The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-04-24

| died." l said, Indignantly. "Watch and
chain are not worth $20."
'Are they worth hfteen?" he said,
gravely.
"Possibly :" ..
"rhen / reckon ips a fair trade. Ye
see, told 'em l was Californian, from
Solano, and hadn't anything about me Of
greenbacks. had three slugs with me.
Ye remember them slugsH Il did; the
''slugs" was a Htoken" issued in the ear
ly days-a hexagonal piece OF gold lit
tie over twice the size OF a twenty-dollar
gold piece-worth and accepted lOr fifty
dollars,)
| "Well, I handed them that and they
handed me the watch. Ye see, them
slugs had made myself outer brass fil-
ings and iron pYrites, and used TO slap
'em down on the boys for bluff in a
game OF draw poker. You see, not bein
regular Gov'ment money, it wasn't coun-
terfeitin'. / reckon they cost me, count
iR time and anxiety, about $15. SO, ii
this yer watch is worth that, It's about a
square game. Aint iti'
l began to understand the Man from
Solano, and said it was. He returned
his watch to his pocket, toyed playtully
with the chain, and remarked, "Kiuder
makes a man look fash'nable and
wealthy, DON'T itP'
| / agreed with him. "But what do you
intend to do here ~ 1 asked.
swell, Pye got cash capital Of nigh
on $700. L guess until | get into regular
business PlI skirmish round Wall street
and sorter lay low."
L was about to give him few words
of warning, but l remembered his watch,
and desisted. We shook hands, and
then parted.
| A few days after met him on Broad
way. He was attired in another new
suit, but think saw slight improve
ment i'll his general appearance. Only
five distinct oelOrs were visible in his
attire. But this, had reason to believe
afterward, was accidental.
| asked him IL 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 60 in, but those
lWaiters sorter run me into private box,
and didn't get much chance to con tin
| niew our talk about them checks. But
] tnat young teller, Mr.. Dashboard, was
mignty perlite. He brought lots of tel-
lers and young women round to the box
to see me, and he made up 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
invested about $500 in them stocks
maybe more. You see, we sorter swoppe d
| stocks. You know l had ten shares in
the Peacock Copper Mine, that you was
once Secretary Of"
"But those shares are not worth cent
The whole thing exploded ten years
ago"
'Phats so, maybe-you say so. But
then didn't know anything more about
| lCommunipaW Central or the Naphtha
Gaslight Company, and so l thought it
| was q square game. only l realized on
the stocks bought, and KEN up outer
Wall street about $4O0 better. You see
it was a sorter risk, after all, for them
Peacock stocks might come upp
| looked into his face; it was 1mmeas-
urably serene and commonplace. /
began to be 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 I again
saw the Man from Solano. When l did
l found that he had actually become a
member Of the Stock Board, and had a
little office on Board street, where he
transacted fair business. Ny remem-
brance going back to the first night
met him, inquired II he had renewed
his acquaintance with Miss X. II
heerd that she was in Newport this
summer, and L ran down there iur a
week."
"And you talked with her about those
baggage-checksH
NO." he said, seriously; "she; gave
me commission TO buy some stocks for
her. You see, guess them fash'nable
lellers sOrter got 10 runnin' her about
me, and SO she put our acquaintance on
square business footing. l tell you
she's right peart girl. Did ye hear oi
the accident that happened to her|
l had not.
wen, you see, she was out yachting
ana L managed through one. Of those
fellers to get an invite, too. The whole
thing was got up by man that they say
Is going 10 marry her. Well, one alter.
noon the boom swings round in little
squal and knocks her overheard. There
was an awful excltement-you'ye' heard
about it, maybeW
MOI But saw il all with a romancer's
instinct In Hash OF poetry, this pooI
l1elloW, de5arred through uncouthuess
from expressing his affection for her
mad at last found its fitting opportunity,
He had
"Ihar was an awful row." he went on,
~ ran out on the tafraiI, and there a
dozen yards away was that purity crea.
ture, that peart gal and-I1
You jumped Tor her," said, hastily,
"No@' he said, grayely; Il leU the
other man do Inc jumping. I sorter
looked on" .. = g.
stared at him in astonshment.
mo-" he Went on seriously. "He was
the man who jumped-that was lust
then MS 'pup-his line OF business.
You see, if l had waltzad over the side
OF that ship, and cavorbad III, and fum-
mixed round ana finally Topped to the
bottom, that other man would have
jumped nateraI-like and saved her, and
ez ne was going to marry her anyway, /
don,t exactly see where I'd hey been
l represented in the transaction. But.
DON'T you see, eff, alter he'd jumped and
hadn't got her, he'd gone down himself,
ia hev had the next best chance. aud
Lhe advantage OF heying him outer the
way You see, you dOu't understand
me- don't think you did in Californy y
"Ihen he did save herw
"Of course. Don't you see she was all
right? II he'd missed her Id hey
clipped in. Thar warn't no sense in INV
doing his duty onless he iailed.,'
Somehow the story got out. The Man
from Solano as a butt became more pop.