IRON NERVE AND
HORSE SENSE MADE
U
AN FUANCISCO. The death
of oM Lucky Baldwin lias
revived ninny storleB of the
man who easily ranked us
tliu boldest speculator and
gambler of California. Not
that Baldwin wiib n plunger on tho
turf in tho wny (lint finally onded
Itllcy Urnntinn'H enroer or n specula
tor In tho sense of a man who bucks
tho market on his general obscrva
tlon of the trend of prices. Huldwln
nearly ulwnyH carried on his big donlB
on tho basis of secret Information.
Occasionally ho was misled by hlB
enthusiasm over u horHO thnt he fan
cied, but nliio times out of ton' IiIh
most spectacular plays were made on
a mire thing. What he did havo was
an Iron uervo and tho horse hoiibo to
know when to got out of a deal wllh
the maximum of prollt.
How his loan form oiidurod tho ox
cltcmciit of It f k llfo for 80 yearn Ib
one of tho mnrvelB which ho doctor can
oxplnln. Ho lived hard and during IG
ycurK that ho kept the Baldwin hotel
ho seemed never to net any sleep.
Any one who wnhdercd around to
thn bnrroom or tho enrd room of tho
hotel In tho early mornliif; hours
would bo Biiro to Hue tho old innn cir
culating about or taking a hand in a
gnmo of poker. And If you visited tho
hotel at aoven a. m., when tho place
Hccmed as dead as a mausoleum, tho
chances nro you would ilnd him pacing
tip and down tho long vcBtlbulo, look
ing ob fresh nu though ho had gono to
bed with tho birds tho night before.
Fortune from tho Comttock.
Tho Comstock Bllver mlnea mado
Baldwin a millionaire. Like Flood and
O'Hrlen, ho had no Hpeclnl educntlon
In mining. Ho began llfo In Ban Fran
cisco iib a hole! keeper In a humble
way, nnd it waB from a chanco guost
at ills plnco that ho secured his tip on
tho great rlchncBB of tho oro In tho
Ophlr and Sierra Novada mines on tho
ConiBtock.
Haldwln iiovor trusted to second
linnd Information. Ho dispatched a
practical minor whom ho could trust
to Virginia City and had tills man bo
euro work In both mines. Tho mnn
found that tho oro wns richer than
roportod. Then Haldwln loBt no tlmo
In getting Into nctlon.
Tho ilrst reports ot rich oro had
Bent Ophlr slock up many points, but
InslderB spread minora Hint tho oro
vol n had pinched out. Thon thoro was
a Blump iib overy ono tried to get out.
Haldwln went In then and bought right
and loft, nnd boforo tho InslderB know
what ho was about ho had received
enough slock to mako him several
tlmoB a millionaire. On a stock mar
ket that registered lluctunllons of bov-
prul hundred dollars a sharo In a
sliijglo. day a speculator of HaldwIn'H
peryifi li'ad a great chance,, and ho
iiovor missed an opportunity to add
Jo IiIh fortune.
Presided with a Six Shooter,
Ono of his most, spectacular coups
was In Sierra Novada. Haldwln had
secured tho majority of tho stock, hut
tho formal transfers of this stock had
not been mado on tho books, so tho
old directum called a meeting nnd
planned to olect. on old proxies a
bonrd or directors fornyonr nnd thus
keep Haldwln out of tho inamigemont.
Haldwln hoard or, tho soliumo and'
promptly had his lawyer, Iloiibon U.
Lloyd, proparo an Injunction against
1 '
I II XT'- .1 J-Sfc. f-hW
UCKY" BALDWIN
tho old directors forbidding them to
go on with tho election.
The mooting wan Bot for Monday nt
nine a. m. At the last moment Lloyd
rushed Into llaldwlu's ofllce with the
news thnt It was Impossible to got, his
Injunction papers signed until tan
o'clock.
"Well," snld Haldwln after a mo
mont'H pause, "you go up lo court nnd
ns soon ns you get tho Judge's signa
ture come down a-llylng In a hack.
I'll keep the directors from holding
that mooting."
Haldwln sauntered Jauntily over to
tho mooting and endured calmly the
guying or those who thought he had
been euchred. Ho wns sontcd in tho
room us a Btockholdor when tho preB
ldcnt of tho company nroso and an
nounced tho call for tho annual elec
tion. Haldwln then got up nnd entered
a formal protest, hut tho president
ruled him out of order.
