Evening star., 1922-12-03


out. an whenever he was pretty near
gone he'd start in sayin', ITS all
right. got Uncle Jim's luck piece. l
don't care. Something's happened to
me. but I got Uncle Jim's luck piece.
1 don't care. got Uncle Jim's luck
piece"
Mary told me about the thing. An
uncle Of Cockys was an old-time
western gambler. He used to play
the Pacific boats lot. One OF the
best known of the early gamblers in
Dawson an Nome. Quite a character
I guess Supposed to be honest
Never stacked a deck. but depended
on his luck. 1t seems like every time
he missed 4 train 1t was wrecked. If
he meant to go to the theater an
didn't, the theater burned down-an
all such like as that.
When Cocky was born in San Fran
cisco this Uncle Jim was just in.
down from the north. an booked for
passage on a boat to China 1t seems
he give Cocky's mother this luck
piece with a lot Of rigmarole about
what it would do for the kid an how
it had always got him by. but he had
plenty of money now. an he'd seen a
lot anyhow-an' all such like as that.
An then he sailed for China. an. Of
course, the boat was never heard from
again. an Cocky had had it dinned
into him from then on that as long
as he owned that luck piece he
couldn't lose. an II he ever lost it
that would be all for him.
That's why he's so seemingly con-
fldent an boastful about everything"
Mary explained to me. You see. he
really isn't confident or boastful
either. All Of his confidence is in
that silly, stupid old luck piece. an
in the dark to keep up his courage.
He brags about things because he has
no confidence in himself, an he's
afraid some one will find it out"
WELL" I says to her. "if you're
goin' to get married to him you'd bet
ter find some system OF maxim sure
that he never loses that luck piece"
Loses it," says Mary. lookin' at
me. an the tears come into her eyes.
It'll never be happy until he does"
she says, an turned around an went
away.
I've never been married. but know
enough about women never to ask
them to explain when they make
some crack don't understand. SO I
just let it go at that
X \ + X
COCKY LEWIS wasn't abel to get
~ back in the lineup that season,
but he showed up for spring trainin'
after a winter out on the Pacific
coast, lookin' huskier an cocker than
ever. He an Mary were to be mar
ried in June, an when I seen the look
on her face the first day he came
prancin' into the hotel at our spring
trainin' quarters felt as II I could
almost like him. She certainly did
think the world an all of that
youngster!
AS 1 said. Cocky looked all right.
but the first time he stepped up to
the plate with bat in his mitts I
knew he was in for bad trouble.
Blocky Miller lobbed one over for him
that you could have counted the
stitches on as 1t came up. An what
does Cocky do but stick his foot in
the water bucket! Yes, sir! Coclsy
Lewis, that had always crowded the
plate an leaned into the fastest of
'em, drew back as this little heave
come toward him an kind O. half
ducked.
He looked over at me an laughed.
1t was a pretty poor job of laughin',
at that. What do you know about
that?" he says. Can you beat it? I
guess I must of been thinkin' about
that one that caught me on the beam"
He hammered the plate with his bat
an called out to Blocky. Feed me
another one, kid. Put some beef into
it an watch me do murder!"
Blocky heaved him another one-a
wide one it was, an slow, too. I was
watchin' the kid close, an I seen that
he stepped back even before the ball
left Blocky's hand. He stepped back
when the pitcher made the motion to
throw! You know what a lot O chat
ter there is goin' on on a ball field
when the boys are warmin' up. par
ticularly along the first of the spring
"clls eu0S @AS~N w ssS e~S
quiet as q church. Everybody was
lookin' at Cocky Lewis.
His face got red, an he grabbed his
bat hard an asked for another one.
Blocky fed him another easy one. an
back the kid went. He stepped away
from the plate even before tho ball
left Blocky's hand!
"All right" says to him. "Cut 1t
out for a while, Cocky. Try 1t again
later" He threw down his bat an
walked over to me. He was shaktn'
all over, an there was an awful
scared look in his eyes.
II swear I don't know what's the
matter with me, Mr.. Scanlon," he says
In a scared voice. but whom Blocky
starts to throw that ball I pull sway
from the plate. can't help II. When
see it start just pull away as