Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-02-03
TRAVELS IN PHIL UADELPHLA
By ROY HELTON

the third encounter with hard brick pave
mept. The saloons that of old always afforded
group of corner loafers are mainly boarded
up now and placarded CLOSED" 1t appears
to disinterested observer that the little
clumps of men and boys rolling the bones
on the sidewalk are not so numerous as they
were this time last year. 1t may be only the
weather, for rolling dice Is an ancient and
convenient pastime for idle young men, but
it may also be due to a growing suspicion
of the game, arising from certain indetect-
able improvements recently devised for the
loading of its rolling stock. If that be true it
affords another pregnant instance of the
decay of romance at the touch of modern in
vention. Perhaps the day may even come
when the mystic duo, seven and eleven will
bring no answering thrill to the ears of men
and "Rall 'em out, boy J" or Fade, Char
lie, fade :" will have no music for the heart
of youth.
0NE passes little cookshops with displays
" of home dinners smoking on the window
ledge, and large provocative signs proclaim
ing ample stores within of pigs Knuckles
and Cuttings" or invitations to "Old Vir-
ginia Home Cooking and Pumpkin Pie"
Through their doors may be seen little red
covered tables laden with generous plates of
fried chicken, bouquets of celery, and tall
mountains of mashed potatoes, rivered with
the generous lava flow of steaming brown
gravy.
HERE and there at corner may some
L times be seen street faker with methods
peculiarly suited to the folk of this highway,
the most dramatic being the Hindu anystic,
Hungat Singh, or whatever his name may be,
for | have observed that it changes radically
from week to week. He wears a long scarlet
wrapper and sometimes dons red bandanna
turban. With him goes a spieler, breezy little
| fellow who does all the talking, and gives all
| the signals, on simple alphabetical scheme
| long forsaken by drawing room mind readers.
Ladies and Gcmmen: If you all will
| kindly write youh age on this here pad of
| paper, Hungat Singh will so off into trance
| and tell you your longevity by sup natural
| agencies"
A buxom lass at my right painfully set
| down the number 33. Can you tell, sah
| what this lady's age is?" cried the barker.
Come on and hurry up!
Lady am thuty three year DID," droned
the mystic. There was general amazement
| in the midst of which>the Hindu produced
| long glass tube with a cap and base of hand =
| polished pewter. This he raised and stroked
hypnotically with his jeweled left hand.
Now, if you all will write youh names
on this pad, Mr.. Hungat Singh of Barnares,
| India, will give you written readin' of youh
life composed by spirit hands in the broad
light of day, for the nominabe consideration
| of one dime.
ITO ENCOURAGE the performer / wrote
l. my name as suggested. The paper was
| lowered into the glass tube and the cap has
tily fitted on again. Within the tube to which
the swami now impaired a slight jogging
motion, mysterious white vapors arose In
a minute the paper, now closely covered by
neat copper plate script, was thrust into
my hands. 1t smelt rather oppressivey OF
hydrochloric acid, but my fortune was in
dubitably there:
"You are fond of the pleasures of life
you appear to good advantage in public
your life partner will inherit vast fortune
which will materially aid you in obtaining
fame and social distinction so began this
revealing screed. Modesty forbids that
print the rest of it, AS ] read on I heard al
my right hand a gasp of amazement. The
large buxom lady of color who stood besid,
me was tracing with plump fingers the words
of her message from the world of shades. Or
her features were struggling the mingled
ecstasies of amazement and gratitude.
looked over her shoulder at the lines she hat
Just read. "Your life partner will inherit 6
vast fortune which will materially aid yor
in obtaining fame and social distinction"
She turned dreamily away, her market
basket dangling careessly from her fingers
and as she stepped around the corner Of tn,