The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-01-19
IN NEW YORK.
How They are Initiated into som" "i
the WAYS that Arc Dark.

town who expected these strangers,
and looked ont for them, and did their
ycry utmost to get acquainted win
them. and rive them an insight INTO
the by-way- and eCccntricitics OF HE IN
. yrca, metropolis, YOU will believe me
when say that great many ol these
visitors went to their homes win oud
recollection, OF their day in town. 10
Sc sure, some of them will live long
lives and drop into their graves with
out ever having told the truth about
now they rot rid OF so much money
while they were away.
Let us suppose that one of them
there must have been hundreds Just
ike him) was walking up Broadway,
iazcd with the hustle, confused 10y the
rlattcr and Joyous over his good luck
N being among so many people and
IN the eve OF such grand sights. lie
5 missing naught OF what goes on
around him. Suddenly the man in
front of him stoops down and picks up
something. 1t is Il glove. The coun-
TRUMAN looks at him to see what he
picked up.
Hello says the man, 'hcrc 5 a
rinr in this finger BY Jovc. it's a
banp-up rold ring. some lady has
slipped her ring oil without noticing it
in taking off her glove and then she :
dropped the glove,
The countryman looks at the ring,
Il looks like beauty. 1t might Just
lit his Salie's finger. Coniound it.
why does he never pick up anything?
Look a-hcrc. young fcller," says
the city man, "hcre's gold ring. I'm
poor as a church mouse; haven't got u
cent. The stores is all closed and l
can't sell this. Gimme ii dollars for
il and say no more,
Donc-and the country man has got
brass ring. On the next block another
very similar incident occurs. A coun-
sryman is plodding along and gawklng
about. He hunks into man who has
stopped to pick up something It's 4
bio fat wallet The city man opens it
and peeps into ii. The countryman
can see by the expression on the Others
face that the wallet is full of bills,
though he doesn't happen to see the
bills.
'By thunder says the lucky finder,
..soniu uountryman' in n hole. Lost
mis- pocket-book and a big hunk of
money. It's too bad-too bad; and
I've rot just ten minutes to catch the
boat ut the battery. The poor devil
ought To have his money. Tell you
what I'll do. Give me ten dollars and
keep the wallet till you see tomorrow S
Mrold, and then you give it to the man
that lost it. He'll advertise it sure and
you'll get $50, or maybe $50 reward. y
Donc-and the countryman had got
wad of paper rolled up in onc-dol-
lar grecnback
Perhaps the next countryman among
Jur guests drops into Bowcry muse
um. Why shouldn't he? He never
saw a band of real Popocolopct cannl-
balls from Patagonia, or tat woman
Gcghing GOO pounds, or boy who
can do with his feet whatever others
do with their hands-and all this can
be seen for ten cents. So in he goes
and sees the Thompson street band of
aarkey cannibals, the diseased woman
snd a boy with bare feet, who does not
do anything with those members,
though may be he will il the rountryman
waits and watches long enough. In
the meantime very genial gentleman,
with II voice like II foghorn, invites the
countryman 10 see what another gen
tleman has just drawn Tor fifty cents.
There is II case full OF oilycr-platCd
warc and n gold chain, a gold watch, Il
diamond pin, and don't know what
all, and the other gentleman has drawn
ticket thirly-two. Ticket thirty~two?
Why, ticket thirty-two is the diamond
pin-wcll, the gold watch is there yet.
Take an envelope out for fun and
see how your luck is running. 1t won't
cost you anything. What, 1903! Why,
that's the gold chain. Take n try in
earnest; only fifty cents
The countryman pays fifty cents.
He draws out an envelope. Perhaps it
IS one that sticks out little; perhaps
it is one he accidently saw the gentle
man pull out TO snow a bystander in
order TO prove that the number on the
gold watch was really in one of the
envelopes. If he pulls out either of
these he will find blank in his envcl-
ope. II he is stupid and pulls out
another one, the gentleman who pre-
sides will seize ii with an "Ah, now
let's see what YOU get, and will change
1t so deity that you won't see him do
II and-thc countryman gets blank.
II he tries again and again he will
spend four or five dollars to carry off u
seventy-tivc-cent plated butter dish,
perh;ps. But maybe the xtcountry-
man is shy of the envelope game. That
doesn't matter. Our city people can
please any taste or interest any form
Of curiosity.
Doubtless a thousand at least of the
rustics found themselves in pleasant
converse with a man who adroitly
sounded them 10 find out whether they
ever played cards for money or not.
The D. easant bumpers were gambling
house .'cappers. They get percent
age on the winnings from whomever
they bring to the tables. They are not
Vi ,lent. They do not drug n man or
carry him by force, nor do they urge a
MIN 10 play if he says he does not I'M
de,s and cards. That's all the talk of
ti,os VINO do not know what they are