The Meeker Herald

LUCKY SIXPENCE SAVED HIM
Good Story of How Fate Intervened
to Preserve Beau Brummell to
History's Pages.

The old superstition about the lucky
charm of a crooked sixpence arose
early in the Eighteenth century, and
its author was none other than Beau
Brummell, the most famous of the
world's dandies. Brummell, although
the bosom friend of the prince of
Wales, came from common enough
stock, his grandfather having been a
valet. But he saved, as did Brum-
mell's father, and Brummell had some
$150,000 to serve him. He became a
great gambler and a good loser, often
staking thousands of pounds. One
night he played at Watier's club, and
when he rose from the table he was
a pauper. Not only that, but heavily
in debt.

He wandered out into the London
streets, with head downcast; and as
he strolled along he picked up a
crooked sixpence. In a whimsical mo-
ment he returned to the club and
matched it with a chance friend. He
won, matched again and again, and
won each time. The game changed
to shilling matches, and then to gold
pieces, and Brummell at the end of
a few minutes found himself with two
or three pounds. He went to the
gaming table, sat down, and when
dawn came and the game closed he
had won over £12,000, or about
$60,000. The crooked sixpence he car-
ried with him for years, and shortly
after he lost it his bad luck arose
again, and he once more became a
pauper.