Connecticut western news., 1888-12-26
WHY RB WAS DISCHARGED,
Uncle Jonas Catches His Young
 Nephew Initiating Him.

Nephew Initiating Him.
 '4 --. ou ..-~ turf now, said {. ...ss.Iy, black-eyed young man, still in his teens, to an acquaintance day or two ago. I nm out for money, and everything goes"
 "When did you quit your uncle's hook shop?" asked the oy's acquaint- ance.
 "Las' week Wen'sdy. He fired me out for trying to work one of his own games. One of the funniest ra,kets you ever heard of, and I'm just sore enough on the old man to give it dead away. The old man was going up Centre street one day last summer, and he stop ped in a secondhand tool shop to see friend. While he was there he got monkeying with a secondhand signal box. It was little cast-iron thing with the word police on the front and brass button on the top. When he pressed the button it set lot of clockwork going in the box, and male as much noise as an alarm clock. He was stuck on the thing, and bought it for half. I asked him what he was going to do with it and he said he would stick 1t up on the wall and liAS iC II nuy IouSus CIlou tO MHko trouble in the shop. Well, that's just in plain sight behind the counter and they went somewhere. Then he took letters 50 that nobody would make any mistake in reading them. l don't be- lieve he thought of what great graft the box was until he had it up about a week. Then he made it useful for the first time. Ayoung fellow came in with a dress coat wrapped mp ill a newspaper and wanted five cases on 1t. Uncle Jonas held the coat up and sized it up with the fellow that was trying to soak it. Tue coat was big enough for two like him and the old man says: Dots nlce coat. Ees i'd your cout!'
 Fletcher life,' says the young feller.
 "Vait till call my bruder." says the old man, and he turned and jammed the button down hard on the signal box. The young fellow just gave one glance at the box, and he shot out of the door and left the coat behind. He ain't been around there since. After that the old man gave me to understand that I was to come along kinder slow any time when he rung the box so that if p ople didn't scare, they would take it that tue call was for me, and then he would con- suit me about the goods that wcrc off cred. He worked the call on Q man with gold watch next day, and the man snatched tho watch out of his hand and skipped. After that he was more careful, and when crook came in with a ring day or two later, he laid the ring down out of reach and touched the button, saying he would call his son and get his opinion about the stone. The crook looked at tine call box and ran his eye along the wires which ran toward the front of the shop. Then he began to swear and made jump for the side door. Next day a nice-looking fellow came in and described the ring and said that it was stolen from him, and that he had cornered the man who stole 1t and learned where it was
 "'All right; will send for it, says the old man, and then he touched the button again.
 "I will come in again in half an hour, says the nice looking young feller, and skips cut the door. Did he come back2 Nav. Well, tho old man work ed tue new snap every chance he got, but sometimes he got fooled, and then I had to come to the front and be con- suited, always askin': Did you ring, sir2' One day when the old man was out to dinner feller come in with Q stud. It was real bug and I wanted to win it. So sprung the call box on him. He shot out of the side door and aron1,ssia A t',s rinr in my pocket. Two manatos later ssse .ana!a aa.st I.ia-lsaad- da' my shoulder, and two big tears ran down his nose as he told me that he was sorry that he had found out that I was not honest. He gave me calking old lecture on honesty being thebest policy, and told me that lie had Teen watching me from the back part of the shop and seen me git the 'chenuine tiamont.' I had to give it up to him, and he is wear- ing it now while I am on my uppers. On, yes, h. fired mo 'yust as soon as he found I wasn't honest You go up there tomorrow and see if he don't ring the box on you and try to bluff you out of your watch. Then ask him about me" -Neao York Sun.