The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-06-09
THE TWO SHERIDANS.
nY r, s. RownlrsN.


 famous wit, orator and dramatist, was born at Dublin In i75l. His eldest son. Thomas, was much such a person. age as himself, especially as regards a wiliful waste of money and a terrible propensity for getting into debt.
 It was the father who once won a wager at Brookes Club, In London, In most unexpected and almost incresl- ible manner. One day he walked into the club parlor, wearing pair of new llessian boots the fashion of the day-which had been polished so elaborately that ono might almost use one of them, instead of looking glass, to shave by. Sheridan, who was on most familiar terms with every member of the club, was in- stantly challenged with the exclama- tion, by more than one of thcm {; "What splendid boots! Who suffers, Sherry !" the sufferer, In the case. usually being the person who had given him credit.
 After being mcrrily badgered in this scofilng manner for few min. utes, Sheridan turned at bay, and ad- dressing the most noisy of his tor mentors, a nobleman with more wealth than brains, said: "lf your lordship wishes to know how got these handsome Hessians I'll give you fair chance of making guess. I'll make fair wager of fifty guineas that, in six guesscs, you will not ar al. .Ln 4...L Rba ., very naturally objected that he never made wager without having the stakes lodged in the hands of a third person, whose duty 1t was to decide and then hand the money over to the winner
 By lucky accident, Sheridan hap. pened to have money in his pocket that day, so the stakes wefe duly de- posited with A member, who con sented to act as umpire. This done, the guessing began. Sheridan had gone In debt for his boots had stolen them had borrowed them had found them had them as gift; had cheated some one out of them. None of these guesses were correct.
 "Hand over the money" said Sher- idan. "You might guess through n whole week of Sundays and not arr rive at the truth, which simply Is, paid for these boots, and here's the re- ceipt."
 Of course the money was handed over, amid shouts of laughter.
 There is another boot story told of Il Il -. f wager in one of the fashionable Lon don clubs, no less person than the prince of Wales, aitcrward George ", being the one who took the bet.
 As before, Sheridan walked into the reception room of the club wearing a handsome pair of boots, evidently just out of the makers hands. As before, too, he was asked how he got them, and declined to say unless some one would lay 6 wager with him. The Prince took the bet which was for 100 guincas but, as neither of them happened to have the money in hand, the ceremony of depositing the stakes in the hands of third person had to be dispensed with. Thep the prince began his six guesses. Of course, he guessed, but not correctly, that Shcri- dan had paid, had gone in debt, and SO on, but did not come near the fact.
 As Sheridan told the story, which was believed, he had obtained his Hessians by q duplex movement of ingenuity, which would have been legally regarded as closely akin to swindling. It appeared, on Sheri- dams own showing, that he wanted A new pair of boots, and being so deeply in debt to all the fashionable sons of Crispus in London, he had sent his valet to the two best, ordering a pair from each, the condition being leash on delivery" and that one of these great cordwalners should deliver the pedal coverings not Q minute later than ten o'clock in the morning, while the other was to send his in precisely half an hour later. Ac- cordingly the messenger of Mir. A., who was rigidly instructed not to leave the house without the money, was at Sheridan's house precisely at ten. and found Sheridan at breakfast.
 The boots were tried on, and gave much satisfaction, except that there was painful pressure, Sheridan said, on . bunion on his left foot.
 "AsI do not intend to go out be- fore nooD," the great Jeremy Diddler said, "there is time to put that boot on the last for an hour or % to ease 1t. Take 1t with you and be sure to bring it back before twelve o'clock"
 The messenger had been some ten minutes out Of the house, taking the de- lipquent boot with him to be "lasted," 1" when Mr. B's euisary appeared with