The Louisiana Democrat., 1891-03-11
STIRRED UP A wAlRLwiND.
A Bad Nickel Gets the Melancholy Mah
Into Trouble

Into Trouble
Twas melancholy looking man who
marshaled himself and an ominous frown
into the. car at Grand avenue Friday
morning. His right hand was bare and
clenched and his left was eIveloped in
a thick, woolen mitten. He suspended
himself from strap because no seat
was ready to receive him and his too
apparent anxiety, and as he gently
lurched from side to side he viewed
with evident envy the more or less
placid faces bent over the morning
prints. The main object of his obselva-
tion was a thin man with mutton-chop
whiskers, who edged this way and that
to give leeway for the unexpected move
ments of the new passenger. The lat
ter opened his right hand, gazed rue
fully into it, pushed the mans paper
aside and said:
SIS that a counterfeit %
The thin man wasn't pleased. Every
body in the immediate neighborhood
saw that, but he pushed down his spec
tacles and replied in self defensive
tone:
s.How do / know -
look at it?" commanded the melan.
choly man. us there grease on it :?
Has the sun melted the edge off Is
the date upside down, or, he added, as
summing an air of wakeful and senor-
GUS suspicion, ''does it look as if |
made it outen an old lead pipe?"
''It doesn't interest me, sir,'' said the
thin man, endeavoring to give the inn
preston that an illustrated furniture
advertisement in his paper had secured
| his whole attention. II don't care one
way or tother.
| 'Don't?" cried the other, whose mel
ancholy had given way to anger. do
you mean to say, sir, that a cross-eyed
ticket-seller has right to tell me this
coin isn't worth any thing when the
train is just about at the station? Dc
J you mean to insinuate that | am run
ming counterfeit factory, where turn
out tive-cent pieces with bullet mold
and plastcr-of- paris cast? Do you NEAR
to work your cadaverous features into
the expression you haven't courage
enough to give voice to, that tha
crooked-nosed ticke,-seller suspected
| that | was regularly robbing the Gov
ernment?
The thin man didn't reply; in fact, HI
seemed to be the least interested.
benevolent looking, round-faced passen
ger leaned over the speakers shoulde
and, after look at a disreputable imi
tation of five-cent piece, sighed. Thi
seemed to lend additional eloquence t.
the melancholy person, and he snatche'
the paper from the thin mans hand
seized him by the collar and shouted:
.'Why don't you talk? Why dom
you have courage enough to say tina
I'm am escaped bank thief, a forger,
rag-picller, dealer in second-han
hand-organs? What do ye twitch We
whislzers for? Why don't you talk u
like man and back up the black mu;
zled ticket-seller? You know yo
think that's counterfeit, why don
you say"
The thin man broke off the speech b
! disturbing the others breakfast. II
!, laid the melancholy mans form on til
mating, and while his arms flew aroun
like windmill on stormy day h
! gasped:
: ''I'm not Constant Reader whack
I'm not, 'Veritas, nor whack] any
those fellows whack]; but if you wal
= downright [whack argument [whacl
: on counterfeits here's whack] one
: my kind for YOU
The brakeman escorted the mela
choly man out at the next station al
gently told him where the nearest dru
: gist did busine ss.-Brooklyn Eagle.