Old Lucky mndo only two or three
ttrldcB to tho president's sldo, nnd
boforo the astonished ofllclnl know
what hnd happened he was lying un
der tho tnblo and Haldwln wuh prcBld
lug In his place, with a six shooter In
lila right hnud. Ho swore ho would
nhoot any man who Interfered or who
tried to lenvo tho room, nnd for half
an hour ho bulldozed nil hands until
Lloyd broke In with tho Injunction pa
pers and tho day wan saved.
His Breach of Promise Cases.
Horucs, women and mimic nil inter
ested Haldwln. With horses ho scored
a grcnt success, but with women he
certnluly didn't have tho same luck.
Ho wok regularly mnrrled threo times,
but IiIb Irregular relations were
Humorous. Tlfcso rolntlons, generally
with young women still In their teenB,
brought hlin oflon into tho courtB nnd
twice subjected him to pistol Arc.
Ono womnn, who protended to be
bin nloco, Vorona Haldwln, tried pot
shot at tho old man In tho Haldwln
hotel ono night and a bullet hit him In
tho wrist. She declared that ho had
promised marrlngo nnd then refused
to keep his word. Tho case was
hushed up and the woman got a pen
sion. In another caso, brought by Luna
Ashley, nlso for branch of pro.mlBo, her
Bister whot at iiuldwln In the court
room, but tho bullotB went wild and
tho girl wns overpowered. In the Inst
brench of promise case brought against
him Haldwln nctunlly pleaded that tho
girl should have known IiJh general
reputation nnd not have trusted his
promises.
A Queer Funeral.
Haldwln was nu original In his
funorul us in his life. Ho provided in
his will thut no religious Borvlcos
11 firtt
Bhould be held, but Unit un orchestra
should rendor nt tho cemetery oporntlo
plocoB iib woll ns two musical com
positions by his ruvorlto daughter.
This programmo was carried out In
full oxcept that tho nuinuors from "La
Hohomo" wore omlttod, perhaps us too
frivolous ror a funeral. Hut the
Miserere or "Trovntoro" nnd tho grand
ninrch from "Aldn" were rendered, us
woll as Hnndel'B "Uirgo." Thoro woro
no signs ot grief at tho funeral. . Most
of thoso present woro old-timo friends
of Haldwln who Bwnppod romlnls
concos ami told curious tnlos. Two or
thoso old frlenda us they eniitu. up to
take u look at tho thin sot face or tho
dead gave tho best Mini nut ry of IiIb
character. ''Game and lighting to the
last," said one.
"Nover asked anything, never gave
anything, l'ald for everything ho got,
but wouldn't be held up!" Thnt wan
the eulogy of the other.
Lucky Baldwin's Two Sides,
Lucky Baldwin's nature was a po
cnllar mixture of parsimony nnd open
handedness; but these two traits did
not crop out In hlin synchronously.
Ho wns whnt might be called a streaky
Individual.
For inontliB at a atretoh ho Would
oxhiblt a larlshiioBB of poraonnl ex
penditure that dazzled oven tho top-
MiffrBudrome
notchcrs among the high rollers nnd
big spondoiB or tho coast. Ho would
respond to ovory touch without a mur
mur. When these prodigal IUb were upon
him ho would gamble llko a Charles
James Fox, often winding up after
continued days nnd nights of play by
wnlloplng San Francisco's leading
faro banks to a standstill. Although
never a deep drinker lie would while
thus In tho spending mood Htand at
tho fur cud of his famous Haldwln
hotel bar and order basket after
basket of champagne (o ho sorved to
casual bar patrons, men he hnd never
soon, boforo.
From such money tossing orgleH
Halwln would all of a middon and with
out l.iotlco or warning become a tight
wad of tho llrst order, a eloseroll from
whom a dollnr couldn't bo extracted
by any other method except tho uso
of dynamite. It wasn't that his bundle
wuit given out. It was simply that It
was Lucky'H naturo to curl up com
pletely after a high spending llesta
and suddenly to turn Into u man with
tho luucllagitious mitt -and the sol
dorod (1st.
Penurious to an Extreme.
While In this stuto of mind he
would promptly turn hh back even
upon his closest friend who in tem
porary straits for money asked him
for a small temporary lift. Ho'd cut
out tho gambling complotoly, let hla
horses run for tho pursos and for
Sweeney, and hung on to a two-bit
plnco so long thnt tho eagle on tho
coin would begin to moult. Then,
nfter a period of this sort of penurious
noBs, presto! Lucky would get lilu
spending habits on again all of a sud
den and once more ho'd proceed to
mako Coal Oil Johnny and Heath
Valley Scotty look like pikers.
