SHOES
By
Mike Rogers
The French
Quarter in New Orleans is a haven for street
entertainers. Some are good, some are bad, and
many are terrible. Still, once you work your
way through the rubber twisters and the spaced
out bums there's lots of enjoyable folks to
see and hear. Magicians come and go. For years
Cellini owned the streets of New Orleans where
magic was concerned. He did it with class; I've
seen none better on the streets. He now charms
the tourists of Europe. Though the magicians
come and go there's one cute piece of business
that will always remain unique to the streets
in the French Quarter. It's relationship to
magic stems from the fact that it's a scam using
unique play on words. It goes like this.
"I bet I can tell where yo got yo shoes." Every
tourist who has ever trekked the streets of
the French Quarter has heard that line. It's
simply something that comes with a trip to the
Big Easy. But what's it all about? The tourist
is approached by an obviously street wise youngster,
probably about ten years old. The kid will point
to the tourist's shoes, and with a southern
street jargon accent say, "I bet I can tell
yo where yo got yo shoes." His manner of speech
is important for the success of this little
swindle.
Most
visitors ignore the kid and walk on. The kid
hangs in and now sweetens the deal. "I tell
yo where yo got yo shoes, I tell yo what time
yo got yo shoes, I tell yo what day yo got dem."
Now it starts getting interesting. Just what
in Hell is this kid up to?
Still
the tourists normally keep walking, yet what
if curiosity takes over? The kid will now venture
further into the scam. "I bet yo five bucks
I can tell yo where yo got yo shoes, what time
yo got yo shoes, what day yo got yo shoes."
It becomes
too much. The sucker springs for the bet. The
kid will insist the sightseer front the money
before telling him where he got his shoes. When
the kid has the money in sight he will resolve
the mystery. Keep in mind, this has to be done
by a youngster, obviously uneducated, and speaking
in the street jargon of a young boy in the south.
"Yo got
yo shoes on yo feet right here on dis street
in New Orleans at 10:30 on Monday." Of course
the kid names the time at the moment and the
day.
At this
point most people, realizing they've been "had"
will laughingly pay up. If not, chances are
the kid will grab the money and run.
This
simple little scam has been pulled on the streets
of the French Quarter for as long as I've been
going to New Orleans, and that's a long time.
It's as much a part of the French Quarter as
the Lucky Dog carts, those garish hand pushed
carts in the shape of hot dogs seen on every
corner. It's anyone's guess as to who the lucky
one is.
Meanwhile,
who can tell me where I got my shoes?
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