The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-01-20
TIE FIVE DOLLAR BILL.


young six footer from the west. He eX
tracted bill from long, fiat pocEetbooI
rs he spoke and tossed 1t upon the ta1ie
in front Of him. IL was q 50 note that
had evidently passed through few hanus
and vet was no late issue nom The GOV
ernmont's money factory FOR the ouI'
furred lines along the creases told OF long
storage IN somo tight quarters. WIN us
whitcncd places along the fc!ds ana INC
remnants Of smartness about the rest OF
rs face, it bore fnmily resemblance 10
gray headed, rosy checked, dead black
mustached police sergeant Of the Old
regime.
The young man Of tho east picked up
the Bill, unfolded il and !3isureiy an
spected IL under the kindly glare q the
incaudcscent lights Of the Sixth avenue
chop house In which he and his friends
wero sitting. Two rabbits" had disap'
reared TO make arrangements Tor VISIONS
ii the night, the second brace or lat
..toblcs" had suffered seriously from
drought, and half an inch OF tobacco Oh
each CIGAR had burned into haky white
ness. Il was wet, chilling night out
side: II wcs CHEEKY, warm evening
within. And SO the young man Of the
cas-; was nothing loatn 10 hear the tale OF
1he Go bill
II don't know why &c vas" quoth the
narrator, cor Just how IL was that came
TO 81 for COLLEGE Il was partly luck, ana
partly, l suppose, bccau3cmy oil Yankee
echoolmcster. who had dli.tcd west oi-
most tho year / vas born, chung TO tho
New EnCland idea dat alter lie three
Ris came Latin, Greek and algebra in
every well regulated curriculum. ipcggei
awny mt them dutifuily for three OF ioIg
winters-schocl didn't keep there III
srrip9 or summer then, The scholars had
other engagements ~ that time Of the
year--without much idea what my worK
was leading TO, until when we said cur
pieces on the last dag Of the term, the cid
one took me aside.
"'Wen. 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
ND my mind: I'll make the venture. And
the schoolmaster settled my choice Of col
leces when he said: 'You will have 10 pay
your way; you viii have to make money;
90 where there's most Of it spent, where
there are most rich Youngsters who don't
realize that 81 bin sometimes means a
days work for man. They'll spend ard
You'll profit, or else your fathers We're
born in Connecticut Tor nothing
"Well, came cast that fall, passed my
entrance examipations--lor after all l
found that tho old Yankee had 3een a
good tcacher-and struck up an acQua.nt-
ance with one of the professors whose
looks liked. He gave ne valuable I'D
vice, told mc whore to get room, ana
how to iii it up with stove, three OF four
chairs etc. j was cXtravagant on Just
one pont-I bought Il good bed. When
these things were paid for had just So
this bill and some change. That night
was my own, for the college work didn't
begin until the next morning. l walked
out among The dornitories, and there l
made my first strike. A trucklnan had q
load Of trunks to deliver on the upper
floors. | offered rly aid and he took it.
For that I made enough 10 be sure OF
somethinC to eat for another day WithCs.
rcseutsfives Ol me nress- With
impairing my capital, ana L lelt easier.
The next day began TO get acquainted
with the men, and before night had
secured q roommate Low rs 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 b!ils OF
fare. was down TO my five dollar bill be-
fore made nv next discovery.
"Half dozen.boys in my division had
formed club, and was dining with
one of them when 1t came. Ny friends
were getting pretty bad board and paying
pretty dearly for it. They knew 1t as
well az and fell TO talking about it, and
from the conversation | got an idea. That
night | Travelled about the college helgh-
borhood until found q house whose mis-
trcss agreed 10 furnish Inc with taole ac-
commodations for ten men, do the cook
ing and furnish the necessary service
had done some mental figuring III the
meantime, and knew that her price was
satisfactory. But / went to my friends,
and that evening had secured nine 10
ioin my club and pay me 80 week
apiece On the S54 l figured it out that
I would be able to pay ten mems ex-
penses. The plan is common enough ~ a
good many colleges, have since learned,
but it was new there. But soon found
that rs q caterer was at q disadvantage
It was hard work TO get credit at the
shops, for my So bill was something !
couldn't use TO impress the grocers and
butchers successfully, my boarders had
vigorous appctites and catholic liking
for pretty much everything. 1t was a
close scrape Of it for month. Then l
got q bit ahead and began TO feel easier,
until two circumstances combined 10
nearly ruin me. They came together
one was a snow storm, the other was an
accident disabling one Of my boarders,
who owed me oulte little account.
sAsrSsi nc truth, hadn'tnoticed how
the winter had been coming on, ana the
snow caught me unawares. 1t meant
TINT / must have an overcoat, just at the
time one of my sources Of revenue was
cut of. In fact, had been depending
upon the injured man paying up his score
10 give me little spending money, and
saw that as far as my restaurant was con
cerned l could look for no help from II on
The clothing account. But ! had 10 have
the coat. There was no doubt about II, IN
fsct. Il was surprising how cold ieit.