The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-04-06

my husband will pay you," then smell
to unwrap the unconscious Dolly.
"Payp Bing Indignantly exclaimed
'Pay2 For me? after what / hayt
doneT'
| He was about to say that the sugges-
tion was an insult and that what he had
accomplished was for humanity; waer
the old gentleman broke in very sharply
with the question.
/ "Now, what's all this nonsense about.
What does this mean, Hetty? What dc
you want, young manw +.
Bing could not, and the girl did not
answer. She had her Delly's head in heI
lap. She tore off the last wrapping. A
lovely face was revealed, it's eyes closed
as if in sleep, the Raxen hair in tangled
masses around her neck, the lips smiling.
A murmur of admiration went up from
those around. The old gentleman leaned
over the girls shoulder. His face instant
ly became purple with rage. He caught
the beauty by its hair and dashed it an
grily to the walh ....
Course it!' he shrieked. "Do I find
only that thing saved? Has all this fuss
been about that internal wax model for
your dresses? 0, this is shameful,
shameful, shameful!" and he wrung his
hands.
The people began to hoot and jeer. and
to urge James Madison Bing to revenge
himself by force of arms, as if he were
strong enough to do more than he was
doing, stand erect. But the old man
turned on him.
"You did noble thing. sir, wonder
fully NOBLE" he said. "But 1 would
have given you $100 note not to have
made such fool of me. What's your
name? James Madison Bing, eh? Re-
markable namel Now Bing, take this
and go away. Don't speak Of it, there's
good fellow. Don't tell your name.
Keep out of the newspapers. Go away!
Go" pushing poor Bing along. "Really
I'd rather be you than myself. Go! go"
then, turning, abandoned him.
Bing looked at the gift. 1t was FIVE
nollar note. This, then, was the reward
for masterpiece of heroism, equal to
any thing on that line of which he had
read. At first he was tempted in his
rage, to trample it under foot, to throw
it away, to tear it to pieces. Then he re-
membered that he was actually starving
in great city, ,wherehe had nota friend,
and, unless he took the money, not a
cent with which to buy food.
81 certainly earned that money. by
making fool of myself" he thought as,
away from the crowd, he walked along
''It is mine. 1t ought to be framed.
There should be tag to it. That tag
ought to say-FEarned by an IDIOT And
that woman! What selfish, cold
blooded creature to let me go into that
fire to save her wax dummy. If l had
brought out a woman, a child, even a
dog, the act would have been heroism. I
reached model on which to display
dresses and every body will laugh at the
adventure. There's big difference.
Heroism is qualified by its object. 1t
also has money value-$5 worth in my
case. | don't fancy being hero. There's
too much risk. Pd rather hoe corn and
potatoes for excitement. l believe that
would be heroism. Now for something
to eat before somebody steals my money.
Then home"
Bing kept his resolve. He was back
home again next day, wiser than Solo
mon, who never had his ambition or his
experience. Meanwhile, the newspapers
took up the incident. They published
Biug5s name in large letters. They said
funny things ABOUT him. They made the
affair very ludicrous. 1t was double
funny, because it happened to involve
old Dr. and his young wife. For the
latter's puppet Bing had risked his life.
Society does not care so much for a
noble act as for a succulent object for
gossip. The doctor and his wife furnished
that subject, and he never heard the last
of Bing's brave deed until an apopleptic
fit with fatal termination gave him
permanent relief.