PAGE SIX THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 1912. Seais of the hty Being the Gloomy Story of a Traveling Showman By 0. HENRY Copyright, 1907, by tho McCluro company. Golden by day and silver by iiljjht, a now tr.Hl now lends to us across the In dian occnu. Dusky kings nnd princes have found out our Bombay of the west, nnd few be their trails that do not lead down Hroadwny on their jour ney for to ndmlrc nnd for to see. If ch anco should ever loud you near n hotel that transiently shelters some one of these splendid touring grandees, I counsel you to seek Lucullus Toll: among the republican tuft hunters thai besieeo Its entrances. 1 first saw Mr. Polk coming down the steps of tho hotel at which sojourn ed his highness tho gaekwar of Uaro da, most enlightened of the Mnhrntln princes, who of late ate bread nnd salt in our metropolis of the Occident. Lucullus moved rapidly as though propelled by some potent moral force that Imminently threatened to become pllyslcal. Behind him closely follow ed tho Impetus n hotel detective. Safe on the sidewalk, Lucullus Polk turned nnd shook a freckled fist at the caravansary, nnd, to my Joy, he begun to breathe deep Invective In strange words: "Itldes in howdahs, docs he?" ho cried loudly nnd sneerlngly. "lUdcs on elephants In howdahs and calls himself a prince! Kings yah! Comes over here and talks horse till yon would think ho was a president tind jthen goes home and rides In a private dining room strapped on to an ele phant!" . Jt murmured a few words of sympn 'thy, . "Tho lnet ono I sold," continued the displeased one, "was to that three horse tailed Turkish pasha that came over a year ago. Flvo hundred dollars he paid for it, ensy." As soon as Lucullus Polk got cool enough I picked him up, and with no greater effort than you would eruplov In persuading a drowning man to clutch a straw, I Inveigled him Into accompanying mo to a cool corner in n dim cafe. And It come to pass that men serv ants set before us brewage, and Lucul lus Polk spake unto me, relating the wherefores of his beleaguering the antechambers of the princes of the earth. "Did you ever hear of tho S. A. and A. P. railroad In Texas? Well, that don't stand for Samaritan Actor's Aid Philanthropy. I was down that way managing a summer bunch of the gum and syntax chewers that play the ldlewlld parks In the western ham lets. Of course we went to pieces when the soubretto ran away with a prominent barber of Beovllle. I don't know what became of tho rest of the company. I bellevo there were some salaries due, and tho last I saw of the troupe was when 1 told them that 43 cents was all tho treasury contained. I say I never saw any of them after that, but I heard them for about twen ty minutes. I didn't have time to look back. But after dark I camo out of tho woods and struck the S. A. and A. P. agent for means of transporta tion, no at onco extended to me tho courtesies of the entlro railroad, kind ly warning me, however, not to get aboard any of tho rolling stock. "About 10 tho next morning I steps off tho ties Into a village that calls itself Atascosa City. I bought a thirty cent breakfast and a ten cent cigar and stood on Main street Jingling the three pennies In my pocket dead broke. "All of a sudden, while I was stand ing on tho edgo of tho wooden side walk, down out of tho sky falls two flno gold watches Into tho middle of tho etrcct. One hits a chunk of mud and sticks. Tho other falls, hard and flies open, making a flno drizzle of lit tle springs and screws and wheels. I looks up for a balloon or an nlrshlp; but, not seelnir any, I steps off the sldowalk to Investigate. "Hut I hear 11 couplo of yells and s"o two men running up the street In loath er overalls and high heeled boots and cartwheel hats. Ono man la six or eight feet high, with open plumbed joints and a heartbroken cast of coun tenance. Ho picks up the watch thai has stuck In the mud. The other man, who Is little, with pink hair and white eyes, goes for tho empty case and snys, 'I win.' Then tho elevated pessimist goes down uuder his leather leg hol sters and hands n handful of twenty dollar gold pieces to his albino friend. "Tho llttlo man hustles away with a kind of Swiss' movement toward a Jew elry store. Tho heartbroken person stoops over and takes a telescopic view of my haberdashery. " Them's a mighty slick outfit of ha Ullmcnta you havo got on, II r. Man,' says ho. 