The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-12-12


dtion of affairs"
Don't youP" said the Skeleton.
"Well, l don't suppose there is very
munhi but there is something else that
conaider very laughable, and that l
will tell you if you will keep secret.
You see, the old Golden Dragon him
self-I always call our innkeeper the
Golden Dragon, just as you call me the
Living Skeleton"
"oh, 1 beg your pardon" said Rob
bins, stammering. Il
"Oh, it doesn't matter at all. You
are perfectly right, and think that
very apt term. Well, the old Golden
Dragon makes great deal of his
money by robbing the dead. You
didn't know that, did youP You thought
it was the living who supported him,
and goodness knows he robs them
when he has a chance. Well, you are
much mistaken. When 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. / 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
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 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. l have put in an envelope
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 l
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 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 chance to get it, for my
funeral expenses, and then you see
am through with the world. / have no.
body to leave that | need worry about,
or who would either take care of me or
feel sorry for me if l needed care or
sympathy, which l 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. l"
Robbins did not appear to be able to
see the humor of the situation quite so
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 Skele-
| ton always refused.
A sort of friendship sprang up be-
tween Robbins and Living keleton, 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 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 tc
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, what luck collect
ing to-day?"
"Oh, the greatest luck" she replied
enthusiastically, land who do yor
think got the most money trom?"
81 am sure / haven't the slightest
idea-that old English duke, he Ger
tainly has money enough
mo, not from him at all; the very
last person you would expect it from
your friend, the Living Skeleton"
What" cried Robbins, in alarm.
ooh, found him on the bench where
he usually sits, in the avenue of palms
l told himf all about the charity, anc
how useful it was, and how necessary,
and how we all ought to give as much
as we could towards it, and he smiled
and smiled at me in that curious way Of
his. Yes he said in whisper, Il be
lieve the charity should be supported
by everyone; will give you eighty
francs Now, wasn't that very gen
erous of him? Eighty francs
That was ten times what the duke
gave, and as he handed me tn,
money he looked up at me anC
said in that awful whisper of his
Count chat over carefully when yol
get home and see if you can find ou
what else l have given you. There i
more than eighty francs there Then
after / got home, L"
But here the Nice girl paused, whel
she looked at the face of Robbins, t.
whom she was talking. That face wa