The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-12-11

may well understand. The reason
that / have fixed the date for the 30th
of April is this: You see have only a
certain amount of money! do not
know why l should make any secret of
it l have exactly two hundred and
forty francs to-day, over and above
another one hundred francs which
have set aside for another purpose.
am paying eight francs day at the
Golden Dragon that you see will keep
me just thirty days, and then l intend
to die"
The Skeleton laughed again, without
sound, and Robbins moved uneasily on
the seat.
81 don't see,'' he said, finally, what
there is to laugh about in that con-
dition of affairs"
Don't your" said the Skeleton.
"Well, 1 don't suppose there is very
much: but there is something else that
l consider very laughable, and that
will tell you if you will keep a secret.
You see, the old Golden Dragon him
self always call our innkeeper the
Golden Dragon, just as you call me the
Living Skeleton"
"Oh, beg your pardon" said Rob-
bins, stammering. q"
''Oh, it doesn't matter at all. You
are perfectly right, and l think that a
very apt term. Well, the old Golden
Dragon makes great deal of his
money by robbing the dead. You
didn't know that, did you? You thought
it was the living who supported him,
and goodness knows he robs them
when he has chance. Well, you are
much mistaken. When a man dies in
the Golden Gragon,' he, or his friends
rather, have to pay very sweetly for it.
The Dragon charges them for refur-
nishing the room. Every stick of
furniture is charged for, all the wall
paper and SO on. l suppose it is per-
fectly right to charge something, but
the Dragon is not content with what is
right. He knows he has finally lost a
customer, and so he makes all he can
out of him. The furniture SO paid for
is not replaced, and the walls are not
papered again, but the Dragon doesn't
abate a penny of his bill on that ac-
count. Now l have inquired of the
furnishing man on the street back of
the hotel, and he has written on his
card just the cost of mattress, sheets,
pillows and all that sort of thing, and
the amount comes up to about fifty
francs. | have put in an envelope a
fifty-franc note, and with it the card of
the furniture man. have written also
in the latter, telling the old Dragon
just what the things will cost that he
needs, and have referred him to the
card of the furniture man who has
given me the figures. This envelope
have addressed to the Dragon, and he
will find it when l am dead This is
the joke that old man Death and my
self have put up on the Dragon, and
my only regret is that l shall not be
able to enjoy look at the Dragons
countenance as he reads my last letter
to him. Another sum of money have
put away, in good hands, where he
won't have a chance TO get it, for my
funeral expenses. and then you see
am through with the world. / have no.
body to leave that l need worry about,
or who would either take care of me or
feel sorry for me if | needed care or
sympathy, which ! do not. So that is
why l laugh, and that is why come
down and sit on this bench, in the sun
shine, and enjoy the posthumous joke. ="
Robbins did not appear to be able to
see the humor of the situation quite 10
strongly as the Living Skeleton did.
At different times after that when they
met, he had offered the Skeleton more
money if he wanted it, SO that he might
prolong his life little, but the Sl1ele-
ton always refused.
A sort of friendship sprang up be-
tween Robbins and Living Skeleton, at
least, as much of friendship as can
exist between the living and the dead.
for Robbins was a muscular young fell
low who did not need to live on the
Riviera on account of his health, but
merely because he detested an English
winter. Besides this, it may be added,
although it is really nobody's business.
that Nice girl and her parents lived
in this particular part of the south of
France.
One day Robbins took little excur-
sion in a carriage to Toulon. He had
invited the Nice girl to go with him,
but on that particular day she could
not go. There was some big charity
function on hand, and one necessary
part of the affair was the wheedling of
money out of the peoples pockets. and
the Nice girl had undertaken to do
part of the wheedling. She was very
good at it. and she rather prided her
self upon it, but then she was very
nice girl, pretty as well, and SO people
found it very difficult to refuse her.
On the evening of the day there was to
be ball at the principal hotel in the
place, also in connection with this very
desirable charity. Robbins had re-
luctantly gone to Toulon alone, but you
may depend upon it he was back in
time for the ball.
Well" he said to the Nice girl
when he met her. "wnat luck collect
ing to-day?"
''Oh, the greatest luck" she replied,
enthusiastically, land who do you
think l got the most money from?"
81 am sure 1 haven't the slightest
idea-that old English duke, he GER
tainly has money enough"
mo. not from him ct all; the very
last person YOU would expect it from