The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-02-25
AN fMPECUNIOUS ONE.
THE BOLD GAME OF BLUFF he PLAYED
ON TIE CONDUCTOR.


He Wss Nee . Gambler or . DrunzDsr,
But = Bank Cisrk-Aocording Co thu
Mss whs rsiis the sssry. He O.ghs GO
Ne IN Asssr--oh. It wss wisksdf
BE sat in hotel smoking room. The
air was blue. but men were happy
happy and reminiscent He stretched
out his legs, thrust his hands deep into
his pockets, and between the puffs spun
this yarn:
For dead cold. icy nerve had a.
why's thought we travelling men took the
cake. But the prettiest game Of blufy I
ever sav was put mp by . man who was
neither q drummer nor . reporter, hut
merely an overwmked bank clerk who
had applied for a leave Of absence and
gone south to recuperata Hebad drawn
certain sum for the trip and resolved
not 10 exceed 1t. Foolishly he had neg
iected to buy an excursion ticket, argu-
ing that he might want 10 return by q
different route- And then, as q matter
Of course. he found that ne had spent his
money not wisely but too well, SO Uas
he was hundreds of miles from home.
ticketless and friendless and well nigh
penniless. His checkbook was useless,
for no ono knew him and he must be
identified.
"All this learned later on Ny %
Quaiptanoe with him began on the train
Of enc Of the southern roads. when hs
asked me to stake him enough to see
him home. had already been touched
several times that trip. so. expressing ey-
cry confidence in his prcbity, declined
the honor be would do me. He tried
several other passengers with like TO
snh. Then he gave IL up, but made ~
all promise not to interfere with any
game he tried to play.
Presently the conductor came along.
The impecunious one, his hat cooked
over one eye. was peacefully sleeping In
one corner OF his seat. leaning toward
an open window. The conductor shook
him, gently at first, 20 that he stirred.
and his hat dropped farther over his
eye. but he did not wake. Then more
roughly. saying. Come. sir. your ticket.
please.
AT that the impecunious one awoks
with big start His hat Jew ont of the
window. and be Jew into great rage.
He swore at the conductor and abused
him up and down, him and his fore
fathers unto the third and fourth gener-
alton. What did he mean by waking
him IN that wayl Didn't he know that
rest was invaluable to an invalid? Thst
such q sudden, rude awakening might g
fatal to weak heart? Were his nerves
Of no account? And now he had lost his
hat and would catch cold Il was ont.
rageous.
1.-THE conductor bowed before the
storm, and when IL had somewhat abat-
Cd offered to replace the hat at the first
stopping place. And now. sir, let me
zee your ticket, please
"Tbe impecunious one felt in all his
pockets, went through them all again
with . bewildered air. Finally he broke
out: Why, You idiot, you, all my tick
cts, not only on this road. but straight
through to Chicago, were in the lining
Of my hat, and you knocked it out Of
the window. I'm In q pretty pickle
now. haven't enough with me to buy
q fresh sek This piece of idiocy will
cost you your job. III report you TO the
company and teach you to be more care
full how You startle q nervous man.
1.-THE conductor tried to soothe him,
offered to take him through to the end
Of the division. But the impecunious
one would not be sppeased. Much good
IL would do him to be landed in some
little nearby, one horse southern town
hundreds of miles from nowhere. He
wanted to get through TO Chicago. He
must Rct through. He had an appoint.
ment there that was worth thousands Of
dollars Finally the conductor. by this
time badly frightened. promised to get
him tickets or passes all the way
through, and the impecunious one sub
sided. And to the end Of that road the
conductor. having replaced the dear de-
parted bat, maintained an humbly apol-
ogetic tone that would have wrung tears
Of blood from q stone
"And it was only bluff all so we'll
carried ont that the conductor WA
completely taken In. and the rest Of NJ
rubbed our eyes and wondered whether
the impecunious ones attempt to touch
as was not, after all, dream.
Later on, travelling over that same
road. told the conductor how he had
been worked And he said he knew IL,
for shortly after that trip be had receiv-
cd letter and q check, the former con.
Tossing the fraud. the latter paying him
the fun price Of the passage. And he
added: That fellow was genius. II he
had made fnss at first about his tick
cts, I'd have been on to him in a min.
ute, but his tickets were forgotten II
was his nerves, his health. his heart. his
hat that were of importance. And to
think that he had no nerves, or health.
or hat--or heart Oh. il was wickedi
But that man has missed his vocation.
BE onght TO be ON the stage "-Chica,
60 Tribuna