Contributed)

(COntrlDuteQ)
 It is most surprising how often the numerals "13' play in life. Think of the stories written around them. Think of the superstition tangled with them. Why even to this day the most cre1ulous of us, with but 13 cents in Our pocket, will hurry up and give it to the first newsboy, or bootblack we meet, believing it better as we'll as safer to be broke. But the story:
 Arabella Saunders was a fortune teller-reader of palms-not psalmsA She was beautiful, and beautifully su- perstitious. She awoke from her beauty sleep, yawned, turned over in bed, puckered her pretty face at the calendar, and read~"13"; then quiclllyf sat up in bed, gathered the flimsy lacel pightie around her shivering should I >ers-it was January---and in a jiffy brought her two pink feet to the floor within foot of the nest of white Valenciennes or,-hang it all that other stuff which makes undercloth- ing so beautiful. Her eighty dollar brldgework chattered. She quickly stepped into the white stuff, whisked around and slipped into some red stuff, dabbed her eyes in cologne, reached for h caramel and her puff box, and whispered, "Wouldn't it jar y'?" Then started for the hall. Whether it was the caramel ortthe eff fects of the cocktails she'd put away the previous night that made her i'll, | don't presume to know, but in Ara bella's vernacular, it was Gee I feel them six last cocktails a ticklin' m palate!"
 She went into the kitchen, with it's pancake smoke and odor of frying sausage. Al t "Ye'l be afther atin thirteen pan- cakes this mornin' seein' it's th'i thirteenth O. tn month"; laughed the /; cook who. was always joshing ArabeI- la. Arabelia always left the house thus early. She did not wait for the rest of the boarderS In condescen- sion that she take her breakfast in the kitchen, the boarding mistress bella's board. What? thirteen pancakes, and hot dogs for stomach that's turning hand springs. Not on VT loif, gimme a convusive swallow, "who ever have y wee bita 0 brandy? ?"
 Hear 'er now, would ye! Brandy,
 
 bars ut a quarther dhrink. Gwan wid ye, Arie, it's Ridden yez is.'' Then noticing the forlorn look. on the oth- 1 er's face she quickly said: "Oi have bit ave tn auld Holland in me sthockin' but be quick afore tn mis- tress is sthurin'."
 ''Ba," cried Arabella in disgust re- moving the bottle from her lips after a convulsive swallow" who ever thought I'd get down to hot gin"
 "F'aith, is it hot now?' sniffed Brd- get Well, thln, says Oi, its anhy phort in a sthorm."
 An I wish it was port answered Arabella quitting the room.
 Arabella reached the icy sidewalk where she was accosted by shivering piece os humanity His face was pinched. His eyes were blue, and big, and appealing. In went her hand to ber,pocket; out it came and in jiffy thirteen cents trickled through her pink fingers into the grmy hand of the boy. .
 Gee" she whispered for the sec ond time that morning, Wouldnt It jar V? Dollars L doughnuts f l don't reach me Waterloo f day. l alters thot it'd come sooner CT later, Gee!
 "She fumbled in her cloak pocket and finally brought forth her wrist watch where she had, the night be- fore slipped it, buckled it around her wrist and hurried on. Glancing at 1t she was mortified. It's tiny hands pointed to thirteen minutes of six. "Iordv this s.thirteen business is gettin, on me noives all right, an no car comin'." 6he glanced up and rushed on. es the car was just