A very sodulo Now York traveling
Jowolry saloBiiian who didn't use to bo
so soduto tolls a story to lllustrato
Hnldwln's varying moods as to tho
spending end of It.
Nearly twenty yenra ago tho Jowelry
salesman, then traveling for a Maiden
Lano diamond house, wont up against
a Sun Frnnclsco faro bank and got
himself cleaned down beneath the
polt. Ho was up against It. Ho had
his tons or thousands nfNlollnr' worth
or samples, but ho was too honest a
mnn to think or hypothecating any or
his llrm'u stuff In order to get himself
out of tho mess.
In addition to the cash ho dropped
the farn bank hud his markers for
$1,500. Tho salesman was duo to re
turn to Now York. Ho had ovordmwn
on his oxponso account and. didn't dnro
to who his llrm for another dollar:
hut ho had to go home, and he had
to take up his $1,500 In faro hank
markers bororo leaving San Francisco.
He didn't know Lucky Haldwln ex
cept In a casual way. He always
stopped at. llaldwlu's hotel, had boon
Introduced to tho old man, was on
nodding terms with him In tho lobby
and that was all.
The BUlosnian, protty woll worked
up over hla troubles, strollod into tho
bar boforo breakfast ono morning to
get a supporting snifter. Lucky sifted
In about half a mlnuto behind him.
Tho two exchnngod nods.
Called tho Tenderfoot.
"Saw yon playing some protty fool
bank u couplu of nights ago," Haldwln
romarked. Tho salesmnn hadn't seen
Haldwln nt the faro bank. "FooleM t
banK I over saw," the old man went
on. "You Junipers from tho east have
as much Idea of playing the bank as
a mountain Hon has of playing tho
hnrp. They took you, of cotirso?"
Tho salesman ropllcd that they sure
had taken htm, taken him bad.
"Not In any kind of n mess over It,
arc you, youngster?" inquired Haldwln.
Whereupon tho New York salesman
opened up nnd told Haldwln Just tho
kind of mess ho waa in fifteen hun
dred In bank markers to pay, no
money to return to Now York, no
chance to ask the firm for more colli
without giving himself dead away, and
so on.
Hnldwln listened with his wide sar
donic grin, then dug for his roll and
skinned off six $500 bills and handed
the money to tho salesman.
"Take this and make good, and then
get back with your snow shovelors,"
ho Bald to tho salesman the old-time
Slopers still call eastern folk snow
shovelors In contemptuous allusion to
bthe r.lgors of the east's winter climate.
"Don't play any more bank until you
lcnrn something nbout It. Hnnk's a
grownup man's game. You stick to
inumbletypeg, son, nnd you won't get
trimmed."
Tho salesman would only tuko $-',000
of tho money and had some trouble In
mollifying the slightly-offended Lucky
when ho insisted upon returning two
or the $500 bills, which In didn't need.
He quit San Francisco for Now York
that evening, pnld Haldwln tho $2,000
back in iustnlmonts lusldo of six
montliB and was so grateful for get
ting out of tho mess thus easily that
ho hasn't made a dlmo bet over since.
Bluffed Charlie Fair.
There are men now living who re
member how ono nftornoon at tho In
glesldo track about sixteen years ngo
Lucky Haldwln mado so high (lying a
gninbler as tho Into Chnrllo Fair
killed lu Franco hi an automobile nc
cldent some years ago draw In hla
horns.
Haldwln and Fair both had horseB
entered In a stnko race to be run off
at luglesldo that nftornoon. Thoro
wns n sort of dialling rivalry as to
their horses between Haldwln and
Fair. Lucky liked tho young man,
who at that time was tho main high
roller of tjio sons of Sonator Fair,
which is saying a good deal,
Neither Haldwln nor Fnlr oxpucted
his horse to win In tho stogo raco bo
causo thoro waa a horso entorod for
tho evont that seemed to outclass tho
Hold, but Haldwln wns dend suro that
his horso would bent young Fnlr's
horse, while tho latter was equally
confident that his nag would bont
Haldwlu'B.
Haldwln was mooching around on
tho lawn hnir an hour before tho race,
when Chnrllo Fair, grinning, walked
over to him.
