The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-04-25

mouths, and were staring intently at the
stage, when the Man from SOlano con-
tinued: ..E.
"'Then, may be, Miss, whenever there
is show going on that you'll attend
you'll just drop me word to Erles's Hotel
tothis yer address," and he pulled from
his pocket dozen well-worn letters, and
taking tile buff envelope from one, handed
it to her with something like bow.
"Certainly," broke in the facetious
Dashboard, "Miss X goes to the Charity
Ball tomorrow night. The tickets are
but tritle to an opulent Californian and
man Of your evident means, and the OBJ
ject a worthy one. You will, no doubt,
easily secure an invitation.
Mis- X. raised her handsome eyes for
moment to Dashboard. "By all meahs,"
she said, turning to the man from Solano,
"and Mr.. Dashboard is one Of the man
ayers and you are a stranger, he will, of
course, send you complimentary ticket.
I have known Mr.. Dashboard long enough
to know that he is invariably courteous to
strangers and a gentleman" She settled
herself in her chair again and fixed her
eyes upon the stage. %5s ~ Is 81
of New York, and then after shaking
hands with everybody in the box, turned
to go. When he had reached the door
he looked back to Miss X and said
at was one of the quecrcst things
in the world, Miss, that my tindin' them
But the curtain had Just then risen on
the garden scene in "Faust," and Miss x.
was absorbed. The Man from Solano
carefully shut the box door and retired. I
followed him. II
He was silent until he reached the
lobby, and then he said, as if renewing
previous conversation. "She is a
mighty peart gal-thats so. She's Just
my kind and will make stavin' good
wife, $..s $50. s.
l thought I saw danger ahead for the;
Man from Solano, so I fastened to tell
him 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, without
the slightest trace Of feeling, it would be
mighty queer if she wasn't. But Ireckon
I'll steer down to the hotel. I don't
care much for this yellin'' (He was al
luding to cadenza Of that famous can
tatrico, Signora BATH Batti) whats the
time?"
He pulled out his watch. 1t was such
a glaring sham so obviously bogus, that
my eyes were fascinated by it. "Youre
looking at that watch" he said; sits purity
good to look at, but she don't go worth
cent: And yet her price was $125, gold,
1 gobbled her up at Chatham street day
before yesterday, where they were selling
em very cheap at auction"
"You have been outrageously swindled,"
[ said, Indignantly; swatch and chain
are not worth twenty dollars
care they worth fifteen?' he asked,
gravely. e.
POSSIBLY" ..-.......-..
"Then I reckon it's fair trade. Ye
see, 1 told 'em was Californian from
Solano, and hadn't anything about me of
greenbacks. [ had three slugs with me
We. remember them slugs?" I did; the
g slug" was a "token" issued in early
days. hexagonal piece of gold little
over twice the size of twenty dollar gold
piece, worth and accepted for fifty dollars.)
"Well, I handed them that and thew
handed me the watch. You see them slues
l had made myself outer brass filings and
iron pyrites, and used to put 'em down on
the boys for bluff in a game of draw
poker. You see not being regular gov'ment
money, wasn't counterfeiting. I reckon
they cost me, counting time and anxiety,
about SIS. So if this yer watch is worth
that, it's about square game. Amt it?"
began to understand the Man from So
lano, and said it was. He returned his
watch to his pocket, toyed playfully with
the chain, and remarked: "Kinder makes
man look fash'nble and wealthy, don't
it,"
Iagreed with him. "But what do YOU
intend to do here?" asked.
"Well, I've got q cash capital of nigh on
800. l guess until get into regular
business; III skirmish round Wall street
and sorter lay low.", was about to give
him few words of warning, but remem-
bered his watch, and desisted. We shook
hands and parted.
A few days after we met on Broadway.
H was attired in another new suit, but I
think saw slight improvement in his
general appearance: Only five distinct
cOlOrs were visible in his attire. But this.
had reason to believe afterwards, was
accidental. n!
asked him if he had been to the ball.
He said he had. THAT gal-and
mighty peart gal she was too, was there,
put she sorter fought shy of me. I-got
this new suit to go in, but these walters
sorter run me into private box, and I
didn't get much chance to continniew our
talk about them checks. But that young
fellow Dashboard was mighty perlite. He
hr0l1nhf lofc of Eolloro al