The Portland daily press., 1881-10-01
An Infiationigt,s Discomfiture.

A cobbler. an idle, dissolute fellow, who Piled
his trade in a certain village near which passes
the main line of the Great Western Railway
then lately constructed-used to spend great
mart of disclosure time-which meant that per
tion of the twenty-four hours not actively em-
ployed in eating sleeping, or tippng-ln sit-
ting on fence, watching for the trains. When
one iron monster had gone thuoderlng by, ne
was content to sit there, doing nothing, think
ing nothing, and waiting listlessly the two o.
three hours which elapsed before the next tram
was due; for, as we have said, the railway was
novelty in these parts then. One day, as ne
lounged there, idly turning over fourpenny-
piece In his pocket, the thought occurred 10
him TO place it on the rail, and see what effect
would be produced by allowing train to pass
over it. A man is proverbially careless OF his
last coin, especially when his prospects OF get
ting another are somewhat hay, SO, without any
further reflection, this son OF Crispin put the
money on the shining rail. The clank ana
roar OF a luggage-train were already auuluie
in the distance, and he awaited the result Win
some curiosity. On came the engine, Slowly
laboring, and putting heavily with the I'M
mense weight behind it. The wagons ratified
past and we're gone. Gould that be ms ionr-
penny-bit? Why, it was expanded 10 tne
size of a sxpence, and looked SO mucn hhe
an old and wei-worn specimen OF lhat coiu,
that Yes; he resolved TO try it-quietly,
of course not TO incur unpleasant consequent
ees Vending his way to tue village aenouse,
he called for pot of that refreshing nula, ana
tandered in payment the metamorphoseu TOUR
pence which in its value at par, so 10 u elk,
would have been the exact equivalent Tor the
beer Nothing felonious about that, AS iar as
external appearances went, certainly, though
when twopence change was received anu ac-
.,1 hAfn
IL was no longer a dream engendered by lug
gsge-trains and thirst in fortuitous comoina-
ton with a solitary fourpenny-bit, gu. Jd1
dcconlpH Fifty per cent on all available cap
ital for life. easily realized without risk' WILL
ont fail Here was a discovery! He went out
Of the beer-shop feeling already ike money
cd man.
solitsrv coin aud so it was, so far as ms pocket
was concerned; but the reader Is not TO assume
that il expressed the sum-total of his worldly
wealth Mrs. Crispin, who was rather snre%,
always laid violent hands on her husband
cash whan she got the chance, whicn was not
often, and so managed to keep smaii reserve
fund for household expenses, and for the pur-
chase of leather and implements for the work
ing thereof when necessary. This little store
he contrived to extort from her by vague and
magnificent assurances OF an Immediate H.
crease TO be effected through some mysterious
agency, the nature of which nothing would In
duce him to reveal. For three whole days ne
kept comparatively sober, and having pawned
such items of the furniture as he could con-
trive to smuggle out of the house when MS
wifs's back was turned, he found himself pos
sessed of nearly five pounds In ready money.
1t was sore temptation to pass by the red-cur-
tanned bar of the public-house Win such an
amount throbbing in his pockets; but No resls-
ted manfully, and walked to nelghboring Town
to change the larger coins. little by little, Tor
those small pieces, which now appeared 10 Nun
to be the embodiment of all that was desirable
in the coinage of the realm. At last the ex-
changes were negotiated in full, and charged
with fourpenny pieces to the extent OIL several
pounds, he was ready for the grand expert
ment.
That it must be performed at night was plain,
since it would never do to be seen engaged In
such a task BY any of his acquaintance.
There would be no difficulty about this, how
ever as tbs down express flashed by forty mln-
utes after midnight. At the witcnlng hou5'
therefore, when all the village slumoered,
Crispin stole off to the scene of action with his
bag Of silver and lantern, and having care
fully arranged the coins in two rows, nail Oh
one rail and half on the other, clamDered up
to his accustomed perch on the fence, and
awaited the arrival of the train with beating
heart A whisper in the ARA tremor OF the
earth rumble, roar, shriek-a delrlnm
Of fiery eyes, thunder, lightning, and earth
onake- a whirlwind of steam and dust-tWo
red lights disappearing in the distance.
He dsshes up the bank with his lantern 10
secure his newly mnted sixpences, but
They were gone? Not vestige of one remain
ed Whether the greater speed mad anything
10 do with it-whether there was any greasy
composition on the tires-or whether the enor-
nous friction produced by the long and rapid
journey had heated them till they were adhes-
i've in themselves, was never explained; but
certain il is that every groat OF the co6bler's
fortune had gone to siiverplate the wheels of
railway engine.-[ Chambers Journal.