'Ill bet a hosa you never ac quired tho right, titlo and interest In nnd to them clothed in Atascosa City.' "Why, no says I, being ready enough to exchango personalities with this moneyed monument of melancho ly. 'I bad this suit tailored from a spe cial lino of coatericka, yestures and jwintlnfiH in St. Louis. Would you mind putting me sane,' saye I, 'on this .watch throwing contest?" "Mo nnd George,' ho explains, 'are up from the ranch, having a spell of fun. Up to last month wo owned four sections of watered grazing down on tho San MlzueJ. But along comes ono of theso oil proapoctors nnd begins to bore, llo strikes a gusher that flows out 30,000 or mnybo it was 20,000.000 barrels of oil n day. And mo and George gets 3150,000375,000 apiece for tho land. 80 now nnd then wo saddles up nnd hlta tho brceza for Atas cosa City for a few days of excitement nnd damage. " 'You must havo knocked around a right smart,' goes on this oil grease us. 'I shouldn't bo surprised If you have saw towns more livelier thau what Atascosa City Is.' ''Then this Mother Cnry's chick of the desert sits down by me and we hold n conversation fest. It seems that he was money poor. He'd lived In ranch camps nil his life, nnd he con fessed to me ttmt his mipreine Idea of luxury was to rldo into camp tired out from a roundup, eat n pock of Mexican benns, hobble his bralug with a pint of raw whisky and go to sleep with his boots for a pillow. When this barge load of unexpected money enmo to him and his pink hut perky partner George, nnd they hied themselves to this clump of outhouses callod Atascosa City, you know what happened to them. They had money to buy anything they want ed, but they didn't know what to want. Their Id-as of spcndthrlftlncss were limited to three whisky, saddles nnd gold watches. "Was I on to the opportunity? Lis ten. "In thirty minutes 1 had dashed oft a word picture of metropolitan Joys "AS SOON AS SOLLY SAW HEH HE GOT UP AND WA.LKBD OUT. that mado llfo in Atascosa City look as dull as a trip to Coney Island with your own wife. In ten minutes moro we shook bands on nn agreement thnt I was to act as his guide, Interpreter and friend in nnd to tho aforesaid wassail and amenity. And Solomon Mills, which was his name, was to pay all expenses for a month. At tho end of that time if I had mnde good as director genornl of tho rowdy life ho was to pay mo $1,000. "Tho next day George, who was mar ried or something, started back to the ranch. Mo and Solly, as I now called him, prepared to shako off our moth balls and wing our way against tho arc lights of tho Joyous east. "Solly puts $0,000 In century bills In ono pocket of his brawn ducks nnd bills of lading for $10,000 on eastern banks in another. Then I resumo dip lomatic relations .with tho S. A. and A. P., and wo hlko in a northwesterly direction on our circuitous route to the spice gardens of tho Yankee orient "We stopped in San Antonio long enough for Solly to buy eomo clothes and eight rounds of drinks for the guests and employees of the Monger hotel and order four Mexican saddles with silver trimmings nnd white An gora suadcros to bo shipped down to the ranch. From tbore wo mado n big Jump to St Louis. Wo got there In time for dinner, and I put our thumb prints on the reglstor of tho most ex pensive hotel in tho city. " 'Now,' says I to Solly, with a wink at myself, 'here's tho UrBt dinner sta tion we've struck where we can get a real good plate of beans.' And while ho was up in his room trying to draw water out of tho gas plpo I got ono Auger in tho buttonholo of tho head waiter's tuxedo, drew him apart. In serted a two dollar bill and closed him up again. " 'Frankoyse,' says I, 'I have a pal hero for dinner that's been subsisting for years on cereals nnd short stogies. You see tho chef and order a dinner for us such as you servo to Davo Fran cis and the general passenger ngent of the Iron Mountain when they cat here.' "At 0 o'clock mo nnd Solly sat down to dinner. Spread! There's nothing been stcn llko it since tho Cumbon snack. It was nil served at once. The chef called It dlnnay a la poker. It's n famous thing among tho gonnands of tho west. Tho dinner comes In threes of a kind. There was guinea fowls, guinea pigs nnd Guinness' stout; roast vonl, mock turtle soup nnd chlckon pate; shad roe, caviar and tapioca; canvasbacl: duck, canvasback ham and cottontail rabbit; Philadelphia ca pon, fried snails and sloe gin, and so on, in threes. "I was sure Solly would bo tickled to death with these hands after tho bobtail flushes