"I'm not going to win, 1 tliluk. but I
suro nm going to show that. Bkato or
yours up," said young Fair to Lucky.
Huldwln grlnnod lu his snturnlua
way nnd bit Into his unllghtod cignr.
"Not a chnnco, young fellow," ho
Bald to Fair. "I'll loll you what I'll do,
Charlie. I'll bot you $5po,000 my
horso heats yours."
A lot of high notch hotting follcB
woro standing around. Young Fair's
Jaw dropped and his amllo faded,
"Hot you half a million, son, that
my nag beats yours," repoated Hald
wln, munching his smoke.
"Oh, bohnvo that, pop," snld young
Fair, nnd ho walked nway. Hnldwln
had topped even his limit.
Chnrllo Fair must havo boon tho
sorust man from Juneau to Callao a
few inlnutoB aftor that. Ho had swal
lowed a bolus In front of folks, Ho
had quit for tho llrst tlmo In anybody'B
knowledge. Ho had permitted tho
old man to chase him to the chap
paml. Yount Fair's horso not only heat
Baldwin's but won tho race hy ten
lengths, pulled to n trudge.
Cinderella's Reward
By Dearborn Walters
It was only Elple, Elplo came into
tho big, empty drnwlng-rooni In her
usual noiseless wny, and sut down on
a footstool before the lire, embracing
her knees with hor hands. Elplo s
tnsk-mlstresscs were nil out at some
function, mid Elplo was quite alone
nnd idle for once In her poor little
life.
Whnt castles, fair and grand, did
the big, brown eyes bco in thoso glow
ing cmberB? Who can say? "The
thoughts of youth nro long, long
thoughts," nnd, much ns her task-mis-
tresscB might try to crush tho youth
and romance out of Elple, they could
not quite succeed. Hut presently the
big eyes grow smaller, Elplo's little
brown bend begnn to nod, nnd alio
toll sound asleep.
What wakenod her? Elplo did not
know; but suddenly with a groat Btart
and shiver, sho started up to find tho
fire burning very low and the room al
most In complete darkness. Sho sat
quite still, her heart throbbing so vio
lently Bhe was quite suro somo ono In
the room must hear It. And thoro wns
somo ono In tho room. A dark figure
was moving In the opposite corner to
her.
Wild thoughts or burglars and mid
night assassins rushed through Elpie's
mind; but bIio was a brnvo llttlo crea
ture, and she did not scream. The'
servants. we ro downstairs, In tho kitch
en, and she wns tho only living being
In tho house besides.
It came Into her mind that sho must
stealthily reach forward to tho boll
and ring; but, Just as sho was moving,
tho figure turned, rio ndvauced Bwlft-
ly toward hor, nnd, though Elplo tried
to speak out bravely and ask hlin
whnt ho wanted, sho could not; her
tonguo 6eemcd to cloavo to tho roof
of her mouth.
"Hush!" said tho man, and his voice
sounded pleasant nnd trlendly. "Don't
scream, please. I'm not a burglar,
though my modo or entranco may
seem llko that ot one. Tho truth la,
I I camo through a window down
stairs and mndo my way up here."
Elplo could seo hlin indistinctly. Ho
was a young man, woll dressed, and
tho fnco looking down nt her was
frank nnd friendly.
"First, tell mo who you arc? You
can't bo ono of my "
"I'm Elple that is, I am Elspeth
Grey. Mr. Kemp was my mother's
cousin, and he took mo to llvo with
him when my father dlod; and slnco
Mr. Kemp died I have stayed with
Mrs. Kemp nnd her daughters and
helped them."
Holpod them? How?"
"Oh, with dresses, nnd and other
things," fnltered Elple, frightened by
the fierceness of his tone.
"Well, they nro nil out to-night,
aren't they? And the servants nro on
joying themselves down stnlrs, so we
needn't bo frightened. I am going to
tell you a tremendous secret, little
one. Hut first, tell me, are those pco
pie kind to you? Do they treat you
as ono of themselves? -Do they glvo
you plenty or nlco food, pretty cloth
Ing, nmusemonts?"
"Jullnnnn Josephine Is Is nice
sometimes," faltored Elplo. She was
a loyal little soul, nnd anxious to hldo
tho raults or her relatives.
'"And Matilda Jane, and the rest or
this well-principled household?" askfd
the young mnn, satirically.
"t can't tell you any more," cried
Elple, driven to bay, "till I know who
you are."
