San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-01-31
THE FIVE DOLLAR BILL.

"What do you think of that thing as a
capital to get an educationP" queried tue
young six footer from the west. He ex-
tracted bill from long, fiat pocketbook
as he spoke and tossed it upon the table
In front of him. IL was a IS note that
had evidently passed through few hands,
End yet was no late issue from the gov
ernment's money factory, for the dull,
furred lines along the creases told Of long
storage in some tight quarters. With its
whitened places along the folds and the
remnants of smartness about the rest Of
its face, it bore family resemblance to
gray headed, rosy checked, dead black
mustached police sergeant of the old
regime.
The young man Of the east picked up
the bill, unfolded it and leisurely in
spected it under the kindly glare Of the
incandescent lights OF the Sixth avenue
chop house in which he and his friends
wero sitting. Two rabbits" had dlsap-
peared to make arrangements for visions
of the night, the second brace Of fat
''tobies" had suffered seriously from
draught, and half an inch of tobacco on
each cigar had burned into flaky white
ness. 1t was O wet, chilling night out
side; it was CHEEKY, warm evening
within. And so the young man Of the
east was nothing loath to hear the tale Of
the S. bill.
81 don't know why 1t was," quoth the
narrator, "or just how it was that l came
to fit for college. 1t was partly luck, and
partly, / suppose, because my old Yankee
schoolmaster, who had drifted west al
most the year 1 was born, chung to the
New England idea that after the three
RS came Latin, Greek and algebra I'M
every well regulated curriculum. pegged
away at them dutifully for three or four
winters-school didn't keep there in
spring or summer then, the scholars had
other engagements at that time of the
year-without much idea what my work
was leading to, until when we said our
pieces ON the last day of the term, the old
one took me aside.
"'Wel,' he said, you're about fitted
for college, guess. Which one are you
going tor
''That was the first I'd heard of college.
First the idea scared me, then It tickled
me- Before slept that night had made
up my mind I'd make the venture, And
the schoolmaster settled my choice of col
leges when he said: You will have to pay
your way; you will have to make money;
go where there's most of it spent, where
there are most rich youngsters who don't
realize that 81 bill sometimes means
days work for man. They'll spend and
you'll profit, or else your fathers were
born in Connecticut for nothing
"Weil, I came east that fall, passed my
entrance examinations-for after all I
found that the old Yankee had seen a
good teacher-and struck up an acquaint-
auce with one Of the professors whose
looks l liked, He gave me valuable adj
vice, told me where to get a room, and
how to fit it up with stove, three or four
chairs, etc, was extravagant on just
one point-I bought a good bed. When
these things were paid for l had Just So
this bill and some change. That night
was my own, for the college work didn't
begin untl the next morning. / walked
out among the dormitories, and there /
made my first strike, A truckman had
load of trunks to deliver on the upper
floors. ] offered my aid and he took it.
For that / made enough to be sure of
something to eat for another day without
impairing my capital, and / felt easier
The next day began to get acquainted
with the men, and before night had
secured roommate. Low as my rent
was wanted to have it shared by some
one else But eating was another ques-
ton, my appetite permitting no division,
and, although / did my best to pick out
the cheap and filling from the bills Of
fare, was down to my FIVE dollar bill be-
fore made my next discovery.
"Half a dozen boys in my division had
formed Club and was dining with
one of them when it came. My friends
were getting pretty bad board and paying
pretty dearly for it. They knew it as
well as and fell to talking about it, and
from the conversation got an idea. That
night travelled about the college neigh
borhood until found house whose mis-
tress agreed to furnish me with table &C.
commodations for ten men, do the cook
ing and furnish the necessary service.
had done some mental figuring IN the
meantime, and knew that her price was
satisfactory But ] went to my friends,
and that evening had secured nine to
join my club and pay me So a week
apiece On the S54 figured it out that
l would be able to pay ten mems ex-
penses. The plan is common enough at
good many colleges, have since learned,
but it was new there. But / soon found
that as a caterer / was at a disadvantage.
Il was hard work TO get credit at the
shoDs. for nv So bill was something I