The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-30
TRIED 70 BEAT THE MACnlAE.
Two Young Women and Their At
tempt TO Get Weighed for One
Cent.
From the New York sun.

From the New York sun.
Probably they would have resented any
imputation upon their honesty yet they
stood before the helpless penny-in-the-s
weighing machine with guile, fraud, and
intent to cheat in their souls. The younger
| one-she was a slim, tailor-made girl
held a cent between her well-gloved finger
and thumb. Only one cent for both of
| them. Now, no peuny-in-th e-slot machine
| purposes to weigh ladies, no matter Of
| what degree of fairness, at the rate of two
| for a cent, yet the thing can be done, and
| these two proposed TO 40 it.
I'VE ought both to get on before we drop
| the penny in, said the elder, who looked
as If she alone would be a pretty good one
| cent contract for anything short OF hay
| scale.
Yes, but if you get on there won't be
much room for me, said her companion.
as it were, and III be hanging to you so
| hard that it will take away part of my
what a goose you are, Madeline" cried
the other. How can 1t lessen the weight
when all the weight is on the scales any
Eyes, that's true" assented the younger
one thoughtfully. IT'S all on the scales,
of course; but 1t isn't my weight, is it, if
part of it comes on your
"Weu, you can let go as soon as you get
fairly on. Now, are you all ready? m
going to get on"
Up she got with much swishing of
skirts, and her companion walked around
her, looking for the side aftording the
most room. At length, after much bal-
ancing and see-sawing, she was faily
settled, and she raised the penny, but
| instead of dropping it in, said TO the
''How stupid of you, Allie. You've got
your parasol in your hand.
And you've got your sachel, retorted
Allie. THAT weighs more than my para
why. of course. didn't think of that
| Here, give me the parasol, and III put
l haa~ In
That being Satisfactorily accomplished,
the younger prepared to mount the ma
chine again. but paused as thought
III we both get on how can we tell
what each of us Weighs?" she inquired.
wen both get weighed together
why, divide it by two, you goose"
cried her friend, triumphantiy. Come,
get up. A~,t
right" objected the tabernacle one, be
! cause that would make it just half for
each of us, wouldn't it? And don't
weigh nearly much as you"
This was stickler for a moment, but
the mathematical brain rose superior to
it after some pondering.
1--WE both get on as its decision, and
it weighs us both. Then l get off and
it weighs you, and then we subtract
subtract what?" demanded the slender
know what you're talking about. It's just
like those horrid and things we used
to have in school. Let X equal you ana
| y "-@NN~NNt
you mix em all up, and at the end you We
got the ansWer-WrOng.
do stop talking ana get on. III do the
figuring We both get weighed. Then we
subtract my weight from your weight
and that gives up-gracious! what would
Fits" replied her friend fippantly; Eat
least it would me. I'm sure any attempt
to solve il would result in epilepsy.
''Well, l know my weight, anyway"
said the bigger one; so we can tell what
your weight is by subtracting that
Then, If you know your We&ht, what's
the use of your getting weighed at all?"
why, it may nave changed, maynt 1t?
Allie, 90 be sensible"
Pm trying hard, but haven't much of
an example to spur me on"
If l could only spur you on to this
platform ia be satisfied. Goodness! Don't
push me Off There, are you fixed? All
right Drop in the cent and III do the
There was click and rattle from
the interior of the machine; then silence.
The Indicator remained motlOnless. In
vain did the girls pound its face and jig
mady upon the platform. Not Wiggle
could they get out Of the needle. Then
they started in and denounced, with the
wrath of outraged honesty, the machine,
it's owner and inventor, and the railroad
company in whose station it stood. They
declared that they would write to the
newspapers and the police. They were
very much excited indeed. Quite crowd
! had gathered around to watch their ma
neuvers and IL renamed 10 near their
oratory When the first force Of wrath
was spent, a prim aud severe looking l.
year-old girl came forward to the ma
| chine that had swallowed the coin and
turned over white placard which the
two had not noticed.
Il think" she said, with judicial en-
phasis upon the pFonoun, that 10 served
YOU right. To cheat a machine Two
for a cent?
With "a Lady Macbeth sort of gesture
she uofnted 10 the placard. IL read.
This MACHINE OUT OF ORDER"
oragy member Of the American Wing So
cleiy By the faculty Of Princeton College.