ho'd been oatlng on the ranch. "We were in tho mnln dining room, nd there was a Ono dressed crowd there. "llo gazed ncross the table at me. There was four square yards of It looking like tho pnth of n cyclone thnt has wandered through a stockyard, a poultry farm, a vegetable garden nnd an Irish linen mill. Solly gets up and comes around to me. " 'Luke,' says lie, 'I'm pretty hunpxy after our ride. I thought you said thoy had some beans here. I'm going out and get something I can eat. You can stny nnd monkey with this nrtlllclnl layout of grub if you want to.' " 'Walt n minute,' snys I. "I called tho waiter and slapped 'S. Mills' on tho back of the check for SKI.CO. "'What do you mean,' says I, 'b, serving gontlcmen with a lot of truei; only suitable for deck hands 011 a Mississippi steamboat? We're goln out to get something decent to eat.' , "I walked up the street with the un happy plainsman. He saw n snddle shop open, and some of the sadness faded from his eyes. Wo went In, and he ordered and paid for two more sad dies. "Then ho goes out and heads toward the river, following his nose. In n little side street, where there wns no street nnd no sidewalks and no houses, he finds what he Is looking for. We go Into a shanty and sit on high stools among stevedorcH and boatmen and eat beans with tin spoons: yes. sir, beans beans boiled with salt pork. " 'I kind of thought we'd strike some over this way,' snys Solly. "When wo had succumbed to the beans I lends him out of the tarpaulin steam under a lamppost and pnlls out n dnlly paper with the amusement col umn folded out. " 'But now what ho for a merry round of pleasure,' says I. 'Here's one of Hall Cnine's ehows and n stock yard company in "Hamlet" ' 'But what does this healthy, wealthy and wise man do but reach his arms up to the second story windows and gape noisily. " 'Beckon I'll bo going to bed,' says he. 'It's about my time. St Louis Is a kind of quiet place, ain't It?' '"Oh, yes, snys I; 'ever slneo the railroads ran In here tho town's been practically ruined. Guess we might as well go to bed. Walt till you soe Chicago, though. Shall we get tickets for the Big Breeze tomorrow?' "'Mought as well,' says Solly. 'I reckon all those towns nre nbout ullke.' "Well, ruaybo the wise cicerone and persona! conductor didn't fall hard in Chicago! Looloovllle on the Lake Is supposed to have ono or two things In it calculated to keep the rural visitor awnke after the curfew rings, but not for tho grass fed man of the pampas! I tried him with theaters, rides in auto mobiles, sails 011 the lake, champagne suppers and ali those little Inventions that hold the simple life in check, but In vain. Polly grew sadder day by day. And I got fearful about my salary .and knew I must play my trump card. So" 1 mentioned New York to him and in formed him that these western towns were no more than gateways to the great walled city of the whirling der vishes. "After I bought the tickets I missed Solly. I knew his habits by then, so in a couple of hours I found lilm in a sad dle shop. "At tho depot I telegraphed a cigar store man I knew In New Yprk to meet me nt the Twenty-third street ferry with a list of nil tho saddle stores In the city. I wanted to know where to look for Solly when he got lost. "Now I'll tell you what happened In New York. "I began with him llko you'd food a starving man. I showed him tho horse cars on Broadway and the Stateu Is land ferryboats. And then I piled up the sensations on him, but always keeping a lot of wanner ones up my sleeve. "At tho end of tho third day ho look ed llko a coraposlto picture of 5,000 orphans too late to catch a picnic steamboat, and I was wilting down a colla overy two hours wondering how I could please him nnd whether I was going to get my thou. "Oneo I thought I hnd him. I nailed a pair of cuffs on him ono morning be fore ho wns awako, and I dragged him that evening to tho palm cage of one of tho biggest hotels In tho city to seo tho Johnnies and the Allce-Slt-by-the-Hours. Thoy were out In nu merous quantities, with tho fat of the land showing in their clothes. While wo were looking them over Solly di vested himself of n fearful, rusty kind of laugh, llko moving a folding bed with ono roller broken. It was his first In two weeks, nnd It gave mo hope. " 'Bight you are,' says I. 'They're a funny lot of postcards, aren't thoy?' '"Oh, I wasn't thinking of them dudes and culls on tho hoof, pays he. 