Mexico weekly ledger., 1884-11-06

init me to squeeze your flesh. And
I held out my hand.
1.-THE young fellow took my hand
and shook it warmly, looking sharply
and questioningly into my face.
Don't yo,, remember your old
playmate Of Is years ago?' Iasked.
Don't you remember Jacob Higgins
little Jakey that used to play with
you in the old park?'
"You see, it generally takes in a
sucker more to give him a homely
name like Jacob Higgins than fancy
one like Montague St. John, and you
can strike man home almost any
time with an old park. Everybody
has played in an old park some time
during his childhood. Well, Isaac
Thomas racked his brains and found
that he did remember me, and I asked
him to come In and have . drink.
So we strolled 10 and sat down at o
table, and called a waiter and asked
Thomas what he'd have?
"'I seldom drink anything but
wine,' he said. Bring quart OF
Piper Heidseick.'
81 was a little startled, because I
didn't have much money with me,
and 1 had supposed he'd call for
whisky or some other fifteen-cent
drink. Butt comforted myself with
the thought that if he was 80 blooded
he must have quite a pile of blue
chips. Well, we drank the wine, and
I paid the waiter $3 for it out of the
solitary X had with me. Then
Thomas-or Ike, as 1 affectlonately
called him-suggested that I go down
to the Astor House with him to meet
a friend, and then we'd do the city
together. l went down there with
him, and he didn't find his friend,
and decided to throw out another
$3 for wine, just to give him . hint
that l didn't care damn for expenses
so as to make him correspondingly
liberal. My dear friend Ikey drank
his half of the wine like a little man,
and then we set forth, Just as we
started up Broadway to look for 9
cab asked him to come in and gel
a cigar. i have some in my pocket,
he said, and unbuttoned his coat for
the first time-as I afterward recol.
lected-since I had made his &C.
quaintance to get at his cigar case.
81 only looked once at his waist,
coat, and then threw my whole sou
into my legs and darted down Bar
clay street, for I saw a badge glitter.
ing there. Great Heavens!' 1 said
to myself as I ran, 4 have actual,
picked up detective and it would
have done you good to have seen me
slide the sidewalk under me. Well
Ikey ran right after me and overlook
me.
" Say he said, what's the mat
ter? You are not gong to leave lit
tie Ikey who used to play in the ole
park with you in that kind of style
are you?
"'That's right 1 said. you've
got me now, and can afford to be'fun
ny, but please don't fire off any more
of that cheap sarcasm
"'Pm rather sorry,' key said
that things have turned out this way
] suppose it was that confounded FIRE
badge that scared you off,
".Fire badge I said. Aren't yor
q detective!'
"'No,' hc replied, I'm a newspa
per reporter, and I've been hoping
for months that some of you fellows
would pick me up, so that could
write about it, and here that old firt
badge has disrupted my first oppor
tunity."
"It turned out that he'd been to
fire, where reporters have to wear i,
badge to get inside the lines, and he't
forgotten to take it of. 1t gave m,
a bad scare, can tell you. Well, b,
asked me to have drink with him
but l was SO ashamed Of being taker
in that l got him to let me off and b,
went away, after asking me to re
member him when 1 got back to thu
old park in Cleveland.