The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1869-11-11
HOW | GOT RICH AGAINST MY WILL.
BY MAC ARONE.

pOintments, | have squatted in ST. Louis.
am now rich mana nabob. Th,
assessor has assessed me at $275,0OO
have "Mac ArOne Castle" nearly com
pleted, and crowd of upholsterers ant
supply merchants solicit my patronage
Piles of sweet-scented notes daily beg the
favor of my society to dinners, supper:
and evening parties.
| And yet 1t acds not otaodys so. l car
recollect when was as poor as poverty
when vainly solicited employment where
by l might live honestly and decently.
| Nobody would listen to me; nobody cared
for me- Bankers looked suspiciously al
my appearance Clergymen gave me a
mess of "cold shoulder" They could
make nothing out of me. Grocers and sa-
lOOn-keepers eyed me with mistrust when
| asked for five or ten cents worth OF
their wares. My tailor ac0uLd have the
money in advance for suit of clothes l
badly needed.
Unable to do anything in st. Louis, I,
with two friends-companion in misery
-resolved that we would try our
luck in Kansas City. Their names
were John Smith, vender of pat
ent rights, compiler of directories, and
protector of advertising lodges; and AL
| bert Robinson, q Bohemian, who was for
some time local reporter on one of the ST.
Louis dailies, but at the time speak of,
out of situation, money, friends and hopes.
| Robinson had a manuscript of five hun
dred and forty pages of fOolscap, entitled
"Millerism Exposed; or the Perpetuity
| of the Earth" 1t was well-written, log
ical treatise, and would have made him a
reputation to be proud of But no pub
Usher would undertake to print it for the
poor fellow.
We three packed up our little valises
and took cheap passage on one of the
boats for Kansas City. There we were
more fortunate. Smith obtained a clerk
ship in dry goods house, Robinson Sc
cured a position on one of the morning
papers, became salesman and book keep
er in a grocery house. We had about
seventy-five dollars month. 1t was not
much but it enabled us to have little
reunion once in a while, talk of the past
and devise projects for the future over a
quiet glass of beer, In a retired room Just
off from Main street.
After long chat one evening on our
hopes and fears, Smith said: "All non
sense, my dear fellows! we have neither
of US the means of making a fortune.
But an idea strikes me-could we not get
the credit of being rich?"
"And to what purpose ?" / sug-
gested.
ut gives one position in the world
A large inheritance augments the con-
sideration IN which we are held Then
everything becomes easy"
"I recollect," said l, "cf an uncle of
mine, who went out to California at the
time of the gold fever, and he has never
returned nor been heard from since"
That's just it. We'll bring your uncle
to life-or rather, we'll kill him. Ingots,
gold-dust, shares in mines and crushing
mills, shares in railroads, banks and gov
ernment securities, will have a grand
effect No doubt there are many re-
turned gold-seekers of that time, for
tunate and otherwise, from ST. Louis to
ST. Joseph along the river towns, that re-
member your uncle or have met him in
the gold-felds.'
"Let us kill himp continued the two
scamps, and leave the bulk of his for
tune-three millions and half of dol
lars-to Mac ArOne."
We laughed heartily at the joke, and
had another round of beer / thought no
more of the circumstance, and you may
guess of my astonishment when / took up
the paper, on which Robinson was local.
and read among the city items:
"a Lucky Felloao.-We learned yes
terday, from party of gentlemen just
returned from Montana, of the death of
Mac Arone, ST., one of the most fortunate
of miners, who was attracted to the gold
regions several years ago. He was NOR
tally wounded by party of Indians, and
after being carried to Helena, had just
time to make his will, and leave the bulk
of his savings-sOme $4,000, ,0O0-to his
nephew, Mac Arone, who now occupies
the humble position of boOk-keeper at
Brown & Co.'S grocery house on Main
street. We wish Mac ArOne, Jr., Joy of
his good fortune; and as he was always q
hearty, jovial kind of a fellow, he has now
three and half million additional claims
on our regard"
The evening papers and the other
morning papers rehashed the item, and
the two fellows retailed the story with all
the seriousness imaginable.
The next day people came in groups to
compliment me. My employers wanted
me to go in partnership with them and ex-
tend the business l disavowed the re-
port, as matter of course, but nobody
would believe me. Many in Kansas City
knew my uncle well-they had met him
in different mining districts of Montana
and California. Some had been fellow
travellers of his from one place to another.
All put him down as a lucky, shrewd, in
telligent miner.
Among the number of these visitors
was one not the most agreeable. With
the whim OF young man, had some
time previously ordered fashionable suit
of clothes to go out in. 1t was nearly
worn out, and l was yet owing about half
the price of it. There had been for some
time past a GOODNESS between the tailor
and myself His opportunities l wished
to avoid. The rumOr of my legacy made
him hasten to find me- Such was the
penalty paid for the foolish pleasantly
of my friends.
"Good day, Mr.. Snip" said 1 with
some embarrassment, Il suppose you
have come for those fifty dollars that l
| owe yOu?"
"By no means, my dear Mr.. Mac Arone /;
l never thought of it. You do not imagine
/ would think of dunning you for such
paltry triile? No, sir; | came to solicit
you for the manufacture of your mourn
ing suit"
"What mourning suit?"
| "For your uncle No doubt you will
desire two suits for change-silk hat,
craped, white shirt, black studs, etc"
| "Just now, Mr.. Snip, such an order
from me would be impossible"
81 hope you don't think, Mr.. Mac
| Arone, of Withdrawing your patronage.
| You know my materials are prime, my
| workmen frst-class, and my prices as
| moderate as you can find them-even in
| ST. Louis"
at tell you again, | have not yet re
ceived--"
81 beg of you, my dear Mr.. Mac Arone,
not to speak of money! am not pressed
it will come soon enough"-and Mr..
/ Snip, who had already taken out his scis-
sOrs, passed his measure round my waist.
l was certainly in want of clothes, and
therefore permitted him to take his meas
urements.
No aoopar ..zau L. e e.l..,o 4l,a., a.,otI Or ;.,