Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1936-03-27
"Chirps'' ~
from the
Democrats Pen

Well. Sir, L WOHuSl II C'iJ " 49,
people ever heard Of Pocomoke cltl-
zen who goes into nervous spasm
every time he sees the number "13
or hears the word thirteen" used in
conversation. I'm told he always
counts the number at tabale, and II
there are thirteen around the board,
he waits till one of them dies or sails
for the South Pole before he satisfies
his hunger and thirst.
If he should be climbing a stair
case and find there are thirteen RS
ers, he'll take two at time to reduce
his steps to twelve. If Friday OF the
week should happen to be also the
thirteenth, then he stays in bed all
day with his head covered up until
the fourteenth dawns clear and placid.
If the number of room given him
at hotel contains any juxtapositing
Of the two figures 81" and "3'', he'll
take his grip and make his "exodust"
with apologies to Cohen) in record
time for other Accommodations. If he
should happen to be in a taxi and the
number shows 81" and 90" alongside
enc another, he almost falls out OF the
door to escape murder or sudden
death.
If a time table reveals that his
train leaves at 11:13, why, he leaves
the train standing just where he
found it. If he has to write letter
on the thirteenth" he tells little
fib and dates it either the 18th or the
14th. If each one of his coat sleeves
should have four buttons on it and
there are five on his vest, he takes
pair of scissors and ships two of 'em
off.
In other words, the number "thir-
teen" hP~ lch attraction Tor MIN
as he has for HIS Satanic
Majesty. ne digits composing this
number make him begin to see things,
very much like a man does who has
imbibed too much and too often, AS
soon as he sees the fatal combination,
he begins to hear dry bones rattle,
sees blood and famine on the horizon,
and he begins to say prayers for the
salvation of soul and body. GOOD
things something makes him go down
on his marrow bones.
Well, what 1 started out to say was
that he must have passed crisis
in his life the other day when he had
to write a check for the Worcester
Democrat for thirteen cents" I can
almost hear his teeth a-clicking from
terror as he did it. know his blood
almost CONCEALED in his veins, as he
made the ominous entry on that
blank. I can almost swear he offered
up silent prayer for safety, or kept
fingers and toes crossed on hands and
feet, respectively. know he held
his breath while his pen inscribed the
amount, and threw a grain of salt
over his left shoulder to exercise the
evil spirit bound up in the number af-
ter IL.
And another thing, March Is came
in on a Friday. That was too much
for the subject of this sketch. Fri
day and thirteen too !! That would
mean certain determination, so to
avoid the end Of all things, he topped
his check with "March 14"-he STAYED
off 500 anyhow Of fire, hail, brim-
stone, aches, lava, floods, fiends, for
tune, and all other future fatalities.
It's funny how different people
look at that superstition. I showed
that check to another citizen and he
said, "There, by Jehosophat! Your
fortunes made. That check will be
the means of your paying all your
debts and having enough left over to
buy yourself a yacht" Well, his
prediction hasn't as yet come true,
but Pm willing to wait time long
enough for the charm to get in it's
ticks; but I must say that thirteen
cents" don't look very big in my eyes
when it comes either to paying debts
or to buying pleasure crafts. But
I'm not as pessimistic as the one who
has a chill over "thirteen"; nor so
optimistic as the one who sees fortune
in it. IF you don't k now who the
former is, I'll tell you we once had
president of these United States who
displayed the same initials.