The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-05-27
AFELLER TOLD NE
BY PICK" SMITH.

n D
Way back in the windup of the
last century, shortly after one could
begin travelling by rail from Bangor.
Me, to the City of Mexico, and when
one With a slight pull could get
pass from this neck o. woods to the
latter city most of the folk returning
thence, as a general thing, brought
back with them bigger assortment
of Mexican junk than any ordinary
mortal ever even dreamed OF There
was then there what was called the
Thieves Afarket,"-it may be there
Yet, for all I know-where about eV-
erything that could be either LOST
strayed or stolen, could be bought Tor
a little or much as the buyer could De
induced to jar loose from
One day Topeka man, Just pack
from Crea serdom showed his admir-
ing friends a small HANDFUL OF opals
of various shapes and sizes, and all
ing. A young lawyer friend of his
call him Jim -particularly admired
a sparkling oval-shaped stone about
half an inch long by quarter wide
remarking: ''That'n d make jim
dandy of a Stickpin. if y awsk me-
And all it'll cost you is the price
for mounting" grinned-his friend. Il
thought of you when 1 got it."
And this gentleman treated a lot OF
other friends just like that.
jim "poo-pooed" a host of bad
Iuck'' suggestions as to opals-for
quite a while. After a seven weeks
siege of typhoid fever, when one of
his superstitious friends tantaIizingly
remarked: 'Ha-ha Kissing inflec-
ton on the last '-ha''-"Don't seem to
be wearin' your opal pin since your
little tilt with the fever" Then:
What you done with it?-trun it
away"
Nav; it's sticking in my pincush-
ion on top o. my dresser" said jim.
But a couple of months later, and
after spraining an ankle while on
coon hunt one night up the river
when Joe, one of his brother lawyer
friends, seeing the pin still sticking
in the pincushion, grinningly asked;
"WhatH you take for your opal pin,
there?" He snapped: Wont sell it.
bnt'n give it to you, and dare you to
wear it!''
After Joe and his partner had lost
an important case in court on which
they declared they had "a dead inn
mortal cinch." and he personally had
wood in a runaway, and in addition
had lost a shotgun in the river while
on a duck hunt, Joe returned the pin
to Jim with the remark: You win, old
boy! Here's your dodgasted old hoo
doc opal! wouldn't wear it for ten
dollars a minute!
Several other of Jim's "unsupersti-
tious'' friends Sported that pin, tenn
So
it always came back"
One evening six gentlemen were
engaged in a little friendly game OF
Authors, Old Maid, r something, in
the innocent little opal stickpin
watching and sweetly smiling on them
from the pincushion on his dresser.
About midnight, the only winner,
the tightWaddest man in the crowd,
and the 1east-loved, got so far ahead
as to suddenly remember that he had
promised his wife to come home early,
and quit.
The other five settled up, showed
back from the table, lit another cigar
and after a few remarks about quit
ters' in general, one of them, noticing
the pin on the cushion, seemed sud
denly hit with a big idea! Say, fell !
lowsi" exclaimed he. III tell you
what let's dol We all know that
DANCED opal of Jim's is a hoo-doo good
an plenty! Let's make up pot of, |
say, SO apiece-S5O in all-and go
over to Colonel Simms' place and have
And while the old Colonies a-gettin'
his box ready to deal, let Jim, or some |
body, slip around behind him and pin
the dad-gasted old opal pin to his
Tom bet 'em strong! And, say! fell |
Iers, Wen have that bank busted in no
timei What say?"
The vote was unanimous.
Ine COIOnel ana one assistant were |
the only men there when the con- |
spirator arrived, and welcomed them |
pleasa nt1y.
Everything worked just as planned: |
Tom purchased five ten dollar stacks |
of reds, the lookout climbed into his |
high chair, Colonel shuffled the cards, |
and showed them into the little box, |
and before he slid out the first one
Jim, who had located himself on a |
chair at the Colonefs left, had hung |
ho hnn-dnn n ~ c /
left coat-tail. Yes, everything worked |
just as planned-until Tom with n
chuckle and: xiii 'em quickr began |
placing bets-$1O stacks here and
there over the layout-and the cards
began emerging from that little sill
very boxt
A SNOWFALL the size of a small |
orange, in the sun, on one of our as
phalt pavements. in August, when the /
thermometer indicates 105 degrees f.
in the shade, would last ten times as
long as those five stacks of reds did
after the Colonel began smilingly to |
shove the cards from the little box.
At the corner where Jim roomed, he
said: Go on up to my room. I'll be
back in ten minutes" then hoped into
L hack and started toward North To-
oeka. He got back one minute late,
out wouldn't tell where he went, nor
you, get out o. here and go home! I'm
going to bed"
Next day. the hackman who hauled
lin the night before said he drove
o turn around and go back and that
ust before leaving the bridge Jim |
With: THERE" followed by a mild
password or two, "Tll bet you never 4.
loo-doo me againi' threw something
With all his might into the river. He +
-lso said he didn't see what it was. /
Tor see or hear it light