"That's easily told, little one. I am
Mr. Kemp's nephew, therefore a kind
of cousin of ypurs." Elplo sturted and
turned pale. "My name. Is Norman
Kemp. My father founded Uncle
John's business, nnd helped hlin to
buy this house on condition thnt It
should bo loft to mo. Whon my uncle
died those Infamous women stepped In
and took everything; and yet I know
Undo John loft a will In my favor. I
LATEST SPORT IN PARIS
Paris aaw a novel form of "skl-runnlng" the other day a form that might
be called "skijoring by motor," In which the ski-runners are drawn by an
automobile. Skijoring proper was Introduced In Sweden and the ski-runner
drives the horse that tows him.
HI
Ml
have been nwny; that Is why I havo
not como forward sooner. But Woods,
tho lnwyer, drow up the will, and I
have reason to suspect it is hidden
somewhere In this house. I shall not
leave here till I havo found It. . Now,
nro you going to show mo tho way to
my unclo'B library?"
Elple Indicated It lu fear and trem
bling nnd returned to her seat.. In
nbout a quarter of an hour Norman
Kemp re-entered (lushed nnd excited.
"I lmvo found' Itl There's nothing
like determination, llttlo cousin, Con
cealed whoro do you think? In tho
flap of tho cover of tho old family
Hlble. Of courso, Mrs. Kemp will say
she know nothing of it." Ho began to
rend it, then uttered nn exclamation.
"And hero's mention of you, llttlo one.
'And whereas, I havo undortnken to
provldo for my cousin'B child, Elspoth
Grey, I do hereby bequeath to tho said
Elspoth Grey tho sum of $10,000, ' to
bo kept In trust by my wife until tho
nforcsald Elspeth shall reach tho ago
of 18.' How old nro you, Elplo?"
"I was 18 In July," falterod Elple.
"Then you can claim your rightB at
once. I shall bco after your claims as
well as my own. Now I am going, llt-
tie cousin, straight to tho lawyers.
Good-by, Elple."
Elplo's heart thrilled strangely ns
her companion's black eyes looked
into her face. Ho took hor hand, then
suddenly raised it to his lips.
"Forgive me; I couldn't help It. I
nm your cousin, you know, nnd you
nro a brave and true llttlo girl. Good
by, Elplo; I shall soon seo you again."
And this Btrango burglar was gone.
A year later they met again. Nor
man Kemp waa in full possession of
IiIh property, and Elple, who had tho
modest lncomo of $600 from her well
Invested Inherltnnco, had boon spend
ing monUis nbroad with friends.
Tho Kemps discovered In what had
really been a fraud, had disappeared,
none know where. No ono but llttlo
Elple, who wi.s a tender-hearted llttlo
girl, cared whore they went.
Sho was no longer tho llttlo neg
lected girl ho had first soon; sho was
more womanly and oxperlencod. But
she Btlll blUBhed, and then paled a
llttlo as Norman took her hand.
"I havo been making changes In my
homo," ho said, after a' little desultory
conversation.
"Yes, 1'vo heard so," Elplo an
swored, nnd somehow her head
drooped, and so did hor sweet fchildlBh
lips.
Norman sat looking nt her silently.
"And havo you heard, also," ho
asked quietly, at last, "that I wish a
mistress for It?"
Elpie's heart beat very low and
dully.
"Yes, l'vo heard that, too. MIsb
Miss Grunt of Washington, Isn't It?"
Norman started.
"Who told you that?''
"Oh, I don't know; every ono thinks
It."
"Then ovory one 1b wrong," Bald
Norman; and he suddenly camo very
closo to her nnd luid his hand on her
llttlo fingers. "Elple, there's only ono
mistress In all the world I wnut for
It; can't you guess who it is? The
llttlo girl l'vo loved since I looked
down nt her sleeping, a poor, llttlo
tired Cinderella, In Mrs. Kemp's mag
nificent drawing room; tho llttlo girl
who trusted mo from tho beginning,
though appearances wero so terribly
against me. Elple, will you consent to
bo n burglar's wife?"
Ami ho must havo heard nn answer
thnt satisfied him, though no ono else
could havo dono so; for tho next mo
ment Elplo's llttlo brown head rested
on her burglar's hrenst, and then and
thoro ho bont and kissed, not her hand
this time, but her lips.
A Dispute for Supremacy.
Eagle I am the nationnl bird.
Possum Huh! ThnfB nothing, r
am going to bo tho nntlonal dish.
