The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-09-08
Ae Couldn't Help 1t.

| Two tiaslily-dressed young men with
enormous diamond pins Oh their eXpan
slve shirt-fronts and seal-rings on theil
little fingers large enough for paper
! weights, Sauntered into cOnfectiOner,
the other day, and leaned against the
counter to wait until the numerous
Other. customers had been disposed OF.
| a young fellow who had just been in
| dnlging in a dish of ice-crealn IN the
parlor at the rear Of the store, came
out to the counter, fumbled in his
pocket minute or two and finally SAID
"Guess | must have left my purse al
| home this time.'
| "Here, none of that" said the pro-
prietor, stepping out from behind the
counter, you'll have to pay the cash,
and you'd better do it right away and
save trouble.'
''I'll drop in tomorrow and sec about
| it," said the impecunious devourer of
ice-cream. who hadn't supposed that
| the proprietor would make a fuss when
his store was full of people.
| mo you DON'T" said the proprietor,
grabbing him across the counter, "we
don't trust, and if you don't shell out
the cash right on the spot, I'll--''
He was suddenly interrupted by the
queer proceedings Of one of the two
young men, who pulled out an elegant
gold watch held it up to his ear to see if
it was going, and then dropped it de-
liberately OH the floor. Everybody in
the store clustered about him as he
picked the watch up and opened it to
show that it had stopped running.
Sam, said he, turning to his COM
panion with a horrible grin on his coun-
tenance and bis lower lip curled out
like a dropping cabbage leaf, sam,
why is dis here watch jes like do store
| we's in nOw?"
''Why is dat watch jes like de store
| we'S in now?
| Well don't know. Why Is dat ar
watch like de store we's in now2"
Case dere amt no tick here" and
] the DeJeWeled young mon grinned until
their mouths looked like two Russian
leather lined satchels, and rolled their
eyes until they presented the appear
allce of rubber balls bobbing around in
u barrel of mortar. Suddenly the two
young men looked at each other,
started as though they had just walked
up from some horrible dream, and then
walked out in step.
"There's a hundred and fifty dollars
worth of watch gone to thunder," said
one end-man to the other, as they reach
ed the sidewalk, ''but / couldn't help
It,, it came on me all at once, like the
nightmare"
The proprietor is still waiting for the
lmpecunious young man to cone back
and pay for his ice cream.
The Oldest Bank s Notes.
The oldest bank notes are the "fying
money!" or convenient money! first
issued in China. 2607 B. G. Originally
these notes were issued by the Treasu-
| ry, but experience dictated a change to
the system Of banks under Government
inspection and control. a writer in a
provincial paper says that the early
Chinete greenbacks" were in all es-
sentials similar to the modern bank
notes, bearing the name of the bank
the date of issue, the number OF the
note, the signature Of the official issuing
| 1t, indications Of its value in figures, in
words, and in the pictorial representa-
tion OF coins or heaps Of coins equal
In amount to its face value, and no.
tice of the pains and penalties of coun
terfeiting. Over and above all was q
laconic eXhortation to sndustry and
thrift" Produce all you can spend
with economy The notes were printed
in blue ink on paper made from the
fibre Of the mulberry tree. One issued
in 1899 B. Q. Is preserved in the Asiatic
| Museum at st. Petersburg.