The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-06-06
CREDI,LITY OF MAN.
rWO GOOD STORIES ILLUSTRATING
A BROKERS' THEORY.
eome Men Will believe Almost Anything
without Logical Investigation II Some.
body They Happen TO Know Appears to
He in Earnest.

without logical Investigation II Some.
He in Earnest.
They wandered from subject to sub.
ject in a ~lisiless way over their coffee
and cigars. lis men often do when they
have enjoyed a good dinner. until the
broker got on his favorite hobby-the
average man. credulity. His companion.
= lawyer. disagreed with him. and that
1T once started them on II lively argu-
nent. After a few minutes Of general
discussion the broker said
Well. I'll give you an instance. 1t is
a pretty good story anyhow. and per
fectly true. almost inerediblea as it seems.
In the town where | was born there lives
m old river captain named Stewart. WHO
Is a great practical joker. The proprie-
tor of n of the two hotels III the place
Is a rather pompous and coEceited old
man. Stewart walked into the Office Of
the hotel one day d few years ago. and
drawing out aone dollar bank note asked
the proprietor ii he could change an
eleven dollar bill TIL old fellow said
yes. and took the ill. which. sure
enough. had the number eleven in the
corners. and just glanaing at it handed
the amount in change to Stewart.
The joker had added another figure al
ink to the number on the bill. and a.
the proprietor did not like to acknowl
edge that he had never seen an eleven
dollar bill before he had only glanced at
it casually before putting it in the
drawer. Stewart walked out of the no,
tel and told all the men he met about the
joke.
About fifteen minutes after Stewart
went away a man walked in and said to
the proprietor:
MIR. Kennedy, | understand that you
have an eleven dollar bill here. May !
look at it? never saw one.
Kennedy produced it. and the man
Il arveled oyer it for several minutes.
Before he got through examining it an
other man walked in and asked to see
the bill. and then another and another
Finally k~ennedy's curiosity became ex.
cited, and he thought he would see what
the pill really looked like He saw at
once how it had been fixed. and his
face was II study. The boys shouted
with laughter. and the old fellow had to
acknowledge that the cigars were on
him, and he set them up like a man."
Hum. that was funny" commented
the lawyer
We'll. here's another instance" said
the broker. Stewart went to a picnic
one day with some men. and one of them
had on IA brand new hat he had just
bought in the city 1t was an almost
white derby. and il AT once attracted
Stewards attention.
We'll. he said. going up to the
young man, you've got one of those new
hats. have you? Let's look at it,
The fellow took it off with some show
of pride and handed it over for inspec-
ton.
- saw, n of them hats the other
day in the city said Stewart to the lit
tie group Of Men who had gathered
around him, and ! had half a mind to
get it, but asl was il a hurry | didn't
stop The are something entirely new
They don't bura. you know I'd like to
have that hat Nhatll you take for it,
IL don't want to sell it, answered
the owner, grinning with pleasure at
DSiiS tiiS opJCIi VI ~ IIlith dlif.lilOI. ] |
didn't know ii was fireproof though
Are you SURE about it,
''Oh, yes. replied Stewart confident
ly. Sell it to Inc and III show you
mo, if you're sure I'll try it myself. I
And the voting countryInan walked over .
to a wood fire. followed by the crowd Of
men who had been gaping with wonder
at the reported qualities of the new hat
How will | put it in? he asked Stew
art. who stood near by with a look of III
tense interest on his face.
".Oh, chuck it right in 1t can't hurt
it, replied the joker.
so the innocent victim threw his nat
the fire. which of course made snort
of it The mans face was con
with rage aud ast0nishment. and
his temper was not improved when the
crowd Of men burst into a roar. He
looked arorna for Stewart. but that
gentleman hsl discTeetly disappeared"
..Oh, come off. Go and tell that to
the marines as your experience. fon
make me believe such fairy sto-
ries," said his auditor
Those stories are perfectly straight. !
| knew the mel myself."-New York
Tribune