The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1931-11-20
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Jirn's bad" Dime
Proved Lucky
TIM MCBRIDE had real problem
BY LEETE STONE
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GO by Mcclure Newspaper Syndieate)
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TIM MCBRIDE had real problem
- on his hands, or rather on his
mind and the solution was more than
elusive-it simply was not anywhere
visible on the horizon.
Jim was a conductor on one Of
those buses, the shiny, green levia-
thans that careen gracefully up and
down Fifth avenue. And Jim was
in love with Marcy Shaughnessy who
was a manicure in swell hotel
beauty shop. Jim had saved some
money-he had worked a long time;
and he knew that Marcy was just
on the point of saying ''yes" to mar
riage license and little two-room
flat in the Bronx, or down town some
where in the village, which would be
better for him, because nearer his
headquarters.
All that he needed was to make a
sweeping gesture of love to win her;
he felt sure of that. Sunday was her
birthday. Jim knew that If she
found a big bunch of American
beauty roses on her doorstep Sunday
morning, and if he could take her to
dinner in taxi Sunday night after
he got through-well, Marcy Shaugh-
messy would be his for life. But how
to do it without breaking into that
treasured bank account?
To be or not to be was Hamlets
question; but this was another very
different one for jim Mcbride. He
had but two days left. He decided to
trust to luck for one more day; and
h,en, if luck turned her back on him,
to get off for an hour on Saturday
morning and draw S25 from the 5000
bank account on which he hoped to
provide Marcy with home.
But jim did not want to break
quota of superstition that Is part and
parcel of all good Irishmen; he felt
it would be bad luck And he be-
lieved in lunches" This was only
Tuesday, and all day long he had had,
strong within his soul, conviction
that he was in for a caress from Lady
Luck in person.
Deciding to miss nothing in the way
of those queer little chances that some
times present themselves so casual
ly, Jim picked up an ornately bound
little book from one of the empty
seats in his bus that evening and
pocketed it, Who knows? Somebody
might care lot for that glossy little
book with the strange, unpronounce-
able name on its cover; might look
for him if the owner remembered
leaving it, or might advertise for It
with a reward Jim Mcbride never
passed up chance.
Finishing his evening paper that
night he decided to have q peep at the
book. Disregarding the jaw-breaking
name of it he studied the pictures
and the wording under them with an
interest that mounted every moment.
Finally he rose from his chair, d
strange light in his eyes, went to his
closet, and carefully brought out a
| grimy-looking little canvas bag The
contents Of this bag he spread out
on his little table and examined
minutely
At last, with the light of hope and
high adventure in his eyes, Jim Nc
Bride lay down to sleep. He dreamed
of sending Marcy Shaughnessy stack
of American beauties that would
| sweep her love right into his lap.
More than that, he might even take
her to the reigning musical hit on
Broadway. Marcy would fall for that,
he knew.
Thursday morning arrived This
was when there were still a lot of
conductors on Fifth avenue buses.
A little man with very big derby
swung nimbly on Jim's big carriage at
Tenth street. He looked like O foxy
egg. Jim could sense that at once
Perhaps it was q certain cocky, nerv-
Gus air the little man carried Or
maybe it was the furtive, uneasy
and over his shoulder, as he lurched
through the rocking conveyance for a
seat, after having pressed into Jim's
little dime box courteously held forth,
the required fare Jim tumbled; it
never took him long. After that sec
ond scared look the little foxy one
bent over shoulder at him. Then
he clicked the contents of his face
gadget into his palm and examined
each dime carefully. Then, finally, he
realized that Lady Luck had stopped
right in his path.