The Eternal Optomist a Brooklyn Boy.: WALKING CHARLIE (continued)

The Eternal Optomist a Brooklyn Boy.: WALKING CHARLIE (continued): "If someone complained that wasn't possible and the game was rigged, I would take a baseball and show them how easy it was. Of course i was a little closer and would throw it from underneath so the hats would come off more often than not.

When it got really busy, and it did fairly often, I would stuff the dollar bills in two boxes underneath the dummies and once in a while some bills would magically wind up in MY pocket. It was at least enough to make all those hours worthwhile. As I mentioned the owner was a big, fat Italian named Ralph. He smoked the smelliest cigars, perspired like a pig and smelled so bad you had to stand downwind to survive his visits. The story goes that once he passed gas on a crowded bus killing 4 people and sending 12 to a local hospital. I heard he was a made man so I did what he told me.

At the end of the summer, he called me aside to tell me what a wonderful job I did and he was giving me a bonus. A bag of money. When I got home to see how much it was, it turned out to be a bag of pennies so I didn't feel so guilty anymore about the weekly bonuses that magically wound up in my pockets.

At least I learned the value of money that summer.