Oroville Union High School - Nugget Yearbook (Oroville, CA)

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I ▼ I A Metropolitan club, the headquarters of the pinochle players of Chicago. He went In and asked an attendant to point out the best player in the room. The attendant looked around and then pointed to a young fellow sitting alone at one of the tables and said. 'That is Janies A. Mertzer, the champion pinochle player of America. Spitzenburg went up to him and point blank asked if he had ever been in love. Mertzer laughed and said. 'I guess I have, I am married and have two children. Then Spitzenburg told him the whole story and asked Mertzer if he would teach him to play so as to be able to beat Hurtzenburg.” Mertzer called for cards but after playing a few hands said. 'You’ll never make a player, but I have been thinking of an idea which Bruno Lessing used in one of his stories which might w’ork in this case.’ Then he told him how Bruno Lessing disposed of just such a case. The upshot of it all was that a plan was agreed on so Hat Spitzenburg wculd have a chance to win Rosie. “The next Saturday night when Hurtzenburg entered Moser’s Coffee House, he was accosted by Spitzenburg who asked him if he would take a third hand in a game of pin ochle with himself and a friend. “Hurtzenburg said. 'Sure, but I didn’t know you played. Rudolph.' This was the first time he had called fcm by his given name. Spitzenburg took him to a table where he introduced him to a third man. Mr. Hoffman, a man with a heavy white beard and long white hair, but surprisingly young eyes. The first game was played, Hurtzenburg winning over Spitzen-burg by a few points, but the slight difference seemed to worry Spitzenburg. for he kept saying that if it had not been for a bad turn of luck in the last few hands, he would have won the game. At last Hurtzenburg got out of patience ami said: 1 11 tell you what we will do. If you win the next game you marry Rosie, but if I win, you must never speak to her again. If Mr. Hoffman wins, the one with the highest score between us wins this agreement. A careful observer watching that game would have noticed signaling between Hoffman and Spitzenburg, and needless to say. Spitzenburg won the game by a slignt lead. The papers announced the marriage, but didn’t announce the fact about Hurtzenburg putting his ‘son-in law' in business, nor soon after the marriage asking Spitzenburg to play him a couple of games of Pinochle. Spitzenburg refused, saying that since his marriage he had sworn off from all things that did not pertain to business and now kept his head in his business. The two men left the train at Chicago and I saw a card lying on the seat which had been occupied by the speaker. I picked it up and read: JAMES A. MERTZER. Chicago, Illinois. 26 —GUS GERSON. T8.

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HEA RD ON Awakened from a doze by a loud hearty laugh from the man across the aisle from me, I turned to see what was the cause of the mirth. A tall, well-knit young man was reading an Item from a Chicago newspaper to a friend who was sitting opposite him. Spitzenburg Hurtzenburg. January 20: Rudolph Spitzenburg. and Rosie Hurtzenburg, both of Chicago, were married by Pastor Robenhurst of the German Lutheran church. Then the man burst into another hearty fit of laughter and told his friend this story. One evening when Mr. Hurtzenburg returned home from his office, Rosie came into the sitting room where he was reading a newspaper. Pretending to be busy arranging some books, she asked if Rudolph had spoken to him that day. Hurtzenburg took a few puffs from his German pipe and said. Yes.'' Rosie then impatiently asked what he had said. Hurtzenburg turned his paper around, shook the ashes out of his pipe, refilled it and lit it. Every different move he made caused Rosie to become more impatient and just as she was going to repeat the question he said, ‘Rosie, what do you find to like in that fellow? He only gets fifteen a week and you know Coleman's dry goods company would not raise his wages.’ 2i A. SMOKER gH I 7 I A Rosie, not wanting to discuss the matter turned the subject to her father’s favorite pastime, 'German Pinochle.’ After a while Hurtzenburg said. 1 was playing pinochle with Jacobiwich and young Swartzenson and that Shafscoph (sheepshead) made me lose the game to Jacobiwich when he should have lost, because he bid four hundred and Swartzenson made a fool’s play that caused Jacobiwich to win the game when he only needed three hundred to get out. But the worst of it was that I came out a so. but because he was bidder his points counted first and he won.’ The gestures he made and tone of voice he used made Rosie want to laugh and to prevent herself from doing so she hurriedly left the room just in time to bump into young Spitzenburg entering. She told him not to go into the room because her father was not in the best of humor and told him the reason why. Young Spitzenburg laughed and said. Youi father cares more for pinochle than he does for anything else and if he loses he takes it more to heart than if he had iost a large amount of money.’ The talk went on in this way for about a half hour and then Spitzenburg left with a well formulated plan of action in his head. After leaving the house he turned his steps toward the 5

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m I V I A SAFETY LAST Father Yellowjacket walked around his paper house to see how many of his children had hatched out during the night. He walked all about but found only one that had lifted the cover from hb little bed. ‘Only one this morning.” he shouted back to his beautiful mate. The tiny infant climbed out and followed its father to the roof of tl.eir home. Now. sit right here until your wings get straight.” instructed the father. If the great sun likes you well enough he will change your white shirt into a beautiful yellow jacket.” When Daddy Jacket thought his son was well done, he said. Follow me, and I will show you how to sharpen your tall. A yellowjacket without a weapon, you must know, b no more than a mere bug. First you walk up o one of those pebbles, then walk around it one way ten times. After that walk around the other way ten times, but always keep your tail on the stone.” IJy the time the young one had fulfilled the instructions, his stinger was so sharp he was almost afraid of himself. Now. you must mix some dope for stinger, for a stinger is not dangerous without some poison. Kill that bug with the red head, smash him, mix him with some pollen from the deadly Night Shade and a piece of Poison Oak Leaf. Put a little of that on your tail and you are safe. Whenever you meet an enemy, just back up and sit down. —CHESTER THUNEN. 18. The W in nor Her tongue need not be framed to music.” Nor her hand be armed to kill. Her face need not be the mold of beauty.’ Her heart not the throne of will Above the crowd she may not rise By wealth, or deed of fame. Nor lean upon the treasured gift of some ancestral name. But somehow, somewhere, patiently, By heroism led. She lives her life, from day to day; Her heart with greed ne’er fed. As true to life’s best aims is she As the sunbeams to the sun— ” 'Tis she.” methinks. the angels say, In the race of life—has won.” II R. GASKINS. 16. 27