The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1891-05-14
THURSDAY EVENING, MAY II. 1891.
SOFT SOAP AND HARD.
Tho Efsquence Of Bowory F~kir Il n
tent with an East Side Autlienoo.

tent with an East Side Aadiesoe.
A street fakir of the finest typo stood
at the corner of the Bowery and q cross
street, and addressed the attentive thrung
with all the rhetorical flourish of a
United States senator.
II was once poor boy" said he,
with only two cents In my pocket. and
I found myself here in this great city
without home and without a friend.
May the fates preserve You from any
such hardships as ! saw, dear gentlemenl
Barefooted, hungry, sleeping on the cold
ground under the unsympathetic stars,
eating the crumbs thrown to me from
the tables of the rich, was indeed q
blighted being. I did my best to get
employment, but there was no room for
me, and began To contemplate suicide,
"That was cowardly of me, gentle
men, I admit, but / had been made a
coward by my privations. / was not
myself, and my suicidal purpose was
the mad despair Of o half insane youth.
Yes, was determined to commit sui
eide, and was starting in search of . Sc
cluded dock where could plunge into
the cruel river without the danger Of be-
ing rescued, when piece Of good fort
une befel me which changed the whole
course of life. AS was passing along
the Bowery my attention was attracted
by the voice of a gentleman who stood
on the corner just above where am
standing now. He had small black
bag with him, very similar to the one !
am carrying, and in this bag were small
cakes of soap, which the gentleman was
Offering for sale at twenty-five cents a
cake.
"Now, I did not much stand in need
of soap at just that moment, notwith-
standing the very thorough bath was
about to give myself, and should not
have stopped to listen to that gentleman
had not perceived that he was offering
very remarkable inducement to the
public to buy his wares. Will you be-
lieve it, gentlemen, in many of the pack
ages of soap contained in that bag were
wrapped greenbacks ranging from the
one to the FIVE dollar denomination!
was seized with an immense longing to
try my luck in that soap lottery. Prov
idence was watching me at that mo-
ment. The soap vender looked down
and saw my sad face and tattered gar.
ments.
"'There is lad said he, whom
should like to help. He will be per
mitted to draw cake of soap from thi:
bag without charge, and we shall sex
what his fortune will be-
81 drew, gentlemen, as was directed
and, joy of joys, there was five dollar
bill in my cake of soap. A year later
had 81 900 in the bank, and now an
proud to say life is perpetual delight
So much do 1 feel my Indebtedness to
ward the gentleman who saved me that
1, too, have taken up the philanthropit
work of distributing bank bills among
the needy. And l always make it prac
tice to precede my sales by allowing
some poor, ragged boy in my audience
to draw cake of soap from the bag free
Of charge.
"Ah! there is a most unhappy face
My boy, select cake of soap from the
bag. 1t will cost you nothing"
The poor, miserable lad thus impor
tuned did as he was directed, and as the
crowd watched him unfold the pape1
wrapper it was seen that five dollar
bill was inside.
"You see," exclaimed the fakir, IN
wrapping several of the cakes to display
the money within, and then throwing
them back into the bag, ''you car
scarcely help drawing a prize"
Instantly there was rush in the soaI
business. As fast as the fakir could
make change coins futtered into his
hands. The excitement continued for 6
number of minutes, and then some one
in the crowd began to complain that nc
prizes were turning up. 1t was ther
that the fakir discovered policeman
approaching, and hastily shutting hi.
bag he hurried down the cross street
and turning sharply to the right aftel
going short distance, disappeared, and
in few minutes was Joined by the
ragged boy who had been allowed tx
draw the five dollar prize. His profit
on the soap must have been fully So
New York Sun.