THE LUCKY PENNY. 67 



from his pocket. After rubbing it between his hands 

 a few times, he balanced it on his thumb nail and 

 flipped it into the air. When it fell on the road he 

 picked it up with the remark "Heads it is. That bit 

 always wins, as it has a head on each side." The 

 laugh that followed this remark seemed to start down 

 in his stomach and after all kinds of wriggles and 

 gyrations, managed to pass up his windpipe into the 

 air. Such matters were new to me, while I had not 

 the slightest idea that Oiney was doing a lot of think- 

 ing on his own account. Something bothered him, 

 but it did not require very much tact to conceal it from 

 a slip of a lad, although I did not know then as I did 

 after, that a boy frequently makes a remark which ex- 

 poses the work of clever men, and women, too, for 

 that matter. 



"Larry, my boy," said Oiney, after he had rubbed 

 the dust from the silver piece, "do you see that piece 

 of money?" I nodded. 



"Well, Larry, that is a lucky penny. So long as I 

 have it, it brings me luck, and if I should lose it there 

 is no telling what might happen." 



At this I opened my eyes, while Oiney continued : 



"That penny was blessed by a Bishop in Ireland, 

 so it was, my lad, and it has been on the eyes of more 

 dead men than I have hairs, on my head." 



I did not believe that, but I will admit that I 

 was scared as Oiney looked at me when he finished the 

 remark, as if he were going to pick me up in his arms 

 and show me a few of them. 



"Now, Larry, me dear little spud," continued 

 Oiney, after he saw I was back to earth again, "I am 

 going home, and if you want to see a race horse that is 

 a race horse gallop, come along with me." 



