The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-08-22
ALL A MISTAKE.
NJ. QUAD WASN'T EXACTLY BUNKoED
~ IN CHICAGO.

1t Is Always a Very Bad Thing to BE MIG
Judged, and Quad Feels Very Much Pain
cd and Humiliated-The Facts In the
Case.
copyright. 1879, by Charles b. Lcwis.1
have been considerably panied and hui
INFLATED over the fact that an item is going
the rounds of the press to the effect that l
was bunkoed out of $500 at the Worlds
fair. Some of the editors extend their
heartfelt sympathies; others advise me to
apply to the courts for Il guardian Had it
been an item charging me with sheep
stealing, bigamy, arson or Jail breaking I
should have laid back on my dignity and
never let on that / was worried AS it is I
feel that it is due my character to make an
explanation.
l was taking n stroll on the Midway
plaisance when stranger tapped me on
the shoulder and joyfully exclaimcd:
Hello, old mani but who'd have thought
of meeting you here!'
We shook hands. 1 didn't exactly re-
member whether his name was Jones or
Brown, or whether had met him at the
Sullivan-Corbett prize fight or ut the open
ing of II new cemetery up the Hudson. I
tails
How are all the boys on Newspape,
row." he asked as he offered me cigar.
"All well and content" replied rs bit
the end off.
land my friend the mayor"
"Tolerably fair, L believe"
"And the boys down in Wall street keep
busy, sec?''
Eyes"
well, old man. I'm heap glad met
you. Just does ny eyes good to look at n
man from New York! Remember our lit
tie trip to Long Island last summer"
II do"
l humbly acknowledge that didn't re-
member anything of the kind, but didn't
want to hurt the mans feelings.
And our excursion to Long Branch?"
Eyes"
l humbly acknowledge again that I
prevaricated, but what was to do? You
can't hurt man more than to forget you
went on an excursion with him.
by George! but this is lucky" he feel
ingly exclaimed rs he patted me on the
shoulder. you've got family Bible in
the house, of course!"
"I-I-yes."
But you've no objection to new one
something in Turkey-morocco- gilt-cdged
1000 illustrations-worth Ss95?"
No"
"Then come with me. Big publishing
house down here failed the other day, and
bought 100 Bibles for n song. Have given
away all but five to my friends. Just Il lit
tie token of remembrance, you know
something to keep my memory green"
Could suspect such man as that Of
having evil designs? Had l the slightest
reason for taking him for n bunko man?
It's all right enough to say l ought to
have known better than to go with him,
but put yourself in my place. Does it
seem possible that a bad man would want
to present you with gilt edged Bible
worth S25? We walked side by side for
good many squares and finally turned into
a doorway and assembled II flight of stairs
and entered n small room, There were five
Bibles piled up on countcr-just such
Bibles rs my friend had described He or
dered a narrow minded young man to put
one Of them in Il box and address it to me-
charges prepaid. / was expressing nv
thanks in n broken voice when IL sad faced
young man called our attention to the fact
that he was an agent for II Cuban lottery,
and that he would be rejoiced to see us hit
the corporation for about 10000. thought
1t real kind of him to express himself in
that way, and frankly told him So That
seemed TO please him, and after that /
The dear friend who had brought Inc to
the Bible house didn't seem to take any in
tcrcst in hitting $4,000 in that lottery
tha. is, lie didn't for the first few minutes
1t WAS only after the sad faced young man
had explained how much good we could nc
complsh i'll the name of charity with such
sum of money that he threw oil his
mantle of indifference and took me aside
for private talk. He said we had struck
soft snap and that it would be almost
criminal on our part not to take advan-
tage of it. His half Of what we struck
would be turned over to u Chicago hospital,
while might do rs l liked with mine,
though l would probably remember the
orphans of New York in II liberal manner
believe we bought 500 worth of tickets.
think the idea was to hit all the prizes in
the lottery at once and bankrupt the whole
island of Cuba. Then we put up $3.50 apiece
to prove to the sad faced young man that
we were financially responsible for some
thing or other My friend seemed to know
just what to do, and let him manage the
business. There was n drawing 1t was q
drawing without any great amount OF cerc-
mony connected with it. We didn't hit
anything The manager was sorry for us
and suggested another trial We somehow
missed it again by hairbreadth, and we
tried it again. We came within just one
q @ I-SSSS''e.J.