Phoenix tribune., 1922-02-04


desired to hide the confusion evident
in his sun-tanned face. So he stopped
over the crates and pretended to be
exceedingly interested in them, haul
ing and pushing them about and read
ing the address of the consignee who
had failed to call for his goods. The
crates were both consigned to the Gin
Seng company, ia Dupont street, San
Francisco. There were several Chi
nese characters iscrawled on the top of
each crate, together with the words,
in English: "Oriental Goods"
AS he ceased from his fake inspec-
ton of the two boxes, the King of the
Forty. Thieves approached and sur
veyed the sailor with an even greater
amount Of distrust and suspicion than
ever. Mr.. Gibney was annoyed. He
disliked being stared at, so he said:
Hello, Blumenthal, my bully boy.
What's aggravatin' your"
Blumenthal (since Mr.. Gibney, in
the sheer riot of his Imagination
elected to christen him Blumenthal,
the name will probably suit him as
well as any otherl came close to Mr..
Gibney and drew him aside. In
hoarse whisper he desired to know if
Mr.. Gibney attended the auction with
the expectation of bidding on any of
the packages offered for sale. Seek
ing to justify his presence, Mr.. Gibney
advised that it was his intention to
bid on everything in sight; whereupon
Blumenthal proceeded to explain to
Mr.. Gibney how impossible it would
be for him, arrayed against the Forty
Thieves, to buy any article at rea-
sonable price. Further: Blumenthal
desired to inform Mr. Gibney that his
(Mr. Gibney's) efforts to buy in the
"old horses" would merely result in
his running the pricessup for no benef-
ieent purpose, since it was ever the
practice of the Forty Thieves to per-
nit no man to outbid them. Perhaps
Mr.. Gibney would be satisfied with
fair days profit without troubling him
self to hamper the Forty Thieves and
interfere with their combination, and
with the words, the king surreptitious-
ly slipped Mr.. Gibney fifty-dollar
greenback.
Mr.. Gibney's great fist closed over
the treasure, he having first, by coy
glance, satisfied himself that it was
really fifty dollars. He shook hands
with the king. He said:
"Blumenthal, you're smart man.
/ am quite content with this fifty to
keep off your course and give you a
wide berth to starboard. I'm sensl-
BILE enough to know when I'm licked
an fight without profit amt in my
line. 1 didn't make my money that
way, Blumenthal. I'll cast off my lines
and haul away from the DOCK" and
suiting the action TO the figure, Mr.
Gibney departed.
He went first to the Seaboard drug
store, where he quizzed the druggist
for five minutes, after which he con-
tinued his cruise. Upon reaching the
Maggie, he proceeded to relate in de-
tail, and with additional details sup
piled by his own Imagination, the story
of his morning adventure.
"Gib," said McGuffey enviously
you're fool for luck"
"Luck," said Mr.. Gibney, beginning
to expand, sis what the feller calls a
relative proposition"
You're wrong, Gib," interposed
Captain ,Scraggs. Relatives is un-
lucky an expensive. Take, f'r in
stance, Mrs. Scraggs' mother"
II mean, you lunkhead," said Mr..
Gibney, 'that luck is found where
brains grow. No brain, no luck. No
luck, no brains. Lemme illustrate. A
thievin' land shark makes me present
O. fifty dollars not to butt in on them
two boxes I'm tellin' you about. Him
an his gang wants them two boxes.
Fair crazy to get 'em Now, don't it
stand to reason that them fellers
knows what's in them boxes, or they
wouldn't give me fifty dollars to haul
ship? Of course, it does. However,
in order to earn that fifty dollars, /
got to back water. 1t wouldn't be
playin' fair if l didn't. But that don't
prevent me from putin two dear
friends O. mine (here Mr.. Gibney en-
circled Scraggs and McGuffey with an
arm each) next to the secret which l
discovers, an If there's money in it
for old Hooly that buys me off, it
stands to reason that there's money
In 1t for us three. What's to prevent
you an McGuffey from goin' up to
this old horse sale an biddin' in them
two boxes for the use and benefit of
Gibney, Scraggs an McGuffey, all
share an share alike? You can bid
as high as hundred dollars, if neces-
sary, an still come out a thousand
dollars to the good. I'm tellin' you
this because l know what's in them
two boxes"
McGuffey was staring fascinated at
Mr.. Gibney. Captain Scraggs clutched
his mates arm in frenzied clasp.
"What?" they both interrogated.
'You two boys" continued Mr.. Glib
ney with aggravating deliberation,
'ain't what nobody would call dunn
mics. You're smart men. But the
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