Washington telegraph., 1853-03-30
New Way to Pay Old Debts.

from hard customer"
Ned, the creditor, is clever, shrewd ira
der-mirthful facetious and industrious.
withal for he never lived by his wits, though
possessed Of a considerable stock. All of
these, John Hays was not. He was plausi
BILE, tricky, and evidently dishonest. Ned
held an acceptance of his-long past due
when some neighbor told him John had gath
cred every cent he could raise, fairly OR un-
fairly would pay no one, and was off next day
for California. This was bad show for
Ned's money lent Force would be
worse than useless, and ratse was the for
lorn hope.
John, I hear you are Off for the dig
g.ngs,,''
''Yes, | 90 tomorrow
well, I'd like you to return me that
money
Il am sorry [ can't, for I haven't a
cent "'
Now, Ned knew his pocket-book was
downright plethoric-over-crowded
"Well, if you can't, it's bad, but no rea-
son for our parting in ugliness SO, let's
take a drink"
Ned is capital company-can drink his
share-and joke a great deal more SO, in
pursuance Of his humor and more of his
plan, he laughed and quaf1ed, smoked and
joked, and seemed not to have bad debt in
the world. John relished his fun much but
his liquor more; and as his head and his
honesty were equally weak and unreliable,
he soon began to close one eye, as though
by lessening the number of Ned's he began
to find before him, he could better observe
the one in particular. Whether he did so or
not, Ned observed him-and carefully, too.
"'Fore God, that's more exquisitive
song than t'other" said Cassie, when the
'maudle' was in force.
Let's have another champagne ~ cried
John, in similar tone
This gave him Quictus, and John was
escorted to their mutual room by the face
tious, but wary Ned.
Fast sleeping and snoring, lay John,
dreaming of California or champagne, or,
perhaps, a mixture of the two, when Ned
took out suspicious and ancient looking,
attenuated slip Of paper, which seemed re-
markably like a housekeeping, and much
handled promise to pay" Carefully cal
culating interest from date to-day-writing
down the same upon the note-and then en-
dorsing the document with-s'received the
contents, Sd October, 80, f. H., he turned
to gaze upon his pot-companion
Good" !" muttered the sleeper, "let's
have another-'
Ned then carefully counted out from the
sleeper's ill-gotten wealth, the exact sum of
debt and interest; and in its stead deposited
the aforesaid cancelled acceptance, and re-
tired to rest
Early ir the morning, John rose up, not
like a giant refreshed with wine, but like
medium-sized rascal, who had taken too
much Of it over night
On opening his depository for stolen goods
the pocket-book-John suddenly ezclaim-
ed
Il have been robbed of over three hun
dred dollars''
Robbed ?' asked Ned "Oh, no that
can't be, for locked the door myself''
'Why, that's exactly the amount you
owed me. And, now | think of it, did you
pay me that note?'
"No, told you I could not"
yes" said Ned, II remember that but
somehow it strikes me-three hundred p
we both got very drunk, l know-but let
me see-:just as We were going to bed
Three hundred? Yes, [ think that, finally,
you paid me that note'
"No! Itcll you..' shouted John, Il have
been robbed"
"Well, now, said Ned, as innocently as
if he was among the Indians, Il begin to
feel strongly that you did. Just search
your pocket-book for that note''
John ran over his papers, like one who
looks for what he does not wish to find,
when suddenly the cancelled note met his
eye.
Ned, too, was looking over his porte mon
naie with the expression Of an innocent, who
unexpectedly finds he has more money at
the end of spree than he began with.
John gazed at his busy friend quite chap
fallen, vainly wondering how he got acci-
dentally seduced into an honest act.