The Iola register., 1883-01-26
A $4,000 Find.

There was great excitement on Friday
among the laborers in the Street Cleaning
Department who are engaged filing in
the North River front at the foot ol
Seventy-ninth Street. 1t was reported
that Michael Cummings. the father of s
young man who is employed by the De
partment as trimmer at the river, had
found a Government bond valued at
$4,000 among the refuse, and that some
of the men had seen him pick it up and
tuck it carefully into the bosom of his
shirt. Cummings could not be found
that afternoon, but on Saturday, when
his friends congratulated him and sug.
gested that he ..wet'' the bond, he COM
piled with great generosity. This settled
the question in the minds of his friends,
and when he disappeared again it was
said he had gone to buy house and LOT
in Fifth Avenue. A Times reporter
called upon Mr.. Cummings last evening
to ascertain how much truth there was
in these stories. Mr.. Cummings was
found in his comfortable cottage at the
foot of Seventy-ninth Street, He was
attired in blue s'overalls" and q
'jumper," and was complacently smok.
ing clay pipe in his sitting-room. Mrs.
Cummings and Mr.. Cummings, Jr.,
were also present When the reporter
announced the object of his visit the ex.
preston of Mr.. Cummings countenance
changed from lofty calm to one of ex.
treme sheepishness, and half suppressed
smiles were noticed upon the faces of
Mrs. Cummings and Mr.. Cummings,
Jr.
s'In jist wan minute, sir" he said, and
disappeared into back room, while Mrs.
Cummings and Mr.. Cummings, Jr.,
laughed outright.
"Poor divvle," said the former, shell
niverhe the last O. that. "D' We see"
But here Mr.. Cummings appeared with
small lamp and beckoned the reporter
to follow him. He led the way through
bedroom and the kitchen out into the
woodshed. Then he placed the lamp
on shelf and babe the reported be
seated.
''Now I'll give it to We straight.
Yell excuse me for bringin' We out here,
but I'd git the grand laugh if staid
there, agin, and I've got all want of il
already. Now, thin! About four
o'clock Friday afternoon 1 was out wild
a coal-scuttle picking up small bits OF
coal in that street refuse, whin suddenly
/ finds a piece of paper marked tin
thousarA dollars. l looked at it two or
three times to make sure l was right,
an then / kicked the coal-scuttle into
the river and made break for home
The old woman was mending me socks.
".Throw them old things into the
stover / saws, and l showed her that
bond. Thin some of the boys got onto
it an came in to see about it, an sent
out for the whisky and called in the
neighbors an we had high time. /
showed the bond to the foreman Of the
work at the river, and he told me fer to
go to Drexel, Morgan G. Co. 's-which
their name was on the paper-and see if
it was good: So on Monday L took it
around there-Sayr' said Mr.. Cum
mings. suddenly interrupting himself
and pointing to the corpse of remark
ably large and plump. turkey which
hung from rafter. '.D'ye see that
bird hangin' there? That don't look
as if this family was goin' to starye if
that bond wasn't genooine, does it?
Well, sor, Mr.. Morgan told me that it
was no good. 1t was only cheek that
had been cancelled dye mind? 1 took
that check and"
At this juncture the door opened and
Mrs. Cummings appeared. Mr.. Cum |
mings looked at her warningly, but she |
asked, with great hilarity:
''Did We tell the gentleman how We |
I'LL Iol~t -. G..
the boys. Mike?"
"Willye be good enough to how'd yer
iar?" retorted her husband with great |
"She's tryin' to play it on ye,
sir. That's lie. As was saving |
took that check and tore it up in small |
bits
'.And the more fool you" interjected
Mrs. Cummings.
81 tore it up in small bits right before |
that mans desk, and that's the end of it. |
VIII you be good enough to leave this !
my authority on ye?' Mr.. Cummings
then remarked, sternlv, to his better half, |
whereat she laughed inordinately.
There's another thing" went on Mr..
Cummings, bestowing a savage glare |
upon her, 81 want to tell We about. A
wrote in wan of the papers that |
l lived in ashanty-a dilapidated shanty. /
Now l ask you as a man and gentle. |
man if this looks like dilapidated shan
ty? If l had that reporther here" con-
tinued Mr.. Cummings with great indig-
nation, "rll tell We what I'd do, I'd sind |
my son out to ring The fire alarm fer an
and thin I'd pound that re-
porther until the ambulance got here to
take him away"
Mr.. Cummings is evidently sly fat
terer, for he came outside of his door
when the reporter went away to re-
mark:
"Say, can till by yer appearance that
ye're the only reporther I've talked to
that knows anything. Jis give Drexel,
Morgan g. Co. the tip in the paper, that
if they should sind me a check fer one
hundred dollars as a reward fer my
honesty, i shouldn't have any hard feel
ings against 'em on that account.-N Y
Times.
Rabbit Shooting.