The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-02-09
NEVER UNDER $780,"
A Tale of life Insurance.

eve never dispute under 500 pounds,
of COURSE" said Mr.. Luke Franks.
"But if you pay on fire policies
which you know are frauds, you are
encouraging crime" replied his friend
Blake.
"Not in the city; competition in the
city is SO deadly"
"But what about the neighbors who
get stirred up and nearly frightened
out of their lives?"
"Well, really we have nothing to do
with the neighbors-in the city"
"It does look bad, thought"
"Pooh!" replied Mr.. Luke Frank,
"you know nothing about business
you are retired Paymaster in the
navy, with a longish family OF boys
and shortish rations. Your idea OF life
is strict ledger and three dozen
for everything beyond discipline. Give
me another cut of beef But business
is business, you know, and insurance Is
--the-dev-il. / give you my word, as
sec. of right rippon company, that we
dare not question increased policies.
How do you mean?"
"Suppose Stubs, greengrocer, in
sures for hundred and fifty and sud-
denly runs it up to three hundred
what would you do?"
See where the other hundred and
fifty was!"
Precisely, and ruin the company.
We should ask Stubs two or three pro-
forma questions, shut our eyes, take his
money and -"
And pay him his money when he
burnt biS bouSa down q"
"My dear fellow, there are 300
chances to one that he will not attempt
to burn his house down., 800 to one
that it will not be burnt down when he
fires it."
81 don't follow your
"More ledger work, my dear boy.
Try and follow me. BY delicate calcu-
lations we find that out of 800
scoundrels who increase their policies
without making any addition to their
household goods, or business stock,
only one rises to the point of striking
the lucifer, as we call firing a house.
We also find that only one in six of the
small houses overinsured and set fire to
are burnt out. Briefly, we make fS97
profit upon intentional and foiled ras-
cality as against one failure, say for
E300--and that we generally cut down
by the display of good humor."
why, l thought you said you never
disputed anything under f500.
Dispute, my good Blake-no, we
never think of it. But we do argue !;
and when put it to you that nineteen
out of twenty incendiaries are arrant
towards you can understand that we
oCfx
note, which would be what, perhaps,
the goods burned were worth.
"But if all the insurance companies
combined to be honest?"
"The fire brigade could go home.
But it is not to be thought of. Business
is business"
II suppose there are some real fires ?"
said dismayed John Blake.
ayes; rats which toy with lucifers are
our chief enemies, and sour servants of
all kinds, with a grudge, dts, or warm
ling"
well said Mrs. Blake. who had
been listening intently, IF you have
done with the beef we will have up the
cheese"
Those who read these pages need be
no further informed as to the three
persons here mentioned-two old
school-fellows, one talking shop" over
a supper at the house of one of them,
the wife making third.
Neither Blake nor his spouse had an
idea of evil as the candid secretary dis
played the secrets of his Office But
temptation, in the shape of letter, was
then pitching over the Atlantic.
1t was very short missive.
by the next post expect letter, a
BLANK sheet of paper; you will know
what to do with it.
This was addressed to Dear Provi-
dence," who had been Miss Mittigen,
presumably Portuguese and perhaps of
Jewish origin, devoted mother to her
boys and perfect tigress in their
interests. With this woman maternal
love had developed into a danger;
keen and eager woman, Like hungry
weasel, was Mrs Blake. She belonged
TO an adroit family, small, active,
restless. Her five brothers; finding
England too small for their develop
ment all went to America, where, at
the time this short letter was pitching
across the Atlantic, their number had
been reduced to two. The other three
had passed over TO the majority-after
short interviews with Judge Lynch.
At the end of about three seconds, or
may be fraction more, Mrs. Blake had
the thread of the enigma, and said
~The blank sheet of paper will be a
letter written with sympathetic ink, and
when we hold it to the fire my dear
brothers letter will come out in lemon
-colored writing We used to write let
tiers in that way"
Blake looked rather ruefully concern
ing may dear brother" who, despite his
great performances, was, like his lessen
ing host of brothers, always wanting o
~ten-pounder" from dear PROXY"
This time" said Providence Blake,
Il feel il sfortune."
I'm sure I hope you are right, my
dear" said the Paymaster pensioner,
~for there's John would make fine en-