Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1896-02-29
Select STORY.
Thrust Into Fortune.

thrust lntO tOFCunc.
Young Wyncoop was the black
sheep of his family. lie drank, swore,
dissipated and spent all the money his
family would give him He was ut
terly worthless from any standpoint,
made no endeavor to he respectable,
would attend TO no business, and did
not regard his inducements to live
with becoming respect. BY the time
he was forty years old, he had become
vagabond His family refused him
shelter, money, recognition. Driven
from home, he drited into the metro
polls, shabby genteel.
One day, on Fifth avenue. he had
partaken of some refuse of food for
breakfast from a scullion at base
ment window, and started uptown to
evolve some convenient means for
committing suicide.
A runaway happening TO tear
along the street, he concluded to dash
himself in front of the horses and have
his brains eliminated. At the con-
venient moment, 10 the horror of the
spectators. he sprang into the street
directly in front of the maddened ami
mails.
The horses, astonished AT the sud-
den apparitlon, reared i'll the air,
plunged and then stopped at his very
nose. The coachman, footmen, an
aged gentleman and beautiful girl
leaped from the landau, wild with
fright and hastened to secure a place
OF safety. Then, as i ashamed. they
made their way through the crowd to
the involuntary rescuer, and covered
him with thanks and praises The
old gentleman slipped $500 bill and
his card in the vagabond's pocket
The beautiful girl took his hands and
kissed them with gratitude, on which.
Wyncoop, for the first time in his life.
felt sensation and actually fell in
love.
Another instant the parties got into
the vehicle and were gone, leaving the
astonished vagabond to his new medi-
tations.
As he shuffied down the street he
thought of the bill in his pocket and
Examined it,
"Well," he CALCULATED, no suicide
as long as there is cent of this God
send left. just for that sweet girls
face, I'll brush up bit.
The new made hero entered cloth
ing store. and while donning a re>pec
table apparel gave interviews To re-
porters who had followed and caught
him. He declined to give his biogra-
ply, with rare good taste, claiming to
belong, as he did, To an old and wealthy
family. The next morning. after the
papers had made a hero OF him, he re-
ceived call at the Fifth Avenue
Hotel, where he had temporarily stop
ped, from the old mans beautiful
daughter. He was invited 10 call,
and accepted, in order to exploit The
first idea which had ever entered his
brain. He likewise got telegrams of
congregations from his relatives and
further visits from reporters and en-
thusiasts.
That afternoon, having nothing 10
do, he again strplled out ON the ave.
nue.. Feeling sleepy, and seeing red
flag dropping from Il portico, he enter
c n real estate auction room, sat down
in front of the actoneer's stand and
slept.
Very soon Il crowd gathered and the
auctioneer took his place. Still the
man slept
Gentlemen" explained the auc-
tioneers, "the property we offer to day
is one of the most advantageous and
desirable sites in the city. 1t is worth
two and half millions of dollars.
How much am offered p
No one answered
"Will any start bid-say at n
million. All, | see our friend in front
mods pointing at Wyncoop. "Im
offered million"
Twenty hundred thousand, said a
voice.
"Ah, will any one bid million and
a quarter. My friend mods again,
looking at Wyncoop fast asleep. "Am
| offered more?''
"A million and half" roared the
other bidder.
"Now this is interesting. Will any
one give me a million and three quar-
tiers? All, my friend mods. He knows
the value of the property"
"a million, nine hundred thousand, y
shouted the excited bidder from the
rear.
Gentlemen, this estate is worth
much more. Am offered two mil
lions ? lie wants it, my friend there
See him ned, Will the gentleman
back there raise the bid?'
"Not "A cent more" said the man