Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-09-03
MEAN MEN OF BOSTON.
Some Interesting Samples of Thrift in the
 Old Ray State,

Old Bay State.
 They were sitting at the club the other evening, telling stories of "mean" men, says the Boston Herald. "The closest man l ever kneW,n said one, lis to-day one of the wealthest citizens of Massachusetts. When he was a young man he got job ln shoeshop, and earned $6 or g. a week. When Saturday came he got his money-the first he had ever earned-and that afternoon he invested S2 Tn ring which he showed on the following Monday with good deal Of pride. But his shopmates showed him that what purported to be gold was only thlnly- washed brass, and that the alleged stone' , was only piece of glass. The whole thing was not worth fifteen cents. He was a good deal crestfallen, but said nothing. The next morning he turned up minus the ring, but unusually bright and chipper. Perhaps you boys think don't understand business,' he said. I sold that ring for s, and made a clean dollar on it. And to whom did you sell it.' they asked. TO my sister,"
 II can cap that" said another. II was crossing on the steamer to Liverpool few years ago, and found myself seated next to gentleman who has been prominent in Massachusetts politics and is sometimes spoken of as a statesman. On three or four different days l opened quart of cham pagnc, and always invited him to join me i'll drinking it, an invitation which he never declined, Finallyene day he ordered a pint, and, instead of offering me any, said he thought it a pity that they didn't put it up in smaller bottles, because a pint was moro than any man really needed, but that he had to drink it all to save waste, since the corks were so made that they couldn't be put back 'Would you mind telling mo that mans name in confidence?" asked the member who had told the ring story. Mot at all" was the answer. Then there was a whispered conference, and the first speaker quickly said: "I thought SO. It's the same man.'
 It was Causeur's turn. He recalled the following: A gentleman well known in Boston in his time was ill, simply because his stomach refused to do it's work. Food was rcpulsive to him and he was daily growing weaker from sheer lack of eating. A friend, a man of immense wealth for 1 those days, called to see him, and told of a wonderful piece of mutton that he had had on his own table the day before. "Let me send you piecen he said. The sick man smiled and thanked him, and the next day magnificent piece of mutton was received, cooked, and small fragment given to the invalid, in the vain hope of awakening an appetite. But all to no purpose, and before many weeks he passed away. And now comes the point of the story Within ten days after his death his executors received, written in the trembling hand of the mill ionaire who had sent the meat, bill in due form, showing that the estate of the de- ceased was indebted, not to the butcher, mind you, but to the millionaire, in the sum of two dollars and odd cents for sundry | pounds of mutton furnished on a date named. And the bill was paid and re ciu and is still preserved by one of the business l associates of the deceased, who was un- willing that the estate should pay the bill, because he said it was well worth the money to him as an authograph; so he paid it himself