Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-02-09
COUNTRY INNOCENCE.
HJU II Mas Displayed IN a Recent
Interesting Discussion.
BILL GossErrE on BucKET-sHops.
A Chesterfeidian Did Not THINK
There Was Enough Timber Around
Richmond 10 supply SO M""'-
sIeeping-Car Experience.

sIeepinG-Car Experience.
Innocence undoubtedly conveys the iaea
OF freedom from that which IS harmful
bat il also indicative Of immunity
from the charge or imputation Of crime
or moral wrong. and IL suggests saere'
circle across whose favored boundaries
no lntima,ion OF evil comes. and In whose
presence even impure thoughts are less
frequent. And then it Is also Indicative
OF that childlke simplicity and purity
OF motive that IS very often round ID
rural districts, among the honesy liners
OF the SOIL The country lad from the
time he seeks eggs in the horse-troush
and chases down the speckled pulIet "heH
the parson drops in TO dinner, TO grown
I'D manhood. when he listens with open
eyes and extended mouth 20 the Glib OF
some lfppy stump-speaker, is a picture
OF innocence that it does my old heart
good to contemplate Not only are these
country people in a large measure free
from evil acts. but they are lnnocently
ignorant Of many OF the wicked ways
and harmful things that are everyday
occurrences in city life.
Beng a countryman myself. I feel free
TO speak on tai3 subject, and / want
20 record an incident which clearly por-
trays the Idea / wish 20 convey. As
remarked above, We hayseeds ale igno-
rant OF many Of the evils that cry folk
are subject 10, and, therefore, may In u
measure get less credit for our Innocence
than our less-favored brethren. a few
days ago. as a haif-dozen Of US held
down as many boxes and barrels In a
CROSSROADS grocery, dicusslng the money
question and the big failures in Rich
mond a gentleman who has considerable
business in the big city. and had read
the DispaIch EDITORS opinion as TO the
/ cause OF the failures came in. tie soon
/ Joined in the conversation, and being a
man OF wisdom and influence, we listened
with pleasure al what ne had to say.
lie commented on the fact that the
failures were largely or persons who had
invested much OF their money out Of the
/ city. Speaking OF investments and specu-
lation. this gentleman advanced the idea
that the bucket-shops with which the
cities are infested are doing great harm.
At this outbIrst OF knowledge and ora
tory several mastica. ting machines open
ed trihe wider and there were a few
grunts, tending TO show that the express
sion was not entirely understood.
We'll 1 declare. Mister Brown" re-
marked an innocent, Il didn't know that
thar was so many bucket-shops in Rich
mond. Last year when / went 70 the
Fair, l saw the big shop down below
Rockets. bur / thought that was the
only one. What kind Of lumber grows
! around Richmond 20 supply so many
shops. and what DO they do with all the
bucketsg"
There was, Of course. ripple OF amuse-
ment, but the sicklv wav ao-~o 80 -.-
men laughed indicated that they did not
themselves clearly understand Tie uu.Ae..
shop expression.
You are laughing at me. Suppose you
/ give your idea OF a bucket-shop," re-
marked the last speaker.
Replies did not come very fast. and on
| a second request one OF the party re-
marked that bucket-shop was a place
| where dirty beer-mugs were washed
| while another said II was a place where
money was loaned.
Your humble and unsophsticated hire
/ Ing does not profess TO understand these
| things, but he is perfectly willing to
] take his friends word and the Dispatch
! editorial as authority. and swallows II
with the same confidence and faith tina,
he takes quinine pill.
have Just learned a rich thing on a
| pair OF my friends, each claiming that the
| joke is on the other AS I recently I'M
| derwent similar experience I can fully
appreciate the position the gentlemen
/ found themselves in when they, for the
/ first time. took a trip IN Pullman
sleeper Readers OF this column will re-
member the embarrassing conditions
under which / rode TO Ohio last fall. but
! believe my friends shared worse fate
Both gentlemen are I'm the lumber bust
ness, with offices in Richmond. and both
are residents OF the country. short
while ago they were called North on
/ business. and they took sleeper al
/ Richmond Mr. Watkins tells the Joke
on Mr Bruce In this way: He saws n
was the lattePs first experience, and he
was quite nervous when he entered the
car. He asked several questions relative
TO the way 10 get into his berth. and
whether or not he should remove his
shoes and clothing before he did so. He
was enlightened upon these matters. and
finally got into his sleeping apartment
Pulling the curtain aside Mr. Bruce re.
marked: Watkins the hammock up here
amt half big enough for me 10 get in
He was informed that the hammock was
FOR his clothing. and for awhile all was
quiet.
"Of course. ne could not sleep and he
rolled about and thought Of his sweet.
heart In Richmond Presently he found
the electrc-button that summoned the
porter. He didn't know what II was, and
began 10 monkey with f. and pretty sobr
the porter came and asked what was
wanted He was told that he desired
nothing. and the blue-coated darby dis.
appeared Bruce resumed his lingering oi
the button. and again the porter appear.
/ Cd and intmated that n he was not
wanted the bell should not be rung.
IT haven't rung any bell. ard n yor
come monkeying around here again Mr.
! Pullman will be looking for somebody c
put IN your place"
The most humorous part ~ the trim
however. occurred when Mr. Bruce aros,
IN the morning 10 dress. His shoes hat
been shined by the porter and he FAILED
10 recognize them, and II took Mr. Wat
kins half an hour 10 convince him tina
the foOtgear was his
Bruce SAYS the Joke Is on Watkins. and
that he had no end OF trouble with hin
on the trip. BILL GOSSETTE.
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.