Mexico weekly ledger., 1877-03-01

X. was absorbed. The Man from So
lano carefully shut the box door and re-
tired. / followed him.
He was silent until he reached the
lobby, and her he said, as if renewing
a previous conversation, "She is a
mighty peart gall hats SO. She's
just my kind, and viii make a stavin'
good wife"
/ thought I saw danger ahea Nor the
Man from Solano, so | fastened to tell
him that she was beset by attentions,
that she could have her pick and choice
of the best of society, and, finally, that
she was, most probably, engaged to
Dashboard.
"That's So" he said quietly, with
out the slightest trace of feeling" it
would be mighty queer if she wasn't.
But / reckon I'll steer down to the no.
tel. Idon't care much for this yellin'."
Gle was abiding to a cadenza of that
famous cantatrice, Signora Lutti Batti.)
whats the timer"
He pulled out his watch. 1t was
such a glaring sham, so obviously bo-
gus, that my eyes were fascinated by it.
+" You're looking at that WATCH" he
said; "it's purity to look at, but she
don't 60 worth a cent. And yet her
price wss 1926, gold. 1 gobbled her
up in Chatham Street day before yes
terday, where they where selling lem
very cheap at auction"
"You have been outrageously swim
died." J. said, indignantly. "Watch
and chain are not worth twenty dol
ars."
care they worth fifteen?" he asked
gravely.
"Possibly."
"Then | reckon it's a fair trade.
Ye see, I told 'em I was a Californian
from Solano and hadn't anything about
me of greenbacks. l had three slugs
with me-. Ye remember them slugs?"
Il did; the slug" was a "token" is
sued in the early days-a hexagonal
piece of gold a little over twice the size
of a twenty-dollar gold piece-worth
and accepted for fifty dollars.)
swell, l handed them that and they
handed me the watch. You see them
slugs l had made myself outer brass
filings and iron pyrites, and used to
slap 'em down on the boys for a bluff
in a game of draw poker. You see, not
being regular COMMENT money, wasn't
CONTRIBUTING. l recken they cost me,
counting time and anxiety, about S15.
So, if this yer watch is worth that, it's
about a square game. Amt it?"
1 began to understand the Man from
Solano, and said it a He returned
his watch to his pocket, toyed playfully
with the chain, and remarked: kind
er makes q man look fash'nble and
wealthy, don't it?"
| agreed with him. "But what do
you intend to do hereP" l asked.
"Well, I've got a cash capital of
nigh on 800. l guess until l get into
regular business IN skirmish round
Wall Street, and sorter lay low" [
was about to give him a few words of
warning, but l remembered his watch,
and desisted. We shook hands and
parted.
A few days after I met him on Broad
way. He was attired in another new
suit, but l think l saw a. slight improve
ment in his general appearance. Only
five distinct colors were visible in his
attire. But this, l had reason to be-
lieve afterwards, was accidental.
I asked him if he had been to the
ball. He said he had. "That gal
and a mighty peart gal she was, too
was there, but she sorter fought shy of
me. [ got this new suit to 90 in, but
those walters sOrter run me into a pri-
vate box, and l didn't get much chance
to cOntinniew our talk about them
checks. But that young teller, Dash
board, was mighty perlite. He brought
lots of fellers and young women round
to the box to see me, and he made up
a party that night to take me round
Wall Street and in them Stock Boards.
And the next day he called for me and
took me. And l invested about $500
in them stocks-maybe more. You
see, we sorter swopped stocks. You
know [ had ten shares in the Peacock
Copper mine, that you was once secre-
tary off,
"But those shares are not worth a
cent. The whole thing exploded ten
years ago"
"That's so, may be-you say so. But
then | didn't know any thing more
about Communipaw Central, or the
Naphtha Gaslight Company, and SO |
thought it vas a square game. Only |
realized on the stocks | bought, and |
KEN up outer Wall Street about $500
better. You see it was a sorter risk,
after all, for them Peacock stocks might
come up!"
| looked into his face; it was i'm
measurably serene and commonplace.
| began to be a little afraid of the man,
or, rather, of my want of judgment of
the man, and, after a few words, we
shook hands and parted.
1t was some months before l again
saw the Man from Solano. When I
did, I found that he had actually be-
come a member of the Stock Board,
and had a little office on Broad Street,
where he transacted a fair business.
!, My remembrance going back to the first
night I met him, l inquired if he had re-
newed his acquaintance with Miss X.
81 heerd that she vas in Newport this