Arizona weekly republican., 1893-02-23
DECIDING A BET.
But They Didu't Seem 4o Agree An.,

 two callers.
 (Which editorg" said the man in the chair.
 "The one that answers questions.
 "What kind of questionsY
 "Why, it's this way: We've got 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 naval vessel. Ship of war. That's the Let. say there was"
 And 1 say there wasn't. Regular United States cruiser, now. That's the point we want settled"
 They had raised their voices to a mgh 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 the Mississippi river as far as Memphis anyhow.
 They bounced on the files with the eagerness of boy digging fishworms.
 "Here it isl" exclaimed, after some search, the ono who had spoken first. 'It's in the pate of May l3. Memphis Great Bridge. That's the headline. Um-let's ses. Here it is! knew it! Tine Concord, gayly bedecked with stars and stripes, moved down the stream That's the nGme of the ship. The Con- cord! l remember it perfectly. Satis- fled now? I'll trouble you for that five dollars"
 Hold onr' exclaimed the other, be- ginning now an investigation on his own account. Lets look a little further. Ahl Here's little more about it in the paper of May TO- 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 cal, that great war steamship? This will be the first naval vessel of any description that has visited the upper Mississippi since tho war See? Nothing but an old tubi Do you suppose" -
 "Going to get out of It that way, are ycuy"
 Get out of what! Didn't we agree to abide by"--
 Do you mean 70 say haven't proved that United States war vessel came up the Mississippi? Hand over that
 "IIand it over yourself! Didn't l bet that no regular ocean cruiser
 Isn't cruiser q war vesselY'
 "Yes, 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 feet! Call that q regular United States ship of war? I fell you no great ocean cruiser could get over the bar at the mouth of the Mississippi. There's less than twenty. two feet of watev"-
 eff I'd lost bet I'd own it."
 "So would I. If had bet that a gov ernment cruiser came up the nver and it turned out to le an old mud scow ! think Id"--
 "WeIl, I'll leave it to this man here"
 "So will 1. Only want him to under l stand that l bet it was a'-
 And l want him to remember that
 "Gentlemen," said the man in the | chair, .I think 1 understand fully the terms of your wager. Will you abide | by what have to say!"
 I've will"
 "Well, one of tue rules of this office is never to answer a question in order tc decide bet"
 And they left tue room and went down the elevator still wrangling..