Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-07-19
mnrrxInr for Money

The driver Of a downward bound |
street car on a Western Avenue, a
night or two ago, says the New
York World, chatted with pretty
women seated next to one of the
front windows. "That is his wife,"
said the conductor, "and she rides
with him nearly every night" At
Twenty-third street the woman left |
the cars.
Yes,Y said the street car Jehu, |
meditatively taking a chew of
tobacco, "she's pretty good wife,
better than most of 'em, | guess,
though if | was you, young man, l |
wouldn't never git married. Imar-
ried for money, and so did she. We
hain't neither Of us got any, so we
have to make itup in love. 0, well,
there amt much of story about
it," he added, as he screwed up the
brake to let a lady step aboard,
'but its kinder funny. Ny old
man was a police captain. 1t was
durin' those times that the Assem-
bly, Committee on crime investi-
gated last fall, and l s'po8e he had
| plenty of chances to coin money. /
was courtin' my wife then, and
she thought the old man was
coinin' money too. We lived
in West Thirty-fourth street, in
a nice looking house, and she
lived in West Twentieth street.
Her father was in the dry goods
business, their house was fur
nished right smart, and occasionally
when | took dinner with her, there
was a fine layout on the table.
Twas natural for me to imagine
that her old man was well fixed,
and as Lucy-that's her name
was right pretty girl, popped
the question. She put me off a day
or two, went up and called on my
sister, saw the style we lived in,
and accepted me. We had a high
old wedding. Went down to Long
Branch and Philadelphia for a week
on wedding tour, and came back
to New York. / was earning $25
a week, and we boarded in Forty
fifth street. You can bet didn't
have much of my salary left after
Saturday night, but / thought after
a time she would have some funds
coming in. She thought that my
old man would help me along, SO
she invested my funds pretty libe-
rally in clothes. One evening I
came home from the store and
found Lucy crying. She said her
father had failed; couldn't pay his
grocery bills, and that her folks
would have to leave the furnished
house they had rented. You'd
better believe it shook me up about
as much as it did her, but l didn't
say anything. / just comforted her
a bit, and resolved to save some
thing out of my salary. Soon after
my old man got bounced by some
f new commissioners, and Lucy soon
J learned that he wasn't worth a red.
She was inclined to grumble a little,
{ and | saw through the whole bust
f ness for the first time. / had mar
r ried her for money; and ditto she.
Neither of us had ten dollars, and
right on top of our misfortunes l
J lost my place. Things was gettin'
right serious, and there was a pros
pect of an addition to the family,
| flew around and got a place as
driver on this line. We moved out
T of Forty-irst street into Twenty
second, near the river, and the
baby was born. Then Lucy and
me talked over the whole business,
concluding it was best to live
cheap, and not anticipate anything
, from our old mans, and, Pm burned
if | don't think she loves me better
5 now than before we were married.
(. Here we are at City Hall, sir"