Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-08-31
COL. R. A. ALSTOA'S FORTUNE.
An Agreerble slory or a Prophec

by 3 Canary, aud It's UnexPectsd
The Atlanta (Ga.) Constitution
says:
Several months ago General Cor
don and Colonel r. A. Aston were
walking down Pennsylvania avenue
in Washington city. They noticed
a crowd standing on the sidewalk,
and upon investigation discovered
portable stand upon which Il
grave and speculative group of ca
nary birds were engaged in telling
the FORTUNES of the bystanders. The
modus operandi was simple. A
stranger would give one Of the birds
a nickel. The bird would then hop
off to a basket near by, and pick
up little envelope in his bill and
carry it to the expectant customer.
In this envelope he would find a
small piece of paper on which was
printed the history of his future
life-at least canary bird'S-eye
view of it.
Moved by one of those unac-
countable impulses that operate
with the great as well as the lowly,
General Gordon announced his pur-
pose of trying his luck with the
birds. He handed the wisest-look-
ing canary he could see a carefully
selected nickel and awaited the re.
suit. The bird returned with an
envelope, which the senator opened.
1t announced that the senator
"talked too much, had five children
and would live to be eighty-six
years of age" The senator re-
marked that the first part of the
fortune was not true; that the sec
ond was, and he hoped the third
would be. Upon this encouraging
resume Colonel Aston determined
to have his fortune tried; so he
chased a nickel into the corner OF
his breeches pocket, and, capturing
one, handed it to a likely-looking
bird, and requested him to move
ahead with the panorama. Ihe
bird looked at the colonel carefully,
as if he felt that the case IN hand
required his very finest Judgment,
and then moved off in a profoundly
contemplative and reflective state.
lie sbon returned with an envelope,
which he delivered to the colonel.
The first clause of. the fortune was
this: "You invite too many peo-
pie to your house; many of those
you invite are not your friends. "
That much was true. The hospi-
tality Of Colonel Aston is as wide
and as spontaneous as that of the
biblical gentleman who, when he
had a wedding in his house, felt SO
good about it that he sent out the
police to beat up his guests from
the bushes and thickets.
But the above was a small part
Of the prophecy. The printed slip
We Mt on to recite that the colonel
wonld in a short time receive a
large sum of money. He thought
at first that this was tidings - dire
but grateful l. about his big fee
which was then in the prospective.
SO the paper went onssto say that he
would receive this fortune as an
inheritance, and that it would be
the basis on which he would build
a definite prosperity. He folded
the scrap Of paper in his pocket
aud went to Wizards, where lie
met Judge Lochrane. lie was
showing the paper to this genial
gentleman with the big Irish heart,
when be was interrupted by the
exclamation; Why, my dear sir,
your fortune is already lett you. |
saw this very day in the Baltimore
Sun that Jonn L. Aston, of Brook
lyn, had died, and had left u for
tune Of about 100000 to be divided
among his heirs and relatives in
the South" Colonel Aston then
hurried out to find the Baltimore
Sun. He failed, however, and the
matter dropped out Of his mind. A
day or two alterward Attorney
General Deyens asked him if he
was any kin to j. h. Alston, of
Br5eklyn, remarking that that grn-
tleban had left q large fortune to
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