Show THE ORIENTAL PEDDLER the th cukr of f the rast east adopts th the gambling system the hawker of the east is picturesque in costume and of many nationalities his sunny gunny smi smile re and white gleaming teeth we are of cd the very essence of the blue bine sky overhead he does not stand still in the street and appeal to passersby to buy b u y hi bu he flits from cafe to cafe and a nd interviews lat loungers ingers smoking their nar giles in the open air he adopts the gambling system as being a more direct appeal to human burnan passions in his hand band he be carries a lucky bag when he enters a cafe he invites you to dip your hand in the bag and try your luck for a pair of uve live turkeys a beautiful egyptian shawl shimmering with gold or silver embroidery or some other of the many ornaments peculiar to the east it is dim cult to resist his persuasive eloquence the method of procedure is this in his lucky bag the hawker carries n numbers the figures are neatly inscribed on small slips of stiff paper these are rolled and curled up in the lucky bags bag which resembles a pillowcase case more than anything else when the peddler enters the cafe his quick eye soon detects a likely customer to start by doing a trade will greatly enhance his chances with others terms we are arranged say three tries for a half franc then you yon guess perhaps three times at the lucky number say between and as arranged on drawing the first number you pay down your half franc of course the odds are very much against you the hawkers in cairo and alexandria make a very fair harvest when these cities are full As much as 15 to 18 francs for a turkey which costs cost q 6 5 francs is pretty good profit somebody of course wins it in the long ft run the articles disposed of in this way comprise boxes of splendid peaches and other fruits soap flowers in great variety plants and the beautiful poin attis turkeys and other live stocks stock game 90 in season fish dates date a great variety of ornaments cunning devices in docks furm furniture ture etc there is another side to the picture the eastern hawker would not be content with the mm mere gamble for a lucky number without exercising his natural ingenuity while he is talking to a would be flatterer he drops his hand into the bag and begins shaking up the h e numbers bem these it should be explained aremady are made up in batches of tens tem and twenties which we are composed of a aughtry Blight ly different qualities of paper in the bag I 1 is a false bottom so delicate e is hassan or touch that he can distinguish one batch ham from the other with his hand instantly Lastant ir you yam select your bumbera he switches them off into the reserved compartment YOU yon MUT may easily be tricked half a dozen times inthis in this way without knowing it the fam face of the hawker on n f such ach occasions is a study never for a moment does he relax his hig attention to you TOM mg his smile mile is sunny as the he eastern mom his respectful gr gra never leaves him pearsons magarino |