Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1881-03-24
A BIG SCHEME.
By Which Every Man Can Be
come q Millionaire.

| NdsuNiltc DduncT.
I've got the biggest scheme of tn,
age, said q man about forty years old
as he dropped into chair by the city
editors desk in the editorial room thi.
morning. He wore a brindle-coloreC
duster, and his head gear, an ancien
plug, hid his ears.
Have, eb? inquired the person ad-
dressed.
Yes, Stree. Biggest thing you evel
heard of. 1tll revolutionize the bull
country. Make me rich, and you rich
and everybody rich
You don't appear to be very rich,
replied the editor.
4 don't Cause why2 I've been
foolin' away my timejust like you are
doing now. I've worked harder than
a mule for three years and not a cent
laid up. About three weeks ago an
idee struck me kinder sudden-like.
begun to think. 1 laid awake nights
and thought. Finally about four
O'Clock this morning, while lying in
bed thinking, suddenly riz up, and
my wife she says, What's the matteri
Got nightmarep 1 told her no, that
l was going to be rich. She called me
an old fool, and turned over and went
to sleep. Twas too happy to Sleep l
got up and walked around till break
fast, and then set out for your office.
| had heard that you were willing to
help the poor, and SO l says to myself
'Pll confide my secret to him.
Possibly you've found large pot of
goldT
No; my scheme Is this: There are
thousands and millions of men in this
country who are ricn. There are more
who are not rich. Now, my scheme is
to have these rich men help the poor
men to get rich2 And when we are all
rich what beautiful world we'll have.
How do propose to do this? For in
stance: l propose that every man and
woman in The State who can afford it
shall give me fifty cents. That will
make me rich. See? / will take that
money and start me family grocery,
and then we rich men will take up a
similar collection for you and then you.
are rich. Then with you on our list
we will take up the next man and make
him rich, and so on, and so on, until
everybody is on the rich list. See how
it works? Beautiful, isn't itY
i guess it is.'
'Oh, it's boss. It's wonder some
body didn't think oft before, So sim
pie, you know. Why, we can all be
bond-holders in few years, and own
stock in railroads and canals and ma
tional banks
'WellY
4 want you to publish the scheme
and let the people know what we are
doing, and tell 'em where to send their
fifty centses-Elijah Pudd, station D, |
Tenn. You see, l being the
of the plan, ought to be
made rich first, so as to show 'em how
this works. Now, the honor of organ
Izing the plan is glory enough for me;
so, if you say SO, Pll let you have the
of paying in the first half dol
ar, and you can pay it now, and I'll
enter your name on the fly leaf Of this
book, mentioning in brackets that you
IRE the first man. Shall put you down
or fifty centsY
No
MOP Remember, it's nothing to me
Vho puts his name down first. It's
'rivilege that will be granted to but few.
f you want you can pay me the twen-
fire cents now and hand me the rest
t another time. Shall I put down
twenty-five centsg 5E
No.
Then I'll be more liberal still; give !
lie ten cents and I'll enter your name !
nd give You credit for the full amount.
ill youp
NO. L.
I'll go; and as you won't give me a !
lme, maybe you wouldn't mind loan
g me chew of tobaccof'
No sir
All right" and he passed out. !
An hour later reporter found him
orking on the street with the chain
ing, and, as he passed along, heard .
m mutter:
It's id poor man who won't
We ten cents toward making another =
an rich.' .