'I was thinking of tho time mo and George put sheep dip In Horseheitd Johnson's whisky. I wish I was back In Atascosa City,' says he. "I felt a cold chill run down my back. 'Mo to play and mnto In 0110 move,' says I to myself. "I mado Solly promise to stny In tho cafo for half nn hour, nnd I hiked out In n cab to Lolabello Delatour's tlat on Forty-third street. I know her well. She wn3 a chorus irl in a Broadway muBleal comedy. "'Jane,' says I when I found her, 'I've ffot a friend from Texas hero, no's all right, but woll, ho carries weight. I'd like to glvo him a llttlo whirl after tho show this overling bubbles, you know, nnd a buzz out to n casino for tho white bait and pickled walnuts. Is It a go? " "Can ho sing? asks Lolabello. " 'You know,' says I, 'that I wouldn't tako him away from homo unless his notes were good. He's got pots of money bean pots full of It.' "Bring him nround after thr sec ond net,' itiys I.olaliolle. 'nnd I ll ;x amino hi credentials nnd securities.' "So about 10 o'clock that evening 1 led Solly to Miss Delatour's dressing room, aud her tnnld let us In. In ten minutes In conies I-olnbelle fresh from tho ttage, looking stunning In the cos tumj sho wears when she steps from the ranks of the lady grenadiers. "As soon as Solly saw her lie got up and walked straight out through the stage entrance Into tho street. I fol lowed him. Lolabello wasn't paying my salary. 1 wondered whether any body was. " 'Luke,' says Solly outside. 'Hint was an awful mistake. We must have go! Into tho lady's prlvnte room. 1 hope I'm gentleman enough to do anything possible In the wny of npo'nales. Do you reckon she'd ever forglvo tis?' "'She may forget It.' snys I. 'Ol course It was a mistake. Let's go find somo beans.' "That's tho way It went. But preltv Boon nfterwnrd Solly failed to show up nt dinner time for several days. I cor nored him. He confessed that he had found a restaurant on Third avenue where they cooked benns in Texas stylo. I made him take me there. The minute I set foot Inside the door 1 throw up my hands. "There was a young woman at the desk, and Solly Introduced mo to her And then we sat down and had benns "Yes, sir, slttlug nt tho desk was the kind of n young woman that can cutch any man In tho world as easy ns lift ing a finger. There's a way of doing it. She knew. I saw her working it. Sho was healthy looking aud plnln dressed. She hnd her hair drawn b.ick from her forehead and face no curls or frizzes; that's the way sho looked. Now I'll tell you tho way they work the game; it's simple. When she wants n man she manages It so that every time ho looks nt her ho finds her look lng at him. That's all. "The next evening Solly was to go to Coney Island with me nt 7. At 8 o'clock he hndn't showed up. I wont out nnd found a cnb. I felt sure there was something wrong. "'Drive to the Back Home restau rant on Third avenue,' says I. 'And if I don't find what I want there tako In these saddle shops.' I handed him the list. " 'Boss,' says tho cabby, 'I ct a steak in that restaurant once. If you're real hungry I advise you to try the saddle shops first' " 'I'm n detective,' says I, 'and I don't eat Hurry up!' "As soon as I got to tho restaurant I felt In tho lines of my palms that I should beware of a tall, red, damfool man, and I was going to lose a sum of money. "Solly wasn't there. Neither was the smooth haired lady. "I wnlted, nnd in an hour they came in a cab nnd got out hnnd In hand. I asked Solly to step around the corner for a few words. He was grinnlns clear across his face, but I had not ad ministered the grin. " 'She's the greatest that ever sniffed the breeze,' says he. " 'Congrats,' says I. 'I'd llko to havo my thousand now, If you please.' " 'Well, Luke,' says he, 'I don't know that I've had such a skyhoodlln' fine time under your tutelago and dispensa tion. But I'll do the best I can for you ril do tho best I can,' ho repeats. 'Me nnd Miss Skinner was married an hour ago. We're leaving for Texas in the morning.' " 'Groat!' says I. 'Consider yourself covered with rice and congress gaiters. But don't let's tie so many satin bows on our business relations that we lose sight of 'cm. How about my honorari um?' " 'Missis Mills,' eays ho, 'has taken possession of my money and papers except six bits. I told her what I'd agreed to give you, but she says It's an irreligious and illegal contract, and she won't pay a cent of it But I ain't going to soe you treated unfair,' says he. 