South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-06-18
A Poker Chip and a Parrot
By Robert Carlton Brown

Forty-second street. well known as
a rendezvous Of the sporting frater-
nifty.
'Sliversi" Poe beckoned aside a
hacid faced man with "a confidence
begetting iron gray mustache who
was leaning against the bar chewing
a toOth-pick. Slivers. a '~picker-up''
for "a gambling house in the neigh
borhood. bowed and hurried 10 oPe's
side. blancing UP 10 him in the swift
anxious manner Of a fortune-folow-
or seeming something in the shape
OF oblong money. Poe extracted the
poker chip he had rescued from
Polly's cage and held il toward
Slivers on the palm Of his hand. 1t
was quite "a distinctive counter. thick
and substantial looking. with three
minute rings OF red in the center.
What house uses this style chip"
queried Poe.
Slivers took IL in his hand and
looked at it a highly conservative.
formal and judicious length Of time.
10 assure Poe il was quite a balanced
professional verdict he was forming.
Az A2E AA01 ct Nht Ju0Et = an
Doc Layman's. he answered finally.
Most likely this CINE from the
judges; I think there's only one
ring on 'em At the Docs: they amt
as good. they're seven pennyweight
or so lighter and cost about 80 cents
a box less. Why? Thinkin' Of OPEN
in a little quiet hotel game? Don't
want the services of an A. Number
-r
NO thanks, I'm in a hurry.
You've saved me some trouble. Buy
the boys a drink" replied Poe. peck
citing the chip and slipping a small
bill into the thirsty-tremb'y hand Of
Silver.
HurryiEg over to his rooms just
off Fifth venue and Fifty-ffth St.
Poe found a small, neat package
awaiting him. Ii was the thumb
from DR.. Robinson. the bruised skin
nicely replaced and the whole COW
cred with "A glass-like material
which made it easy to handle and
much less d~isagreeable.
Poe dropped down before a study
table and turned on the strong cleo
trio light above. He held the glass
encased thumb in his fingers and
studied it carefully, finally tracing
an outline OF the digit on a piece of
paper and turning through a great
index Of photographs Of thumbs and
other fingers, comparing several
drawings, prints and copies in the
volume TO the sketched he had made
OF the specimen under observation.
Below the drawing he made a few
notes as follows, before adding it TO
his collection Of reproductions.
observation-disclosures thumb.
characteristics. on comparison:
Willful. brutal, u~nreasoning, I'M
comfortable tempers-vicious, lack
Of reasoning powers-paralysis, I'M
balanced, partial insanity.
He leaned forward over the glass
covered thumb and the poker chip;
his eyebrows hcId his hand two deep
wrinkles joining the corners OF his
nostriIs and lips.
The Human Frog; Let's see" he
unused. Stepping TO a low-bookcase
he removed a thin. neatly bound
volume labelled, Vaudeville. Bur-
lesque and Music Hall Performers
with Eccentric, Unusual Acts"
CHANGING through the carefully in
dexed pages he stopped finally at the
sobriquet of The Human Frog"
There were only "A few words about
this mans act, then the note stated
that the Frog had rapidly descended
through the theatrical armament
like a falling star and landed at last
as a dime museum entertainer. At
the final entry in the Frogs history
Poe dwelt for a full minute. reading
il over twice: Won $4,000 lottery in
Texas, '92. No good since. Often
seen in low dives; SO. Clark. Chica-
go; Ursulines St, New Orleans: Wa
ter St. Milwaukee; Canal St. Buffa-
10. Lower End Ave. y. Y. Tall, thin
and light on his feet"
Closing the book abruptly. and
dropping the thumb and poker chip
into a loose outside pocket he re
marked aloud to himself. Yes he'G
a negro all right. II ought TO be
easy and strolled put of the housa z.
crossing 10 Broadway and walking
down as far as Forty-third street.
Just west Of Broadway ne came TO a
row of typical ~brOwn-tOne fronts.
most of them cheap theatrical
boarding houses. At a dirty-win-
dowed. apparently vacant four-stOry
dwelling covered with weatherwOrn
signs For Rent" and For Sale" and
looking on the outside as though il
had been without a tenant for ten
years, he stopped and turned into a
basement entrance. He rang a SEEM
ingly useless bell and waited until
a tiny deep hole in the door had
been opened and his face had been
recognized by the loOkor
The the dilapidated looking door
slid open and Poe stepped in the
lookout greeting him d~eferentially as
Mr.. Hardy" the name Poe used in
MS dealings with the underworld,
he was known as a sporting
mar and spender.
From the bare cellar. unfinished
but for two broken chairs. an ash
barrel and tangleS Of cObwebS
Christopher Poe went upstairs where
things were different. There a deep
p carpet caressed the feet and
Iow-voiced darkeys brought seduc-
tive liquors 10 lash jaded palates and
kindle the ire OF the betting passion.
NOdding 10 a group Of men playing