New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1891-01-07

that my silence was useful COM
modify, and he sought to purchase
it with frankness. He was, however,
10th to betray his secret all at once,
but prepared me beforehand by
various significant hints to appre-
ciate better it's mysterious nature.
One evening. when he was smoking
one Of my cigars before my fire, he
said: Il am getting very hard up; /
must raise some money"
l said: "How will you do it?'' =.
81 have a method OF nv own" he
answered, (which I apply whenever
l am in need OF ready cash."
"What is it like?"
He smiled with the smile of a
sphinx, as he replied:
II call it system of q bsence."
On several occasions he made use
OF phraseology similar to the above.
For example, once he said to me:
81 get a good enough living out of
not being in certa ain places at certain
times" Further he would not ex-
plain. ~. 49,. ii
About this time his creditors, of
whom the crop seemed to be peren-
NAL, began to press him close, and it
was evident that, unless the ready
cash should presently come to his
rescue, he was lost-that is, lost in
the same way that he had been lost
many times before. In the nick of
time the money came, however, and
he proceeded, with the skill of q
practical debtor, to make small
stream of cash irrigate a vast area
of credit. This being accomplished,
he was at ease again; and one night,
over a bottle of wine and cigars, he
told me how he had raised the mon
ey.
1T wasn't much" he said careless
ly- five or six hundred. I manage
to raise that sum about four times
year. If you understand how to
make it go-good as twice that, you
know. Now, I'll tell you. I have,
back east, a number of relatives
rich: respected, and all that. Money
comes from them. Easy enough, you
think? Well, l wonder. 1 am the
black sheep of the outft-scapegrace,
you know. And do you imagine,
they would ever give up a bean for
me, If / did not come at 'em with
something worse than a gun? Why
Sir, the whole bloody layout is os
mean, and they hate me so, that,
give you my word, if was roasting
in the lowest depths of Sheol, there
isn't one of 'em would loan you q
fork to go and see if I was done. No,
sirl That's the kind of citizens they
are. But l notice they come up pref
ty regular just the same"
BE ficked the ashes from his high
priced cigar. into the fireplace with
an impressive gesture. Then from
his desk he produced several letters
and a large book labeled journal"
"Here it is" he exclaimed, throwing
the book down on the table in front
OF me; ""Richard Kerth's Ready Let
ter Writer, or the Art of Holding up
Your Relations.' And here are sam
pie returns" he added, dropping the
letters on the table. But you had
better begin at my end of the trans
action. Road the in book first-the
last batch of letters copied there. I
always copy 'em so as to keep track
OF what I'm doing"
] opened the volume at the place
which he indicated, and began to
read aloud: "Hiram Griffin, Cleve-
land, Ohio: My Dear Uncle"
my mothers only BROTHER" in
terpolated the -"Presby-
terrain observation-disclosures merchant
moral citizen" II
l read on: "'I suppose you will be
devilish glad to learn that 1 have at
last decided to turn my face home
ward, am tired of wandering, and
it's ID poor picking out here. I
expect to start in acouple of weeks
unless l hear from you in the mean
time. A lot of California stock will
be entered at the fall meeting at
Cleveland, and l think can fix for
both of us to get let in on the ground
floor, so that we can make a good
thing out of it. How are Bill and
Jimmy"
William and James," said the
black sheep, rolling up his eyes; .'his
sons, whom he is bringing up in the
way they should go-pious youths
OF sixteen or thereabouts."
:" expect they would enjoy the
races and some OF life that I could
show them. I plan to spend a month
in Cleveland, and perhaps may To-
cate there. Some of the fellows are
making up party to go to China.
II | had q couple of hundred more I
would go with them, but I have only
just enough to take me home. Your
atfectionate nephew-Richard.'
"Cold chills ran down his back
when he read that letter." said Mr..
Kerth. Here is his reply. He prays
for the salvation OF my soul, and in
closes a check for two hundred. See?
Read the next one.''
It was addressed to rs. Won Doc
san X erth The Baanchamn Now York