, 1921-02-10
Out of the
Frying Pan
BY JOHN B. OXFORD

get into a tight place and give it a
good try"
Leary-goodness only knows what
his name may have been originally =
tilted his stein and took a deep draft
before he continued.
Take my own case. for instance"
"Twas this way" Leary went on,
when the ~replenished stems were set
before Us. There was q dinky little
county fair back in a own among the
hills, three years ago this fall, and as
there didn't seem to be nothin' dom
just about then. | packed up a wheel
of fortune'-one of them kind with a
concealed brake on it-and liked II
to the hills. When / hit the town |
found I'd got the field pretty much
to myself. for the only other thing in
the way of educatin' entertainments
was two broken-down thimble-riggers
and a one-horse rlng'em-on outfit.
First thing when | struck the
grounds l fell In with a bewhiskered
limb of the law who was hoatin' round
dazed-like. with a big nickel 'chief-of-
police star on his coat-front.
"'Fine weather. says |. off'rin' him
a cigar.
Uncommon saws he. bitip' off a
third of IL and liphtin. the wrong end
awe brought up a little show
saws 1. IFS entertainin' harmless and
educational. s'pose there's no objec-
ton to my setting up over by the
fence?'
-.well-er-' SAYS be, his little eyes
narrowip' in a try at beIn' sbrewd
that was funny.
How much? p saws l.. comm to the
point at cnce.
- s'pose ! ought to have about
Twenty-Five saws he. THAT'S wbat
the other gent give me-
Sure says l, passin' out the stun.
It's a pleasure to do business with
such an Intelligent man.
.And OF he goes. puffed IN TO near
the Dustin point.
II opened up business next door TO
the thimble-riggers. and in ten minutes
I owned the crowd. Those other out
fits was Bit by a drought Immediately.
Would " believe II most OF the vans
hadn't never seen a wheel of fortune
before. n after the first four or FIVE
of 'em had won somethip' like fifty.
the rest fairly fell over one another
irwin TO get n chance To have n whirl
at II.
an an hour l took in a cool four
hundred. Then n van who'd lost TWEEN.
ty dollars in one fling set IN a veil of
Robert and Skim The crowd took
II up and began 70 shove in close.
lookin' ugly. I tried my best to pacify
EN-. hut IL wasn't no use.
fright In the middle OF the trouble
the chief Of police come puship'
through the crowd.
..what's wrong here7' says he. look
like a villain in n melodrama with
a bad attnck OF stage-fright.
"'He's got our with a skin
gamer yells one sucker.
This here wheel is crooked sings
out another.
"His whiskers lays a hand on my
shoulder.
See here he SAYS fhrowin' out
his chest most v%irtuous-Iike we can't
have nothin' of this kind goln' on here.
You come with mel an he leads me
toward the gate. | kept mum till the
crowd'd all tralled OF and we was
alone: then I turned on him.
"'Look here | saws. where do I
At? Dyer think ! coughed up to have
You buttln' inY
THAT crowd was gettip' ugly says
he. sort OF %apologetIc.
"'Oh, stow itr says 1. TN look
out for myself. ! got to make my ex-
penses. amt 1T
"'Well, what do You want 10 dor
saws he.
an tell you | says. roppin an
eyelId nj him. ri make II up on the
dip" What's the matter with my
weedln' out n few ~leathers. lust to get
enough 10 get nome onf'
"Hc springs his wise look on me