The Russellville Democrat., 1892-04-21
.llisI ONE CENT SHORT.
Not much, but it Caused a Lady a Lot .
 Trouble.

 Not much, but is Caused a Lady a Lot of
 Trouble.
 There are some things more em-' barrassing than to simply be with out money. One of these is to be 2 Harlem lady down town with four cents. Nine miles from seventh floor nest, short one cent, is worse than Sheridan twenty miles away on a thoroughbred horse. l wonder somebody doesn't write poem on this thrilling subject. A real lady to qualify term of rather miscelia- neous application lives Ill Harlem and is accustomed to spend ing her small change in contig uous shopping districts found herself in this unfortunate pre- dicament day or two ago. She didn't make the discovery until she had reached the elevated plat form to return home-then she al most tainted She had purchased an evening paper as she came up, and vas short just that one cent. She had overtraded. The amount was small, but the deal was quite as disastrous in her case as if she had been short 800 shares of Reading when the coal combine got hold of 1t. She felt through everything composing her costume likely to contain money, and added and sub tracted and multiplied and divided, but only the four cents remained. Conscious of the scowls of the cold, cynical gateman and the curiosity of those who noticed her at all, she modestly withdrew down the stair, not, however, before a gentleman lifted his hat politely and inquired if she had lost anything.
 "N-no; oh, no ol-thank you F she had replied, confusedly, and got away.
 She was neither good looking nor young. It is painful to admit this, but 1t is necessary for the truth of history and to show why she didn' t go right along through and have half dozen gentlemen to assist her. Being neither good looking nor young and accustomed to the seclu- sion of Harlem, she was exceedingly timid of the world that roars and seethes in lower Broadway. It was after 4 o'clock, and the few ac- quaintances she could think of had gone home, she felt certain. When she paused at the bottom of the ele- vated steps her knees knocked to- gether so violently she could hardly stand up. Her first thought was of the boy who sold her the paper perhaps he'd take it back.
 Awe wat are ye given me7' said the boy when this was sug- gested
 'I'm giving you the paper, if you'll give me back that cent-I n-need it to get home, and'-(Oh, the humiliating confession )
 "Rats Come off yer perch now, old womanl 1 ain't no chumpl !"
 "Old woman [" Gracious heavens All for one cent, too and she with bank account, and a husband with bank account, and three children with a bank account. It was dreadful, but she was des perate. If this boy wouldn't take back the paper she would have to beg one cent of somebody, and that -oh, dearl Such horrible people do that every day and nobody would believe her So she pleaded with the boy to buy the paper.
 "Here-give me a paper" said man of the crowd, gruffiy showing cent into her hand. He had just come along and caught at the first paper extended as he made for the stairs but as he put the penny in her hand he noted half blindly that the hand was white and soft and the fingers wore handsome rings. He had reached the second step before this got lodgment in his busy brain, and then he looked back and said;
 Well, I'm dashed I didn't know there was so much money in the newspaper business. '"
 The poor, blushing lady, clutching her cent, hurried across to the other stair and reached home to fall into mysteries when she told her husband. And he, the brute, almost has hys- terics every time he tells of it, New York Herald.
 INDIVIDUALITY IN YOUR BE-
 ONGiNGS