Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-12-23
DAILY RECORD uyYoS sxpTrs.
s0LeME xVI-NUMBER l0,.


row what you want. Ah, how people would stare
They would clap their hands and say, what won.
derfnl man Master Fink is what wonderful, won.
derful man You would be made magistrater' ~
thought, All ! if were magistrate, and YOU
were brought before me, would make short werk
OF you, miser Pretzel. And wondered why he was
| so anxious TO lend me money-me. who alwavs smoke
| OF him as a villainous usurer
Day after day, week after week ne continued IN
poster me and try to infame my ambition with bis
cunning speech, until determined to set a trap for
| him. told him that much as sbould like To do
what he was urging me to do it was not in my
power, for once in my life had vowed never to bor
row money at interest. He opened his ewes yery
wide. don't suppose he had ever had such thing
said to him before. He tried TO reason me ont Of
my vow, but said it was no use, and that nothing
should ever tempt me to break it. He was Quiet for
little while after this; but once or twice saw him
looking in at my shop window, counting the
watches and CHAINS and trinkets therein displayed
Ha, hal he was going to walk straight into my
trap, He came in very briskly one morning, and
said ::
Master Fink, will do you a service against
your will will compel you to become rich man.
You shall borrow the money of me, and will
charge you no interest-onIy you shall, OF course,
sign bond to pay me a stated day"
Indeed, indeed, do not care for it." said;
am not ready sufficiently well eff?
No, you are not" he retortcd az will do YOU
this Kindness so that people shall say, Pretzel Is
good fellow We have beea mistaken In him'n
The devil is never as black as he is painted."I
eaid, saucily
All, Master Fink, he said, "y you will have YOUR
joke you will have your Joke !"
Yes" said to myself, and intend to enjoy
it, and profit by L."
within week, 50 eager he to have his fingers
IN my pie he had lent me three thousand forms for
Two years, without interest and | signed bond
undertaking to repay the money a certain date
anu giving Pretzel the power in the three thou
Saiiu HORNS were not refunded to the minute to
seize my stock and furniture, and sell me up stock
anu DOCK In this bond Preze had inserted words
D ene erect that the money was TO be handed to
him at exactly Il o'clock in the morning BY Pretzers
| own watch.
Mind, he said with a little chuekling laugh.
" II you are minute later than 2 o'clock hy nv
watch shall take possession OF all your goods"
" Yes, yes" said. al understand at 10 o'clock
on that day YOU shall receive tie money you are 50
kind as to lend me without interest"
Eis evil eye never had slyer wcke der look in it
than when he shook hands with me, ard wished me
good day, leaving his three thousand forms behind
him. With his money tied up in a bag / went in
mediately to the State Bank, and deposited it upon
interest, and there l let it llv without Pretzel or
any one else outside the bank knowing ANYTHING
OF the transaction. From time to time PretzeI
looked in, and asked when my IEate glass and nv
newf1shioned goods to arrive | Put eff his
questions with an awkgardness which intended
him to no ice. He did notice it at length, and he
said to me:
Your new watches and chains and your plate.
glass windows are a lcng time coming. Remember.
l lent you the money to purchase them"
No. | said, and l pretended 20 be much con-
fused You did not lend the money to pur-
chase them you simply lent me the money That
is stated in the bond, and it is not stated how 1
should employ the money. "A good speculation
occurred TO me and have invested in it"
And if the speculation should turn out bad in
stead of good 2" he replied
Then shall be ruined But, no-you are nv
iriend-you would never sell me up; you would
give me time to repair my losses
His eyes Travelled round my shop; there wss a
malicious expression on his weazen face
The devil is never as black as he is painted. is
he, Master Fink p he said with a wicked grin.
Thereafter he would ask, whenever he saw me.
and how is the speculation getting on ?'
Don't ask NE, don's ask - l would sigh
How fortunate for me that am in the hands of a
friend like yourself Never have beheld vopr
money since the unhappy day on which you lent il
| to me-never have seen the color of it ~
Which was as true as anything ever spoke in NV
| life; his money did not trouble me- 1t was safe
enough in the bank
So the first year passed, and six months of the
second. Pretzei never ceased asking me about nv
| speculation, and never ceased expressing my dis
pair. During the last few morths he was in the
| habit Of coming to me with his watch in his ha nd
and saying:
p" Master Fink, wish you 70 regulate my watch
And regulated it for him on an average once in
every week.
On the day before the money was to be repaid I
went to the bank, and it out and received also
the interest, with which, having previously so ar.
ranged, purchased that handsome lever watch I
have ever since worn and this handsome gold chain
you see round my neck.
The morning arrived l had q friend to break
fast with me who was to wisness wha. was about to
take place. SuspeetiDg some trick, and wishing to
be prepared for it, the friend to me at 7ocIock
In the morning to stay with me until the affair was
over. expected that Pretzel would present him.
sell at about quarter to Il, but to my surprise he
entered my shop as half dozen clocks in the place
chimed quarter to 10. He was accompanied by
lawyer.
Good morning, Master Fink" said Pretzel.
GOOD morning" l returned.
heavens how cunning and sharp and sly and
malicious his look
his is my lawyer Master Fink" he said.
bowed to the lawyer, and said to Pretzel, "You
will renew the boad, viii you not? You will let
the money remain with me for another two years at
the same rate Of interest I?
He laughed in my face. Master Fink" he said.
"attend to For years before l lent yeu this
money you were in the habit of speaking against
ME whenever you had an opportunity. You were
never tired Of calling me Vilainous old usurer."
" 1t is true, groaned, but then have lived to
see my error"
~ lent you my money without interest to prove
to you and to everybody tha5 l am really beneyo-
lent man." There something dabocal in his
look as he uttered these words "And even then
you threw into my teeth the taunt that the devil
was never as black as he is painted" | groaned
again. =" If you have been improvident that is YOUR
affair. II YOU have squandered my money and
recklesslY lost it. you will be spoken of as knaye
and you will lose the honorable you have been
50 proud Of" gave two long, distinct groans "I
have come now for my money, and if you are not
prepared to pay me 1000 honest FORMS will strip
your house and your shop of every article they CON-
tain. You shall not even have a bed to lie upon.
nor spoon to eat with. You will be rogue, a
cheat, beggar. Ask the lawyer whether 1 am
standing my rights
looked at the lawyer. By the bond you have
signed, and which Pretzel holds in his han So said
the lawyer, in enswer to my look, "if you do not
pay him the 800 forins, he is entitled to carry
away every hing movable within these walls
And will do it +" screamed Pre;zel, who was
working himself up into frantic state Of exulta-
ton. lean see by your face that you have not
got the money; that you have squandered it like a
thief because it was not yours TO lose You shalt
suffer for IT, You shall suffer for calling me VII
lainous usurer. You shall suffer for saying am
not as black as l am painted. Do you see those