Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-12-16

car at point about two hundred and eighty,
miles east of here, and engaged berth tor this
city He took the lower berth of a section, the
upper half of which had been engaged by two
dapper. looking individuals, who, shortly after
the train started, came back from the smook
ing car and took seats in their section. The
trio soou struck up travelling acquaintance,
and judging from the pleased expression OF the
three couutenances, this acquaintance was mu-
tually agreeable-afd as will presently be seen
profitable.
The elderly gentleman, whom, for the sake
of Identification. we will call MIR. Greene, was
a retired merchant from Central New York,
who was on his way to these parts to invest a
few surplus shnplasters in corner lots and
Kansas lands. He was one of those benignaut
old sunhowers whose smiles beam alike upon
the Just and the unjust, whose we'll filled pock-
ct book is always forthcoming to change ten
or twenty for some causual companion who
doesn' t happen to have any small bills about
him, and whose worldly goods are out as lesl
innate spoils for the confidence gentry-that Is
to say, Judging from outside appearances. His
two companions, whom we will call Messrs
Sharpe and ketchum-because their nghttul
designations are unknown to our informant,
need no minute description.
By and by the conductor Of p. Z. G. came
around to collect his fare for berths. The ell
derly gentleman being first iu order, produced
a pocket book, at once well worn and we'll filled,
and paid his little fare, and then came the turn
of the other two. Now, Sharpe had plenty OF
money, while Ketchum, though laden with ex-
change on New York and Buffalo, had run out
of currency. Sharpe paid his small bill, but
Ketchum ransacked his pocket-book and vest
pockets in vain. Sharpe very. generously OF.
fered to pay his companions bill, but the latter
wouldnt hear Of any such sacrifices on the
part of his friend. He would, however, glad
iy accept cash for QUE of his drafts, if Sharpe
would be so kind, but under no circumstances
wou d he acct pit any other favor. 1t transplred
that Sharpe would be so kind. So ketchum
produced draft purportlng to be drawn to
his order on the Commercial National Bank
of Buffalo, amounting to $l57 40. But Sharpe
could not make the change Would the elder
" gentleman be so uuutterably gracious as to
break fifty for him? Of course he would =
but he couldn't. But happy thought struck
Sharpe II this companion had such delicate
scrupes about permitting him to pay his ,olll'
perhaps the elderly gentleman would purchase
the draft. Certainly ne would do that, but ,n-
vestigation revealed that he had nothing smaller
than one hundred dollar bill. except some des-
ultory change the conductor had given him fora
FIVE when he paid his bill. Finally Sharpe and
Ketchum laid their heads and their finances
together and succeeded in making up purse
of 50 40, including the draft for $l57 40 aud
$40 currency, whereat the elderly gentleman
gave them two one hundred dollar notes and
his three dollars in change-they generously
Throwing in the forty cents-wherewlth
ketchum paid his bill, and the conductor went
on his way rejoicing: while the tiuanclers pre-
pared to retire by having their hunks made
up" Morning came and revealed the fact
that Sharpe and ketchum had found 1t conve-
nient to step off at some casual station during
found in his berth all right. The conductor,
fearing from the indications that his passenger
had been swindled, approached him and said,
IL am afraid that that draft you got last night
is fraud. y
"We" was the bland response of the i'm
perturbabe Greene, Il presume it IS, but 1t 1t s
any bigger fraud than the two one hundred
dollar notes were why then ain't forty three
dollars in good money ahead-which ! think l
am. The elderly gentleman then said that ne
was not in the habit Of passing counterfeit
money, but he happened to have them with
him, and, having taken somewhat exact meas
ure of the two chaps who had attempted to
Swinde him, he had quietly determined to beat
them at their own game. ;, -, g.;
IF yon want anything more, said he, to
make this affair all satisfactory, | can give you
good references either in Kansas City or New
York, where | live" Our informant didn't t
demand the references.
GoUT-Relativc to gout, clever and anus.
ing writer says "A man goes to bed happy
and is awakened after few hours sleep, Isu-
aly between one and four in the morning, with
pain in the ball of one great toe, which lncreas,
es with sense of burning and throbbing' and
he finds next morning that his toe Is swollen,
with deep red shining SKIN Moreover IL IS
so exuuisitely tender, that during the height
of the attack he cannot bear the weight OF the
bed-clothes, or the shaking OF the bed by loot
stems in the ROOM There are series OF such
attacks Then the swelling abates. In few
days the skin itchcs and pcels OFT, and there
is in the Joint only some little remaining ten
derness. That is the form of brisk first at
tack ip man otherwise healthy. Gout has
partiality for gnawing at a man S great toe
''As for the pain. screw your JOINT SAID
Frencbman. Sin vice till you can no longer
hear the pressure, that is rheumatism; then
give the vice another twist, that Is gout.
CHEAP SERv1cE-The Rev Mr.. Saunders,
in his address before the Immigration Conven-
ton, in Richmond Tuesday night, gave vast
deal of interesting information concerning the
habits anC cnaTacteTlS'l0S VI lno
belt his views upon the question OF lmmgra- :.
ton did not.elicit such endorsement as to lndl-
cate the full sympathy, of the audience. ne
said while residing in Prussia he was engag ed
in long and troublesome law suit. bis lega
advisor was uutiring in labor in his behalf,
preparing and filling many almost lntermlnaole
legal documents and personally superlntendlnS
all the details of the case. The bill presented
for all this service was only four dollars and
half The regular charge of the physicians Of
Prussia is twenty five ceutsa visit. State Jour-
THE RUSSIAN Imperial family. seem to 6e
physically very tall and strong, Nicholas the
grandfather of Alexis, was, we believe, SIX fee'
and six inches high. His son Alexander, the
present Emperor, is six feet and one inch. :; Al
exis is six feet and two inches. 1t is rare thai
three generations of men are so lofty in stature