Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-12-18
A Practical Joke.

One Chicago man has had enough of
practical jokes. Jones and jenkins
are partners. Jones is Democrat and
jenkins is Republican. While the
excitement over the New York count
was at its hight, Jones invited Jenkins
over to his house to spend the evening.
Thinking to have little fun with his
partner, Jones got an American flag,
picture of Blaine, and stuffed eagle
and fixed them up very gracefully on
his front-parlor mantel. Then, to make
the thing more binding, he got friend
to write message to himself, purport-
ing to come from New York, stating
that the count had been finished and
that Blaine had the state by 1000 ma
jority
When jenkins arrived he was greatly
pleased with the demonstration made
by his friend, and took great sat-
isfaction in reading and rereading the
telegram containing the good news.
After supper he became uneasy, and
about o'clock he excused himself and
went away Jones was immensely
pleased with the success of his game.
81 like to rub it on these felers,n he
said to his wife. Nov this thing has
been hanging by the gills so long that
it won't hurt them much to let 90. but
let 90 they must. | thought I'd Just
raise his hopes sky high and dash them
to the ground. You see he's gone home
now, thinking the country is safe, and
tomorrow morning he'll want noun
tain to fall on him.
The next day Jones was at his office
bright and early but jenkins did not
appear. Noon came, and still he was
missing. Jones telephoned up to his
partners boarding place, but nobody
had seen him there. Then he became
troubled and sat down to mediate. He
was just revolving half adozen schemes
in his mind when a telegraph boy came
in with dispatch dated at some town
down in the country where both men
used to live, and which ran as follows:
took night train for home and have
drawn our balance at sight this morn
ing for betting. Woods full of chumps
here who want to bet two to one on
Cleveland All the money up on
Blaine, and want more. Borrow what
you can and telegraph it to me before
the Office closes.
General jackson and all the proph-
ets!n yelled the unhappy Jones. '.Suf-
fering Moses! Four thousand dollars
up on Blaine, and every dollar of ready
cash blown in! Hold on here, you boy!
Hold on! Come here till write an an
swer to this internal IDIOT
Then he wrote briefly, but pointedly:
Hedge, hedge, hedge, orwe're ruined.
My information was wrong. Double
up on yourself. Copper it. Bet on
Cleveland, 100000 majority in Texas,
or something else that's safe.
When the boy had gone it occurred
to Jones that Jenkins had no money to
hedge with, and that he must do that
part of the business himself. Securing
fat roll of bills he made frantic haste
for the pool-rooms, and arrived there
just in time to see big crowd reading
bulletin that the official count had
been completed and that Cleveland had
1,100 plurality.
On his way back to the office he
stopped in at his bank and was in
formed that jenkins had telcgraphed
up for an advance of $500 and that they
had sent it to him, in addition TO hon
oring his draft for the full amount of
the firms deposit. ''Of course it's all
right the cashier said. .'but you
know what the rule is and you'd better
fix up the little balance as soon as pos
sible. We don't usually permit over
drafts. ~
jenkins got back in the course Of
time, and he explained that he supposed
Jones pointer was from the inside, and
he thought it best to make all he could
on it. Jones smiled in sickly way,
and talked Il good deal about suing
somebody in New York for damages,
but privately he is a chastencd man.
= Chicago Herald.