Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-10-16

DaclOlNe A BET.

is the editor in?' inquired one of the
two callers.
Which editor?" said the man in the
chair.
The one that answers questions"
What kind Of queshonss"
why. it's this way: We've got q
little bet. and We have come here 10 de-
eide il. 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 were betting on"
Certainly. "a 4. United States
naval vessel. Snip of war. That's the
bet. say there was"
''And | say there wasn't. Regular
United States cruiser. now. That's the
point we want settled"
They had raised their voices to 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 che Mississippi river
as far as Memphis anyhow.
They pounced on the files with the
eagerness of boy digging fishworms.
Here it ISL exclaimed, after some
search, the one who had spoken first.
"It's in the paper of May 10. Memphis
| px,I rha+sc sha hooll,-a
Um-let's see. Here it isl | knew it!
The Concord, gayly bedecked with stars
and stripes, moved down the stream
That's the name of the ship. The Con-
cord! / remember it perfectly. Salts
fed now? I'll trouble you for that five
! dollars"
Hold onw exclaimed the other, be-
ginning now an investigation on his own
account. Lets look little further.
/ All! Here's little more aSOout it in the
paper Of May 10. 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 a great
war steamship? This will be the first
naval vessel of any description that has
visited the upper Mississippi since the
war; Seer 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 a United States war vessel came w
the Mississippi? Hand over that
"Hand it over yourself! Didn't BET
that no regular ocean cruiser
isn't cruiser war vesselY"
"Yes, but war vessel isn't necessa.
rily a cruiser. Just you stick to the betr
'You bet that no regular United State:
ship of war ever came'-
"And it draws seventeen feeti Cal
that regular United States ship of war
l tell you no great ocean cruiser could
get over the bar at the mouth of the
Mississippi. There's less than twenty
two feet of water
IF I'd lost bet I'd own it."
$50 would l. If had bet that a gov
eminent cruiser came up the river and
it turned out ito be an old mud scow
think ID
"Well, I'll leave it to this man here.
$50 will L. Only want him to under
stand that bet it was a.
"Aud | want him to remember that
Gentlemen" said the man in the
chair, AZ think / understand fully tn,
terms of your wager. VIII you abide
by what i have to say?"
"We will"
"Well. one Of the rules of this Office /.
never to answer question in order t.
decide bet.
And they left the room and went dowr
the elevator still wrangling. Chicago
Tribune.