Arizona republican., 1893-02-02
DECIDING 4 BET.


nut They DIdn't Seem to Agree After
All.
is the editor ia?' inquired one of the
two callers.
which editor" said the man in the
chair.
Tho one that answers questions"
What kind of questions:"
"Why, it's this way; We've got a
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
navel vessel Ship Of war; That's the
let. | say there was.
"And J 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 20 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
us far as Memphis anyhow.
They bounced on the files with the
eagerness of a boy digging fishworms.
Here it isl" exclaimed, after some
search, the one who had spoken first
"Its in the paper Of May Is. Memphis
Great Bridge That's the headline
Um-lets see. Here it is! 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! | remember it perfectly. Salts
fed now? I'll trouble you for that five
dollars
"Hold on!" exclaimed the other be-
ginning now an investigation on his own
account. Lets look a little further.
All! Here's little more about 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 great
war steamship? This will be the first
naval vessel of any description that has
visited the upper Mississippi since the
war. See? Nothing but an old tubi
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 20 say haven't proved
| that United States war vessel came up
the Mississippi? Hand over that
"Hand it over yourself! Didn't bet
that no regular ocean cruiser
"Isn't cruiser war vessel|
eyes, but 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 feetl Call
that regular United States ship of war?
| 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 ]. If had bet that gov
eminent cruiser came up the river and
it turned out to he an old mud scow
think rd"---
"Well, I'll leave it to this man here. "
$50 will |. Only want him to under
stand that bet it was a.
"And | want him to remember that
"Gentlemen," said the man in the
chair, 81 think ] understand fully the
terms of your wager, Will you abide
by what have to say?"
eve will"
"Well, one of tue rules Of this Office is
never to answer question in order tc
decide bet"
And they left the room and went down
| the elevator still wrangling.,