The penny part of the business was what caught the people. By the time the horses were ready to proceed, which was in about two days more, the whole neighborhood had been worked up over the brilliant scheme, our eloquence had not been wasted, the last ticket had been sold, the watch had gone into the hands of the lucky winner, and we had raked in our fifty dollars and fifty cents, so that our stay in that town had not been altogether fruitless. We not only cleared all expenses, but went away with a little profit. Afterward I worked the scheme with diamond rings, custom-made clothing, or any other thing for which there might be a desire or a demand; and until the novelty wore off, or the location was exhausted, it proved very successful. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER X. CATCHING SUCKERS—BITING MYSELF—THE HOSPITAL NURSE AND MAIL ORDER SCHEME—WORKING SALOON MEN ON BIBLE RACKET. As I have already hinted, the work of the fakir changes with the seasons, and though some winters it was possible to continue street business successfully, especially by travel in the south, yet as a rule I have usually altered my route and plans to correspond with the climate. My partner was of the same opinion, and late in the fall turned his face homeward, working as he went. There had been no friction between us; he had been very honorable in his division of the spoils, and I confess I parted from him with many regrets. We did talk of getting together again the next spring, but the life of a fakir is full of uncertainties, so that his best laid plans will often “gang awry.” I did not see him again for perhaps half a dozen years. Then, one day I came across him very unexpectedly in the street. He had experienced ups and downs since our parting, and just then was rather down than up. He actually tried to work me with the “pop-corn” racket. That, you know, is a sort of game of chance, and, like all other propositions of the kind, when the banker knows his business, as it is safe to gamble that he does, the chances, if there are any, remain in his favor. I knew the doctor in a moment, and when he seemed to put a five-dollar bill into a ball of pop-corn, which he mixed with half a dozen other balls and then offered me my choice for a quarter, I felt like shouting. Instead of that, I gravely handed him the quarter, appeared to hesitate long over my choice, but finally selected the ball farthest away from me. What followed was a surprise, for without examining the ball, or attempting to open it, I tossed it into the street. “Come, doc,” I said, “you don’t mean to say you don’t remember me—Jim Weldon? How has the world been using you, old man?”