The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1881-08-25
Ancients Who Were Well Fixed.

Thousands of men have envied Astor,
Stewart, Vanderbilt, Mackev, Kecnc,
Gould and the other fellows who can
buy strawberries at one dollar per box,
but the richest of them are mere va
grants when compared to some of the
ancients. There was Minus. for in
stance. He was the son of Nimrod,
the old hunter. who made lions scratch
for holes and tigers take to bitches.
Old MIN lett his boy about f13O, OOO, GOO
in cash, besides 12O,OUO cattle, piece
of land about as big as Arkansas. and
1900 likely slaves. There were no
lawyers in those days who made spe-
cialty of breaking wills and gobbling
estates. and young Minus quietly took
possession and cast about for some
plan to keep himself out of the poor
house. He was considered a poor
young man, and had he been seen lug.
cling his girl to an ice-cream saloon or
riding out in a livery rig his friends
would have said he would bring up in
garnet. BY lucky capture OF territory
from the Assyr;ans, together with TO-
600 slaves, $4,000 cattle, ten wagon
loads of silver and jewels and few
other tribes. Minus walked up the So
cial ladder until big bugs asked after
his wife and babies, and he could lose
three games of billiards without won
dering if the owner of the saloon would
take a "stand off, He was worth
ESQ, 600, 900 when he died. and yet for
the last five years of his life he went
without mutton because the price had
raised to three cents per pound.
The heiress with $5O.OO0 bank &C
count considers herself some pumpkins,
but what three cent-piece she would
have been alon gside of Queen Semi
ramis. She not only had the lucre left
by Minus, but in ten years she had in
creased it 1our-fold. just multiply
1850. O0O, 900 by two and you have the
amount of her bank balance, to say
nothing of jewels and clothing and
furniture and palaces and slaves and
cattles. Had she sold out and cleaned
up she could have drawn her little
check for about E7OO,OOO,OCO. She
didn't worry about where her spring
bonnet was to come from, and when
new st, lie of dress goods came out she
didn't sit up nights for tear some neigh
Dor would secure pattern lirst. While
she made it lively for her enemies she
was soft on her friends. She gave her
waiting maid half million dollars i'll
lump for dressing her hair in new
style, and she tossed the same amount
to her dressmaher as a reward for the
excellent fit of one particular dress.
One day when she saw poor old man
travelling the highway on foot she pre-
sented him with 500 asses to ride on,
and insisted on his accepting 100000
to pay his toll and tavern bills.
Cyrus, King of Persia from the year
$50 to $50, had some little change to
begin with. and in ten years he could
draw his check for f5OO, 100000. He
didn't haggle over the price OF a slave
when a man came to buy, but present.
ed him with 1000. He at one time
owned $4,000 horses, 10000 cattle,
200, 900 sheep, $4,000 asses and 25. 600
slaves, and when he got tired of
palace costing $l.OOO,OOO he gave it
away TO some poor washwoman with
seven children to support. He one day
sat down to q dinner which hal cost
ESQ. 900, and in the afternoon he went
on q 100000 drunk. The police didn't
run him in, or he would doubtless have
insisted on paying fine of EGO, 600 and
presenting his Honor with q corner
house and lot in the toniest part OF
Babylon.
King Menes was another well-heeled
man. It was too much trouble to count
his cash, and SO he weighed it. One
day when an old friend asked him for
the loan of few dollars until Saturday
night, he sent him procession OF sixty
asses, each animal loaded with $50
pounds of gold coin. He paid f1O0, 900
for q bird which could whistle, the same
for trick dog. and he had such a fond
ness for white oxen that he shel)ed out
Els, 900 apiece for them, and at one
time had drove of 1000. When he
got out with the boys he made things
lively. During one spree in his city OF
Memphis, he gave away 100000, and
didn't get dead drunk at that. At one
time he had GOO, 900 gold chains, 1.OCO.-
600 finger rings, 100000 costly swords,
1000 daggers, and land only knows
how many 6sh-lines. jack-knives. cork
screws and tobacco-bOxes. His wife
had FL, 900, 900 year as pin-money,
and when his eldest son went up to
Thebes to see the elephant, he was fol-
lowed by 500 friends, 1000 slaves. 1000
horses and E5OO, 900 for fare, checks
and beer money.-DetroH Free Press.