The Shasta courier., 1870-06-25
SHASTA COURIER.
Mark Twain.

House. To be sure had no money 10
pay for them; but why think of pay If we
are only good l have always made it a
rule to have the best of everything, even
if 1 am obliged to get trusted forit. This
sterling maxim was instilled into my mind
by kind father and who shall say that
that gray haired old man is not to-day
proud Of his orphan boy?
But the times are so hard just now that
/ find it very difficult to make both ends
meet. and lay up money besides.
| had not been at the Astor more than
one day when the clerk brought me my
bill
as it customary" said I, 'to pay by the
day II"
at is, with men Of your stamp" he re-
piled.
"What kind of stamp do you take Inc
for ?" said l.
"You look like two-cent stamp" he
replied-"mighty thin; if anybody should
wet you once, you'd stick like thunder
but we don't propose to try it. You either
pay this bill, or get out Have you any
money ?"
"My estimable young friend" replied,
''you have probably heard of DIR Ben
Franklin, long since deceased. That emf
nent physician was at one time in the pro-
verb business, and did very good thing.
He said, among other things, that time Is
money. Now | haven't got any money,
but, as regards time, | am in affluent cir
cumstanees, and if you will receipt that
bill, 1 will give you a check for as much
time as you think equivalent, and throw
you in couple of hours for your trouble" p"
He made no reply, but from the fact of
the porter's coming up Immediately there
after, removing my trunk 10 the sidewalk,
and hustling me out after it, l inferred
that | wasn't considered a financial sue
cess.
"Say, Mister" said small boy with a
very long coat and cap with considerable
visor "dont tear yourself away"
"Oh you let him alonel' said another !;
"his mothers sent Tor him."
Oh, World, thou art ever cruel
Immediately called hackman, and
told him to take me to cheap but res.
pectable hotel "And the cheaper it is"
l added, "the more respectable l shall
consider it.
He drove me to the Excelsior House.
and | told him | was under great obliga-
tion to him, and if at any time l could do
him a favor, should feel grieved if he
didut speak to me about it, for my proud
spirit spurns an obligation
"1f you don't fork over that fifty cents"
said he, '&hereH be a funeral in your
family, and it won't be your wife, nor nons
of your children p'
"But fm bustedp' said |. "If meet
inghouses were selling two for cent, [
couldn't buy handle of contribution
box
He swore at me awfully, and said he
would have it out of my trunk-so he
burst it open.
But the contents of that trunk are far
from valuable, for | carry it filed with
sawdust. 1t looks just as respectable, and
in an emergency of this kind is invaluable.
l will not say that this hackman looked
dsggers at me. He look whole arsenal.
WIN OoNh AOOAl VI 6AtId DOOODGIS !,
and as he mounted his box and drove
away, the air was fairly blue with oaths
ii1 gvt off string after string without max
6ng single mistake, and he must have
mad the DEVILS dictionary at his tongues
end.
1t fairly curdled my blood to hear him
swear such awful swears. | never had my
blood curdIed before, so put some In
Bottle to look at
afterwards heard that this hackGrSiaaIn
was always very wicked, and wouldn't go
to the Sunday School when he was little
boy but when his mother put on lis cap
with tassel to it, and gave him a cent to
put in the contribution box, he would 90
off with other bad boys and pitch pennies.
Is it any wonder that he is great horrid
thing, and uses oaths when he swears i?