Omaha daily bee., 1897-02-27
ROMANCE IN A PAwNsHOP.

Wedding and Engagement Rings
often Pledged.
Engagement rings are very frequently
found in a pawnbroker's stock of pledges,
says the New York Sun. When pawned by
a woman they perhaps represent as much
sentiment, II not as much distress, as a
wedding ring. When pawned by a man they
perhaps represent merely a broken engage
ment. A woman will often pawn her bridal
fnery before her engagement ring, while
necessary garments will be pledged sooner
than the wedding gown, which she Is never
likely to wear again.
A New Yorker, now abroad, purchased
some time ago in a Paris monte de pete a
souvenir, which perhaps was more cher-
ished by the original owner than even her
wedding ring by a woman. 1t was an EBONY
crucifx tipped with gold, inscribed in French
my First Communion" with a name ana
a date. The name was that OF a man. one
can easily believe that the cruclfiX was not
parted with until nearly everything else he
owned had been pawned, for even a man
who had gone astray and lost his faith, es-
pecially a Frenchman with the national In
clination to sentiment, would not easily
have forfeited such a souvenir of his lost
faith and innocence. TIL crucihx now
adorns the home altar OF a high church Epis-
c~opalian.
tulh ~ NNS 'N
pawns when pressed for money. with some
men these are almost the last. A man VIII
often paw more necessary garments thah cut
himself off from the possibility OF attending
a function which will remind him or happier
DAYS. 1t Is a man'd watch that first goes to
the pawnbrokers, In a city like TINS, Where
there are street clocks and buildings with
clocks every few blocks, and where the time
can be learned in every saloon, II not IN
| every shop, watches are really an unneces-
Saru luxurV So many are pledged that they
are a drug In the pawnbroker's market, ana
one can get proportionately less on a watch
than almost any other article OF 1ewelry. oid-
fashioned watches, by the way, fetch more
| ordinarily, than those OF modern make. The
reason Is that they are more likely to be
| Solid, and are generally worth as old metal
more than the amount pledged on them
The amount obtained on an article very
often depends on the dress OF the owner ana
on the manner in which 1t is offered. II he
Is comparatively we'll dressed and names the
loan he wants in a confident way, he VIII
very often get what he asks for. The pawn
broker assumes that he Is a well-to-do per-
son. who Is temporarily out or money, and
therefore likely TO redeem the article pledged,
II a man has n sporty air and Is also pros
porous looking, he is perhaps still more
likely to get the amount he wants. In this
case the assumption Is that he wants a
temporary loan to bet on a sporting event,
and will pay the next day II be wins, or be-
fore very long, even II he loses.
on the other hand, a poorly-dressed man
or woman, who puts down the article to be
pledged with an air that shows that he or
she never expects 10 see 1t again. gets moth
Ing like its value, even making allowance
for a years interest at eNtortionate pawn
brokers' rates. The pawnbroker assumes at
once that the article is not going to be re-
deemed, and takes good care not to give
more than it will bring at a sale, with his
interest deducted.
The one or two associations which have
been formed TO furnish persons with loans
at a rate considerably less than regular
pawnbrokers have had an effect not intended
by their incorporators. That Is. persons ap-
ply to them for loans who would never think
OF going to the regular pawnbrokers because
OF the supposed humiliation. They have.
consequently. increased the number OF Dor
| rowers on pledges, as we'll as diminished the
rate OF interest they pay.
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Testcd nv Time For HronchIal affections