Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-25
CURED OF MISERLY CRAZE.
In the Clutches Of the Little Tin Bank and
Out Again.

In the Clutches of the Little Tin Bank and
Out Again.
From the New York Herald.
One OF those little nickel pocket savings
banks, of which the street vendors are selling
80 many nowadays. has been the cause OF up
setting all the generation in which previously
held the old adage about taking care of the
pennies and letting the dollars take care of
themselves
Some weeks ago first noticed the banks
Hundreds of people were buying them on the
streets. knew it was craze, an epidemic
Ike the fifteen puzzle and pigs in clover"
and wisely kept away. But Dick Smith marked
ME out for his victim. With Mephis:ophe.ean
giee he gave me one. 1 Immediately became
interested and wanted to see how il worked
1t was an innocent looking little tin tube with a
slot in one end, which would admit only a ten
cent piece. When full it held Just IS in dimes.
and only when filled could the bottom be
pushed out and the coin be recovered again.
Dick assured me that it was great savings
institution. that by slipping all the dimes
got into it l would never miss them and be IS
ahead of the game before l knew it. In short,
he led me to believe that fortune could be
accumulated that way in very short time and
without any perceptible effort.
caught the fever.
For week it engrossed all my spare time.
Dime after dime was showed into its rapacious
little tin NAV. / jingled il in nv pocket,
'hefted" it and constantly watched the pro-
gress Of the accumulation through holes per-
forated in the side.
Meanwhile was constantly Inconvenience
by a lack Of change. just as would get to the
ticket window during the rush hours on the
IL" would recollect that all my change was
in that bank and would loose my place in the
line while stopping to fish out a bill. Such in
cidents forced a habit of profanity upon me.
1t never occurred to me before that would
consider being deprived of the evening papers
as very much of hardship. but day after day
l suffered agonies OF curiosity to know what
was in them. 1t did not seem suitable to offer a
newsboy bill for one and / never seemed
to have anything smaller. All the change
that came my way turned, as If by magic, into
dimes.
Well at last the thing was loaded to the
muzzle and consented to be opened. 1t came
to me as happy thought to give the proceeds
OF this bank to my wife as extra pin money.
Naturally she thought it would be very nice,
too, and received the ive-dollar bill for which
exchanged the handful of dimes with no
little satisfaction as the beginning Of a regular
weekly custom.
When returned from business that day her
face was as long as a December night.
She had been shopping To absolutely in
sure Its safety she refrained from carrying her
pocket book in her hand and placed it in her
shopping bag that hung from her waist In
.C Poenes oooh"ere SZo.oo,pncluulnS the nye-
dollar hard-hoarded bill, two hairpins. five
dress samples, two postage stamps stuck to-
gether, part of an 81 ticket and a memoran-
dunn card. Coming from a crowded bargain
counter she noticed that the shopping bag was
unclasped. One wild dash of the hand inside
assured her that the pocket book was gone
And SO after all those dimes that SO labori-
ously gathered will probably go to buy book
beer for pickpocket. If that is the kind of
luck that follows on the heels of an inclination
to save prefer to die pauper.
The little tin bank is empty now