The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-13

by lDlS time III was nearly QhTk, DuC
prize dropped on Grant avenue, between
O'Farrell and Geary streets, soon found
a victim. The lost property belonged to
-. c, Hamilton" and the finder of it was
trim little woman leading boy By the hand.
purposely placed temptation In her path,
saw her desert her offspring and pounce
upon the purse. She tucked ii under the
skirt Of her jacket holding it in place with
her elbow, grabbed the boy again and
started for Market street.
She never looked back, and from the way
she occasionally jerked the infant by her
side judged he was asking too many ques-
lions.
This was my last bait but one. l fol-
lowed the woman in hope that she would
stop and examine the purse. But she didn't.
was close at her heels, when at Market
and Fifth streets | met the old man who had
found the Jordan" purse taking the back
trail.
He still had his hand on the purse and
was following the numbers over the doors
with his eyes.
There was at least one honest adult in the
lot. so | left the woman with the boy and
staked the OLD man.
he had probably gone home. consulted
with his folks and decided to return the
money.
There was piece of poetry in the purse
entitled death at Daybreak." which may
have exercised some influence.
There was also the tintype of bald
headed man from Placeryille and an L. o. U.
for $40.
When the old man reached the door of
the office at no Market street he stopped,
while went on inside and waited for him.
He was gazing up at the number when
entered, but as l turned to look for him he
had disappeared. Later on he returned and
asked for Jordan.
He said nothing about tie purse, but
stated that his name was Lowenthal of 226
Sixth street and that Mr.. Jordan could hear
of something 10 his advantage by calling
there.
MI Lowenthal of 226 Sixth street is An
honest old gentleman and he can keep the
purse and contents for his trouble.
So can the woman with the little boy
keep hers, and may she derive lasting bene-
fit from the notice of J. c. Hamilton's
Suspension for Non-Payment Of Dues"
the photo Of a one-eyed man, with whIskers,
and other trinkets it contained, including a
poem entitled. "In the Dead Hand"
The lastin the lot was a healthy-lookIng
wallet, the alleged property of IF. G.
Walters" II Will never come back, but a
hungry man got meal at the expense OF his
conscience.
This decoy was set on the south side of
Market street. opposite the entrance to the
Bijou Theater. IL was rather dark there
and several people passed by without know
ing what they had missed.
Finally young man who looked like q
coalheaver out of job came drifting along
from the west
He was smoking a pipe and wore his
hands In his pockets.
Sauntering aimlessly along, his toe struck
the purse and sent it skating along the pave.
In an instant he had it safely tucked I'M
der one arm and was saunterinG as before
while l sneaked out from the hallway and
followed him.
He moved down to an electric light hang
ing in a window, where he stopped and
opened the purse. Then he looked back
then across the street. and went n few
steps, where he again took an inventory.
This seemed to satisfy him, for he poked
the wallet into his hip pocket, moved
rapidly to Third street and turned down
that thoroughfare.
At the corner of Third and Stevenson
streets he knocked the ashes from his pipe,
and entered a little beanery. So did l, and
took a seat on the opposite side of the room
on a line with the table at which he sat.
He had already ordered a cup Of coffee.
and the cook was frying him some buck
wheats" in the window.
There was lust OF gold in his eye as the
young man arranged a newspaper against
the sugar bowl for screen, and pulled out
the purse.
The first thing he took out was the bit of
poetry entitled mo One Objects"
He smiled little. and then tore open the
envelope containing 20 cents in trust for
James Warden, minor"
His face, and it was not bad one, red
dened slightly as the four nlckels slid into
his PAIN, but he quietly dropped them into
his vest pocket and prObed little further.
Next he brought TO light the counterfeit
resemblance on Tin Of a nice-looking young
man with curly hair. He put this back and
hauled out another Of Aunt Mary" in a
tall poke bonnet
This did not seem to interest him much,
nor did little tuft of cotton with tina odor
of camph0r clingng to it.
The button-hook. some pins and So cents
fail.
BY this time the "buckw were
ready and the young man fell to.
There was sad, far-away expression in
his eyes as he slipped his coffee and swal-
lowed the doughty Jumps with treacle on
them.
He tried to read the paper between bites
but made a sorry fist of 1t. Something
rea md 10 4, L..
smlte him or was the precept his mother
taught him, Thou shalt not steal" ringing
in his ears?
1t was neither, for when he finished eat
ing he reached down and picked up from
the floor where he had thrown them the
torn remnants OF the envelope that had con-
tanned the legacy. Carefully he pieced
them together. evidently trying TO once
more read and fix in his mind the name of
the man who had left an estate Of 20 cents
10 trust for his only orphan child
But be gave 1t up as a bad job. swept the
bits OF paper to the floor, gulped down the
last of his coffee, paid his score with two of
the nickels and silently fitted away into
Third street. panied and disappointed
man.
He was even worse disappointed than
was over the result of the tests.
Sudden and unexpected wealth picked up
on the street when no one is looking is a
hard tax on the honesty OF the average
human.
But the return of four out of six fat wal
let's that gave indications, on the outside at
least, of great riches is splendid showing,
and the quartet mentioned have every rea-
son to be proud of the records they have
made for honesty. CHARLES DRYDEN
PERSONAL NOTES.