Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-05-07
SOFT SOAP AND HARD.
The EIoquenee of n Bowery Fakir Is Po-
tent with an East Side Audience.

tent with an East sfOe Auulence.
A street fakir of the finest type stood
at the corner of the Bowery and cross
street, and addressed the attentive throng
with all the rhetorical flourish of a
United States senator.
Il was once poor boy" said he,
with only two cents in my pocket, and
| found myself here in this great city
without a home and without a friend.
May the fates preserve you from any
such hardships as | saw. dear gentlemen!
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 a
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. l admit, but l had been made. a
coward by my privations. l was not
myself. and my suicidal purpose was
the mad despair of a 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 gentleman who stood
on the corner Just above where | am
standing now. He had small black
bag with him, very similar to the one l
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, 1 did not much stand in need
of soap at just that moment, notwith
standing the very thorough bath / was
about to give myself, and l 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. viii you be-
heve 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 a lad, said he, whom
should like to help. He will be per-
mitted to draw cake of soap from this
bag without charge, and we shall see
what his fortune will be-
Il drew, gentlemen, as was directed,
and, joy of joysl there was five dollar
bill in my cake of soap. A year later
had 81 900 in the bank, and now l am
proud to say life is perpetual delight.
So much do l feel my Indebtedness to-
ward the gentleman who saved me that
l, too, have taken up the philanthropic
work of distributing bank bills among
the needy. And l always make it a 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 most unhappy face.
Ny boy, select cake of soap from the
bag. 1t will cost you nothingr'
The poor. miserable lad thus impor-
tuned did as he was directed, and as the
crowd watched him unfold the paper
wrapper it was seen that five dollar
bill was inside.
You see," exclaimed the fakir, un-
wrapping several of the cakes to display
the money within, and then throwing
them back into the bag, you can
scarcely help drawing prize"
Instantly there was rush in the soap
business. As fast as the fakir could
make change coins futtered into his
hands. The excitement continued for
number of minutes, and then some one
in the crowd began to complain that no
prizes were turning up. 1t was then
that the fakir discovered a policeman
approaching, and hastily shutting his
bag he hurried down the cross street,
and turning sharply to the right after
going short distance, disappeared. and
in few minutes was joined by the
ragged boy who had been allowed to
draw the five dollar prize. His profits
on the soap must have been fully $f0.-
New York Sun.