Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1872-04-04
MIR. sPRlGGNs' EXPERIMENT
A Story With a Moral.

AMI ii bet you nVe uollars you
can't, said !. emphasizing the last
word decidedly.
The moral and conscientious reader
must not be shocked at what he may
consider our gambling proclvities.--
Like the little boy who was caught at
school bending and twisting pin in
position for a schoolmate to sit up;
on, "we didn mean no harm by it. y
The phrase, ELL bet you five dol
lars, was simply a. elincher of climax
used by Spriggins and myself when
we bad exhausted every argument
and each had failed to convince the
other he was wrong. And, since nei-
ther OF US, except in Fare instances
ever acknowledged ourselves in the
wrong, we had to bet five dollars fre-
quently.
But we never expected to (" fork
over !" when we lost. Indeed, we
never demanded payment when the
point in dispute was settled, but con-
tented. ourselves in saying, l told
you so.
The point in dispute in the present
instance arose about On item that ap-
peared in the telegraphic columns OF
The morning paper. The item read
as follows:
"John Jones, convict in the Ia
States prison has fallen heir to $780,
600. Efforts are being made to'se-
cure his pardon" ;"
"There, said L, "you see the pow
er of money. That man was just as
innocent, just as guilty, before he was
worth fifty thousand dollars as he was
afterwards, but behold what a change
Wealth brings him friends, who make
efforts to secure his pardon Had he
remained poor, his friends would have
pc mitted hin to rot in prison with
out raising little finger to secure his
pardon. This world is a hlrmbug,
Mr.. Spriggins, a regular cheat. in the
language OF poem I read in boy
hood, it's all hollow, hollow, hollow y
As I concluded this spiteful little
speech, Mr.. Spriggins Strengthened
himself up in the peculiar way ne
had when preparing. himself for a
combat, and l knew we would have
a fight, our tongues being the weap.
ons. Without giving the argument
pro and con, it will suffice to say that
the discussion was brought to amend
by Mr.. Spriggins proposing an exper-
iment. He was, be it understood, a
man of means; business man Of
good business standing, but somewhat
eccentric; and the proposition he
made was to 60 around among his
friends and tell them that he was
"dead lroke."
"Ir'' said he, I do this, and they
freely advance money to start me in
business, 1 win. have no doubt that
1 can borrow all the money want
with nothing but my face for secu-
rity."
Then, as stated at the outset, we
bet FIVE dollars each on the result
and 1 awaited with eagerness the re-
salt of the practical test.
I, however, ventured to intimate
that if he carried out the experiment,
he might weaken peoples confidence
in his truthfulness; but this only
made him think I feared the result,
and made him more determined than
ever. So the experiment was tried.
He went to Mr.. Smith, one Of his
most intimate friends, and said:
z. "Snith, I'm a bankrupt"
Indeed !" calculated Mr.. Smith,
greatly astonished, and how has it
come about 2"
"I-I-" stammered Mr.. Sprig-
gins, hesitatingly, for story telling, or
in plain English, lying, was new sin
with him, II went security for a
friend, and had to pay every dollar
Of it,"
TOO bad, indeedr' was Smiths
sympathizing response.
"1 IF I can only borrow q few thous-
ands, however, t get started in busi.
ness, think I can get aio.., v"ry
we'll.
Mr.. Smith thought there wonld be
no difficulty in getting the money
H. would be very glad to advance II
himself, but he was. almost strapped
lust at that time. Mr.. Spriggins
knew that this was not the case, and
his opinion OF Mr.. Smiths undying
friendship underwent a rapid and
radical change.
He saw ali of his many friends, and
renewed his request to each in
turn, but they all happened to be
u short Just at that time. After a few
days of unsuccessful attempts to bor-
row money. he humbly confessed he
had lost his bet fairly, and that his
face; was not good security among his
friends.
"I told you SO" said l.
But an unlocked for trouble came
upon him. He WAS engaged toa very
aeccompl:s ned lady. Ills trust in her
was unbounded.. He had often told
me that, if ever there was a good,
true woman on earth, it was his in,
tended.
But her father, hearing Of the bank
ruptcy of the son-in-ls;w that was to
be, accosted him, saying:
"I understand, Mr.. Spriggins, that
you have met with reverse of for
tune"
Yes, sir, replied spriggins, Ian
guidly.
cumstances, you cannot expect to
marry my daughter.
Here was new turn in affairs for
which Mr.. s. was not prepared. He
.hcn,,,ht at first of correcting the
false6ood which he himself had start
ed: but the idea suddenly flashed
nnon.his mind that there was good
opportunity for testing the sterling
onaIities ol his sweetheart. This
would bea triumph which would.more
than compensate for his defeats in
ether directions. So he. replied:
"Of course, sir, I have a better
opinion of your daughter than that