, 1921-11-12

Luck" said Mr. CIbney. beginning
TO expand. "is what the feiSer calls q
relative proposition"
You're wrong. Cib.- interposed
Captain scraggs- RELATIVES IL un-
lucky an expensive. Take, RI In
stance. Mrs. scraggs' mother
Il mean. you lunkhead." said Mr..
Gibney. that luck IL found where
brains grow. No brain. no luck. No
luck. no brains. Lemme illustrate. A
thievin' land shark makes me a present
o. Nifty dollars NOT to butt In on them
two boxes I'm teilin' you about. Him
an his gang wants them two boxes.
Fair crasy to get EN-. Now. don't II
sfand to reason that them fellers
knows what's In them boxes, or they
wouldn't give me fifty dollars to haul
shipf OF course II does. However,
In order to earn that fifty dollars, I
got to back water. 1t wouldn't be
playin' fair II I didn't But that don't
prevent me from putin two dear
friends o. mine (here Mr.. Gf~ney en-
circled Scraggs and McGuffey with an
arm each) next to the secret which i
discovers, an IL there's money in II
" 0A1 LAt1n- llA uuld me OIL IL
stands to reason that there's money
in IT for us three. What's to prevent
you an McGnney from goln' up 10
this old horse sale an biddIn' In them
two boxes for the use and benefit OF
Gibney. scraggs an McGuffey, all
share an share alikef You can bid
as high as a hundred dollars, IL neces-
sary. an still come out a thousand
dollars to the good. I'm tellln' you
this because I know what's In them
two boxes"
McGurey was rtaring fascinated at
Mr.: Gibney. Captain Scraggs clutched
his mates arm In a frenzied clasp
"Whntl" they both Intercepted.
you two boys" continued Mr.. Glb-
ney with a~ggravadng deliberatIon,
"ain't what nobody would call dunn
mics. You're smart men. But the
trouble with both o. yon boys is you
nin't got no Imagination. Without
imagination nobody gets nowhere, I'M
less It's u tn small end o. tn horn.
Maybe you boys amt noticed IT. but
my imagination is all that keeps me
from goin' to Jail. Now, IL you two
had read the address on them two
boxes. II wouldn't "a meant nothin' to
you. Absolutely nothin'. But with me
It's different. I'm blessed with imagi-
nation enough to see right through
them Chinaman tricks. Them two
boxes is marked Oriental Goods an
consigned (here Mr.. Gibney raised n
grimy forefinger. n Scrnggs and Nc
Guffey eyed II very much as IL they
expected It to GO. of at any moment)-
them two boxes is consigned to the
Gin Seng company. ia Dupont street,
San Francisco"
"well. that's up In Chinatown, all
right" admitted Captain scraggs. shut
how about what's inside the two
~crates?"
"orientaI goods. Of course" said Nc
GuTey. They are consigned to a
Chinaman. an besides. that's what II
says on the cases. don't It, Gib7 ORR
entail goods. scraggs. is silks an sntins,
rice. chop suey, punk, an idols an
fan tan layouts."
IF there amt Swiss cheese move
menis In hat head block Of yours,
Mac. you and Scraggsy can divide my
share O. these two boxes o. ginseng,
root between you. Do you get 1t, you
chtcklehended son Of a Irish potato?
Gin seng, IA Dupont street. Ginseng
"a root or a herb that medicine Is
made out OF. The dictionary says It's
a Chinese pnnncea for exhaustion. an
I happen TO know. that it's worth five
dollars a pound an that them two
rro fQu pofDh1 n hvnArad oHI Aftv
pounds each II they weighs IN ounce"
His auditors stared at Mr.. Gibney
much as might a pair of baseball fans
at the hero of a home run with two
strikes and the bases full.
"GawdI" rhuttered McGuffey.
Great grief, Gibi Can this be pos
Siblef" gasped Captain Scraggs.
For answer Mr.. Gibney took his
nfty-doliar bill and handed 1t toto
McGuffey. He never trusted Captain
Scraggs with anything more valuable
than a pipeful of tobacco.
"ScrGggsy." he said solemnly, I'm
willih' to back my Imagination with
my cash. You an McGurey hurry
right over to the warehouse an butt
In on the sale when theJ come to them
two boxes. The sale Is just about
startin' now. Go us hiilh as you th-2S
Fyou can In order to get the ginseng at
a profitable figger, an. pay the auc-
tioneer fifty dollars do vi to hold the
sale; that Will give you boys time to
rush around to dig up the balance O.
the money. Tack right along now,
lads. while I go down the stree, an
get me some breakfast. 1 don't want
B%lumenthal to see me al pund that sale.
He might get suspiciouL After / eat
I'll meet you here aboard tn Maggie,
an we'll divide the loot"
With a fervent liandshake all
around. the three s~hippiates parted.
After disposing, of a hearty break
fast of devilled lambs kidneys and
coffee. Mr.. Gibney invested in a ten
cent Sailors Delight and stroued down
to the Maggie. Neils Halvorsen, the
lone deckhand, was aboard, and the