Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-08-21
Famous Miser3.

Youths Companion: Ostervaide, the
rich Paris banker, a few days before
his death, refused to allow his servant
to buy meat for broth. True, | should
like the soup said the dying man,
''but have no appetite for the meat.
What is to become of that? 1t will be
a sad waste"
An English miser used to 90 about
dressed so shabbily as to annoy his
acquaintances. At last he was per-
suAded t o buy mn old hat, better us
new from a jew. He paid a shilling
for it and the mex day sold it for
eighteen pence.
This same miser never took snuff to
t~itillate his nostril.. but he did take "a
pinch out OF every snutf-box proffered
him which he carefully placed in his
own box. When it was filed he bar
tered its contents for a farthing rush
light.
Lord Chancellor Hardwick was nick
named Judge Gripus,' ON account of
his avarice, though he was a learned
lawyer and an excellent Judge. When
visited on his estate by country gentle
men who came to pay their respects to
the lord high chancellor, he compelled
them to send their horses to an inn,
half a mile distant, that he might be
saved the expense of batting them. Yet
he was worth a. 900, 900, but dreaded
to part with q shilling.
Marlborough. the great soldier of his
age, who left between s., 900, 900 and
So, 600, 900 at his death, would not hesi-
tate at any meanness to save a six
pence.
Sir William Smith, q ~parsimonious
English squire, with immense posses
sions, became blind at seventy by the
formation Of n cataract over his eyes.
He made a bargain with a London oc-
culist - couch both eyes, agreeing 20
pay sixty guineas if his eyesight was re-
stored in the least.
The operation was 40 successful that
the patient could read without Glasses.
But no sooner could he see than hc be-
gan to grieye nj the thought Of paying
the promised fee. He pretended that
he could see nothing distinctly, aud
submitted To wearing the bandagcs for
Z month longer than the usual time.
When the month expired he still in
sisted that he had only glimmcring
of light, end the o~cculist compromised
by accepting twenty guinea. instead Of
sixty. Yet at that time the baronet
had $4,000 in hi. house.
A niser. whose p%arsimony and
business abilities had amassed for him
enormous wealth. wa. requested 20
lend to his government a sum Of
money. He refused, rs the interest
offered was not m high as he de-
mnnded. giving as a reason that he had
met with severe losses which had re-
duced him to- poverty.
Fearing that his excuse might be dis
covered to be a falsehood, he dug a
cave in his cellar and in it hid his
money. A trsp-door and a ladder
gave him scces. to his gold, which he
visited daily.
At last tho mi.er disappeared.
Search was made. but he could not be
found. Hi. house was sold and work
men begun to repair it.
One day they came upon a door
in the cellar, with a key in the
lock outside. They opened the door,
descended the ladder, and by the light
of n lantern discovered the skeleton OF
the dead miser, surrounded by bags OF
gold and silver.
He had gone into his cave, the soor
hid blown to, the lock could only be
opened on the outside and the miser
had persisted amid his ~money-bags.