Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-26
sWINDLED sWINDLERs.
The Most Profitable Study of Mankind is
New York Tribnne.

4
| The 'nSght-haWk' cabmen of this city
who have helped me home on those rare
| occasions when | have found myself em-
barrassed at a late hour by voIuminous
and complicated Jag" said the son of
wealthy banker the other day, 'shave often
imposed upon my peaceIoVing nature by
| demanding bigger fares than they were
entitled to, before theT would assist me
and the jag out Of their cabs and up the
steps OF my fathers 'palatial mansion
Once or twice l have tried to remonstrate
against this extortion, but the result has
never justified the exertion. So on the
last sad occasion on which | was obliged
to have recourse to the aid of one of those
gentry, | employed little harmless guile
which worked to a charm.
Here's your house, boss said my
driver, as he opened the door. eFwo-6fty's
the fare
"'Two dollars and half for ten min
Utes' ride? said |. That's pretty steep,
but If you'll give me your arm ap the
steps, | won't kick about it,
Certain, boss said he, but you pay
before YOU get out, please
So fell to fumbling in. my pockets,
pulling out keys, poker chips, a cork or
two and lot of other useless odds and
ends that will somehow accumulate in the
pockets of a man who has been having an
unusually good time, but my search pro-
duced no money. oh, blank it, I sud-
denly exclaimed, L have dropped my last
coin on the bottom of your cab. It is a
fve-dollar gold piece. Strike match so
that l can find it; its as dark as Egypt in
here
4'Ain't got no match, sir says cabby,
eheerfully.
@'Then bring one of the cab lamps
here | say testify.
"'Fixed solid to the keb SIR Is the an
swer.
"Well, then, you help me up the steps
and I'll get lamp in the house, said I.
"'All right, SIR says the willy Jehu,
with a grin. Careful, now-there's the
step-easy- you are-now take hold
of the railing on that side and lean on
me-where's your latch key No, that
amt it, that's your cigar case. Now here
you are in the vestibule-you can open
the inner door yourself and get the lamp
while l look after that horse-he won't
stand. Whoa, there, you brute, he
shouted as he ran nimbly down the steps,
slammed the cab-door, mounted the box,
gave his horse sharp cut and started out
at a gallop.
"'Hold on there shouted, you thief,
you've got my five-dollar gold piece. I'll
have you arrest
'But cabby heard not, paused not He
dashed away into the darkness, and be-
lieve l would have parted with my beauti-
full jag to have had the pleasure of seeing
him kick himself as he searched in vain
for that S. piece"
''That's not half-bad story" said lis
tener. SIT reminds me of an experience
that happened to bartender in an up
town cafe not long ago. He was an expert
drink-mixer, but not any too honest, and
had quite fancy for his own shrewdness.
Several of US were watching him in the
practice of his art one day, when a quiet
looking stranger who was standing by the
very end OF the counter, almost within
with an exclamation of surprise and came
up again with $40 bill in his hand. The
bill was crumpled up small and had some
of the damp sawdust of the floor still stick
ing to it. The man smoothed it out, an
nounced the fact that he had found an Y,
and asked if any of US had dropped it.
None OF us ndu, we were sure.
"'Hold on" said the barkeep, beginning
to slap his pockets and go through his
clothes. WAS it crumpled up small when
you found it?
"'It was,' said the stranger in a surly
tone. You saw that when | picked it up
"'No, l didn't said the barkeep, but [
find l have lost a $40 bill that / tucked
away in a little wad in my waistcoat
pocket, and now | frd a hole in the
pocket And he rammed his thumb
down into the pocket, and l was sure [
heard the lining tear as the thumb pro-
truded and he showed it by throwing open
his waistcoat.
"'Oh, come now p said the stranger,
you'll find it hard to make people believe
that. Any way, most men would have put
the bill in their pockets and said nothing
about it. Tell you what II do-Pll divvy
with you
"tAll right said the fly barkeep, sooner
than have any trouble about it we'll diyvy.'
He went to the money-drawer, took out
two fves, gave one to the stranger, put the
other in his pocket that apparently had
no hole in it, and tossed the newly-found
X into the till. The stranger went ont,
the sly barkeeper winked at us, and in the
flush of conscience merit set 'em up for the
crowd. Hardly an hour had passed before
the proprietor of the cafe came around to
reckon up his profits.
"'What dod-gasted fool" he shouted an
grily, has taken in this miserable counter
felt of Sl0-note%
at was too true. Poor barkeepl The
loss came out of his salary, or his stealings,
or whatever it is that barkeepers get rich
on. That did not matter so much, of
course, but he was never allowed to hear
the last of it, and his fall, in his own esti-
nation was something tremendnrsn