The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-04-04

ladies had their handkerchiefs over their
mouths, and were staring intently on the
stage, when the Man from Solano con-
tinued
"Then, may be, miss, whenever there
is a show goin' on that you'll attend,
you'll just drop me word to Earles
Hotel, to this yer address, >" and he
pulled from his pocket dozen well-worn
letters, and taking the buff envelope
from one, handed it to her with some
thing like bow.
"Certainly," broke in the facetious
Dashboard, "Miss x. goes to the
Charity ball tomorrow night. The
tickets are but a trife to an opulent
Californian and man of your evident
means, and the object worthy one.
You will, no doubt, easily secure an in
vitation.
Miss X. raised her handsome eyes for
a moment to Dashboard. By all
MEANS" she said, turning to the Man
from Solano," and as Mr.. Dashboard
is one of the managers and you are q
stranger, he will, of course, send you q
complimentary ticket. I have known
Mr.. Dashboard long enough to know
that he is invariably courteous to
strangers and gentleman. She set
tied herself in her chair again and fixed
her eyes upon the stage.
The Man from Solano thanked the
man of New York, and then, after
shaking hands with everybody i'll the
box, turned to 60 When he reached
the door be looked back to Miss X. and
said:
"It was one of the queerest things in
the world, miss, that my tindin' them
checks
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.
followed him.
He was silent until he reached the
lobby, and then he said, as if renewing
previous conversation "She is a
mighty peart gal-that's SO. She's
Just my kind and will make stavin'
good wife"
thought I saw danger ahead for the
Man from Solano, so 1 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, without
the slightest trace of feeling, I" it would
be mighty queer if she wasn't. But l
reckon I'll steer down to the hotel. l
don't care much for this yellin'. (He
was alludinr to q cadenZa of that famous
cantatrice, Signora Batti Batti.) "What's
the time?'
He pulled out his watch. 1t was such
glaring sham, so obviously bogus,
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 go
worth cent. And yet her price was
Sl25, gold Igobbled I her uk in Chat
ham street day before yesterday, where
they were selling 'em very cheap at
auction
"You have been outrageously swim
died." said, Indignantly. "Watch and
chain are not worth twenty dollars"
care they worth ffteen?' he asked,
eravely.
Possibly"
"Then l reckon it's fair trade. Ye
see. I told 'em I was Californian from
So!ano and hadn't anything about me of
greenbacks. I had three slugs with me.
Ye remember them slugs?" Il did; the
"slug" was "token" issued in the
early days-a hexagonal piece Of gold q
little over twice the size of q twenty
dollar gold piece-worth and accepted
for fifty dollars.)
"Well, I handed them that and they
handed me the watch. You see them
slugs had made myself outer brass fill
ings and iron pyrites, and used to slap
'em down on the boys for bluff in a
game of draw poker. You see, not
being regular gov'ment money, wasn't
counterfeiting. 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
Solano, and said it was. He returned
his watch to his pocket, toyed playfully
with the chain, and remarked: "Kinder
makes man look fash n BILE and wealthy,
don't it?"
agreed with him. "But what do
you intend to- do here % I asked.
"Well, I've got a cash capital of nigh
on 500. I guess until 1 get into reg lar
business I'll skirmish round Wall street,
and sorter lay low" I was about to
give hinr few words of warning, but I
remembered his watch, and desisted.
We shook hands and parted.
A few days after met him on Broad
way. He was attired in another new
suit, but I think saw slight improve
ment in his general appearance. Only
five distinct colors were visible in his
attire. But this, I had reason to believe
afterwards, was accidental.
I asked him if he had been to the ball.
He said he had. "That gal-and q
mighty peart gal she was too, was there,
but she sorter fought shy of me. I got
this new suit to 60 in, but those walters
sorter run me into private box, and l
didn't get much chance to continniew
our talk about them checks. But that
young feller, Dashboard, was mighty
perlite. He brought lots of fellers and
Young women round to the box to see
me, and be 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 I
invested about $500 IN them stocks-may
be more. You see, we sorter swopped
stocks. You know had ten shares in
the Peacock Copper mine, THAT you was
once secretary of.
"But those shares are not worth a
cent. The whole thing exploded ten
years ago."
"Thats so. may be-you say SO. But
then I didn't know anything more about
Commmipaw Central, or the Naphtha
Gaslight company, and so I thought it
was square game. Only I realized on
the stocks bought, and I KEN up outer
Wall street about $400 better. You see
it was sorter risk, after all, for them
; Peacock stocks might come up!"
I looked into his face it was i'm