'I've got eighty-seven saddles on the ranch what I've bought on this trip, and when I get back I'm going to pick out the best six in the lot aud send 'em to you.' " "And did he?" I asked when Lucul lus ceased talking. "ne did. And they are fit for kings to ride on. Tho six he sent me must havo cost 1dm $3,000. But whore Is tho market for 'em? Who would buy ono except ono of theso rajahs and princes of Asia and Africa 7 I've got 'em all on tho list" "It's a long time between custom ers," I Tcntured. "They're coming faster," said Polls. "Nowadays when ono of tho murder ing mutts gets clvillzod enough to abol ish suttee and quit using his whiskers for a napkin ho calls himself tho Boose volt of the cast and comes over to In vestigate our Chautauquas and cock tails. I'll placo 'em all yet. Now, look here." From an inside pocket he drew a tightly folded newspaper with much worn edges nnd Indicated n paragraph. "Bead that," said the saddler to roy alty. Tho paragraph ran thus: Ilia hlglinotis Beyyld Feyaal bin Turltee, Imam of Muskat, la ono of tho moat prn i;reslvu and enlightened rulcru of the old world. His stables contain mora than a thousand horses of the purest PorsLtn breed. It Is sold that this powerful prlnoo contemplates a visit to tho United Sttttcn at ah early dato. "Thcror said Mr. Polk triumphantly. "My beat saddle is as good as sold the ono with turquoises set In tho rim of tho cantle. Have you $3 that you could loan mo for a short tlmo?" It happened that I had, and I did. If this should meet the eyo of tho imam of Muskat may it quicken bis whim to visit tho land of the free; otherwise I fear that I shall bo longer than a Bhort time separated from my dollars throe. THE POLITICAL CAMPAIGN OF 1912 Follow tho Pro Ktoss of tho Campaign y Hearting n News paper W li ich Fully Itcporta Everything. Itepubllcans, Dcmocrnts, Independ ents WILL FIND Tl M X I- C? 1 1 ne new iutk oun tho best means of keeping In touch with all that's worth knowing during tho Campaign. For many years THE NEW YOUK SUN has exerted tremendous lnllucnco In developing tho highest standards for National politics. Its efforts havo been to servo tho people, to uphold tho tra ditions of roprosontatlvo govern ment and to assist In tho election of men best fitted to perform tho du ties of their offlces. THE NEW YORK SUN wants overy ono Interested In tho country's wolfaro to subscrlho for It and bo como a regular reader during tho 1912 Campaign. Wo ask that you Interest your friends, for overy right thinking citizen will bo enlightened nnd benefited by reading tho political articles and reports which will bo most completo In THE NEW YORK SUN. A SPECIAL HATE. A Special Campaign rate of $2.50 ior sovon montns May 1st to Nov. 30 Is offered to readers of this nowspapor. Tho regular subscrip tion price Is $0.00 per year. Don't Miss This Opportunity. Bomombor no other newspaper covers tho campaign as thoroughly ns THE NEW YORK SUN. Send In your Subscription Now. Address Tho Sun Circulation Department Sun Building New York. MARTIN CAUFIELD Designer and Man ufacturer of ARTISTIC MEMORIALS Office and Works 1036 MAIN ST. HONESDALE, PA. (I Have The Citizen sent to your address. Only $1.50 per year The Ideal pal and accrued ncome. 1-.--1 LLJ LIi P-V V. sT i VICK'S FLOWER SEEDS All of the crops of 1911 experimentally tested and hand picked from the yield of the justly celebrated gardens of Vick. FOR SALE at the drug store of C. C. Jadwin, Honesdalc, Pa. ttjtrom:mj WHEN THERE IS ILLNESS In your family you of course call a reliable physician. Don't stop at that; have his prescriptions put up nt n reliable pharmacy, even if it is a little farther from your home than some other store. You can find no moro reliable store than ours. It would be im- fioesible for more care to be taken n the selection of drugs, etc., or in the compounding. I'rescrip tions brought here, cither night or day, will be promptly and accurately compounded by a competent registered pharmacist nnd the prices will be most rea sonable. O. T. CHAMBERS, PHARMACIST, Opp. D. A II. Station. Uo.nesdale. Pa. nmatitmmmnummjmsmjnaaujca COON A Pure Bred BLACK PERCHERON STALLION weight 1500 pounds, aged six years, will stand at Ariel, Monday forenoons; at Canaan, Monday after noons; at home, Cherry Ridge, Tuesday afternoons; at Honosdalo National barn, Saturdays. Ten dol lars to insure. Also a three-quarter black Percheron Stallion, weight 1400, aged four years, will stand at samo places and! days. C. W. 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