The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-10-29
DECIDING 4 BET.
But Thoy Didn't Seem to Agree Aner

sis tho editor in?" inquired one of the
two callers.
(which editor?" said the man in the
chair.
1.-The one that answers questions"
What kind of questions?"
why. it's this way: We've got q
little bet, and we have come here to de-
eide it. We want to know whether
there was ever United States ship of
war that came up the Mississippi river"
Cruiser, you remember" put in the
other man. ocean vessel belonging to
the regular United States navy. That's
what we're betting on"
Certainly. Straight United States
naval vessel. Ship of war. That's the
bet. l say there was"
"And say there wasn't. Regular
United States cruiser, now. That's the
point wo want settled"
They had raised their voices to q high
pitch already, and the man in the chair
referred them to the files, and said that
If they would consult the papers printed
about the middle of last May, when the
great Memphis bridge was dedicated,
they would see that some kind of naval
vessel had gone up the Mississippi river
as far as Memphis anyhow.
They pounced on the files with tho
eagerness of a boy digging fishworms.
Here it is" exclaimedk after some
search, the one who had spoken first
Its in the paper of May 49, Memphis
Great Bridge That's the headline
Um-let's see. Here it isl l knew it!
The Concord, gayly bedecked with stars
and stripes, moved down the stream
That's the name of the ship. The Con-
cord! 1 remember it perfectly. Salts
fed now? I'll trouble you for that five
dollars"
Hold orr exclaimed the other, be-
ginning now an investigation on his own
account. Lets look little further.
All! Here's u little moro about it in the
paper of May TO- The United States
steamship Concord'-that doesn't say it
was an ocean cruiser, does it?-'may visit
Cairo and st. Louis Let's see-'draws
seventeen feet'-do you call that great
war steamship? This will be the first
naval vessel of any 'yiption that has
visited the upper Mississippi since the
war See? Nothing but an old tub!
Do you suppose
Going to get out of it that way, are
your"
Get out of what! Didn't we agree to
abide by
do you mean to say haven't proved
that IL United States war vessel came ND
the Mississippi? Hand over that
"Hand it over yourself! Didn't bet
that no regular ocean cruiser"-
isn't cruiser n war vessol?"
eyes, but IL war vessel isn't necessa-
rily cruiser. Just you stick to the bet"
You bet that no regular United States
ship of war ever came"-
And it draws seventeen feeti Call
that IL regular United States ship of war?
tell you no great ocean cruiser could
get over the bar ut, the mouth of the
Mississippi. There's less than twenty.
two feet of water
eff I'd lost bet I'd own it."
$50 would l. If | had bet that gov
eminent cruiser came up the river and
itturned out to be an old mud scow l
think I'd
"Well, III leave it to this man here"
$50 will l. Only want him to under
stand that bet it was al
"And want him to remember that
Gentlemen" said the man in the
chair. II think l understand fully the
terms of your wager. Will you abide
by what have to sayl"
1--WE will"
"Well, one of the rules of this Office is
never to answer question in order to
decide bet"
And they left the room and went down
the elevator still wrangling. Chicago
Tribune.