The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1886-10-03


hand through a Strap. But he made no
effort to pay his fare The driver rang his
bell. the passengers locked at each other
inquiringly, and one of the two young Ia
dies who had just seated themselves pro-
duced dime, which was passed along and
dropped into the fare-bOX. in accordance
with the printed Instructions of the COM
pany.
Three ladies left the car just before it
turned iuto Fourteenth street. and after it
had rounded the curve two elderly gentle
men entered and sat down by the side of
Harry Bracket The man who had not
paid his fare kindly volunteered to drop
their money into the box, but did not put
in any of his own. Harry Bracket was
certain of this, for he had watched him
closely.
The two elderly gentlemen continued a
conversation begun before they entered the
car. "IIl tell you. sd d one of them. so
loudly that Harry Bracket could not help
overhearing, "the most remarkable thing
that man Skinner ever did. One day he
got caught in ore of his amusing little
swindles; by some slip-up of his ingenuity
he did not allow himselfquite rope enough,
and so he was brought up with round
turn in the Tombs He got two years in
| Sing Sing, but he never went up at all
| he served his time by substitutep
| WHAT cried his companion, in sur
prise.
He didp' answered the first speaker.
"That's Just what he did, He had a sub
stitute TO go to States Prison for him,
while he went up to Albany to work for
| his own pardonp
| "How did he manage that?" asked the
| other in involuntary admiration before so
splendid an audacity.
! you've no idea how fertile Skinner was
in devices of all kinds, replied tue gen
teman who was telling the story. ''He
got out on bail, and he arranged for light
sentence if he pleaded guilty. Then one
| day, suddenly, a man come into court,
| giving bimself UP as Skinner, pleading
| guilty and asking for immediate sentence.
| OF course. nobody incurred too curiously
! into the identity of self-surrendered
| prisoner who wanted to go 10 Sing Sing.
| Well"
The Car stopped at the corner of Fifth
avenue; several passengers al'ghted, and
| party of three ladies came in. There
were two vacant seats by the side Of Harry
| Bracket, and as he thought these three
| ladies wished TO sit together, he gave up
his place and took another farther down
the Car. Here he found himself again OPP
| posite the man who had entered the car
almost simultaneously with him, and who
had not yet paid his fare. Harry Bracket
| wondered whether this attempt to steal IA
| ride was Intentional, or whether it was
| merely inadvertent. His consideration of
| this metaphysical problem was interrupted
| by another conversation. His right hand
| neighbor, who was apparently a physician,
was telling the friend next. to him of the
strange desires of convalescents.
| 81 think" said he, "that the queerest
request | ever heard was down in Connect
lieut.. There was man there, a day-labor
er, but fine young fellow, who had
| c1owbar driven clean through his head by
| forgotten blast. Well, l happened to be
| the first doctor on the spot, and it was nip
and tuck whether anything could be done
| tor him; 1t was a most interesting case.
| But he was in glorious condition physical
! ly. | found out afterwards that he was
the champion sprint-runner of the place.
got him into the nearest hotel, and in
| time managed to patch him up as best
| could AT last we pulled him through,
and the day came when.I was able to tell
| him that thought he would recover, and
that he was quite out of danger, and that
| all he had to do was TO get his strength
back again as fast as he could, and he
! would be all right again soon. He was
! lying in bed elaciated and speechless,
when | said Thu; and when | added that
he could have anything to eat lie might
fanny, his eyes frightened, and his lips
| moved. is there anything in particular
| you would PREFER asked him, and his
! lips moved again, as though he had wish
| to express. You see, he hadn't spoken
| once since the accident, but he seemed TO
! be trying to find his tongue, SO | bent over
| the bed and put my head over his mouth,
and finally heard u faint voice saying,
Quail ON toastI and as l drew back in
surprise he gave me wink. Feeble as his
| tones were, there was infinite gusto in the
way he said the words. suppose he had
never had quail on toast in all his lie;
probably he had dreamed of it as an unat-
tainable luxury"
did he get it?' asked the doctors
friend.
HE got it every day " answered the
| doctor, until he said ne didn't want any
more. remember another man who"
But now. with many Jolt and jar, the
car was rafting noisily across Sixth ave
nue. under The dripping shadow of the STA
ton of the elevated railway. Harry
Bracket rose to his feet, and as he did so
he glanced again at the man opposite to
him, to see if, even then, at the eleventh
hour, he did intend to pay his fare. But
the man caught Harry Brackets eye
hardly, and looked him in the face with
curiously knowing smile.
There was something very odd about
the expression of the mans face, so Harry
Bracket thought, as he left the Car and
began to mount the steps which led to the
station of the elevated railroad. He could
not help thinking that there was a queer
suggestion in that smile-a suggestion of
certain completely on his part; it was as
though the owner of the smile had ven
lured to hint that they were birds of Il
feather.
"Confound his impudence!' said Harry
oft tn h ha %