The herald., 1898-12-06
THE WRONG PASSENGER walked
How Tamamny Man Tried to Teach g
Roosevelt Man a Lesson

By his eyeglasses and the studious look oil
him he was evidently man of scholarly
and retiring disposition. lie sat huddec
in the corner seat of bridge car, porns
over learned looking book, and the mar
on the platform with the stripes on his shirt
and tho diamond in his necktie regarded hin
with curiosity and perhaps a shade OF pity
There was nothing studious or retiring
about the man On the platform You
could tell at the first glance that he was q
man of action, and the big Van Wyck but
ton in his button hole, taken in connection
with his attire and general get-up, might
have warranted a Sherlock Holmes in de
ducing that he was Tammany worker, whc
had gone over to Brooklyn to see how the
political land lay there. Presently he
caught sight of very small and unobtru-
sive Roosevelt button in the coat of the
man inside, and the sight reused his ire.
Watch me take fall out of the college
professor there" he observed to the guard
with a wink.
Seating himself beside the intended vic
tim, he began:
"Say, where did yer jerk up that button?'
| The other looked up in surprise, but made
no answer.
''Say, yer dead out of it, continued the
Tammany representative. Eyer man won't
know he's alive when the show is over
| See?"
Still no reply. The studious looking
man fidgeted uneasily in his seat, looking as
| if he would be glad of chance to escape.
| Dyer think he has, now?" persisted the
other.
"Why-er--in-er my opinion he-er-
should be elected
| "Ellusay," the Tammany man said gen
tally. "Your opinion. (This with great
scorn.) Where did you get it? What
dyer know about politics, anyway"
'My observations are only those of an
outsider" admitted the Roosevelt man.
meekly, "and may be affected by my prefer
ences. Nevertheless"
'Say, if man give you chance to bet on
them opinions you'd fall dead, guess"
while betting is not exactly in my line
returned the quiet man with the ghost of a
quiet smile, ''still l do not think that such
a suggestion would be attended with neces-
sarily fatal consequences"
Here the guard on the platform was
heard to Singer, and the wearer of the
striped shirt assumed fierce expression as
he dragged roll of bills from his pocket
with the determined glare of the man who
means business"
''What odds dyer want?" he demanded
81 beg your PARDON" said the other
vaguely.
"Oh, say, this is too easy. They hadn't
| ought to let you go out alone. I'll give
you ten to eight that Van Wyck wins
THAT is, if L apprehend you correctly
you wager ten cents against my eight
Gents! Dyer think yer playing dolls
Ten cents to your eight, and as much more
as you want"
Pm not very much accustomed to bet.
ting" apologized the quiet man, land, in.
deed, I'm not sure that it can be defended
on moral grounds"
"Tryin' to crawl out, huh? What DIVER
talk SO big fer il yer won't back it with
money!"
| "Oh-er, if-er-you insist, will make the
wager with you, though, really, my expert.
ence in such matters has been slight.
believe have the money about me-" Co
ing into one of his vest jockets he extracted
$40 bill, at sight of which the ewes of the
otner sparkled.
Say" he said, eagerly; double that I'm
and III make the odds twenty to fifteen
The Roosevelt man assented. Then the
Tammany heeler, hourishing his wad in the
air, said, grandioquently:
"This is only play fer me. ain't in the
habit Of maxim pikin' bets l only done
this just OF give you little lesson in Doll.
tics, because yer look as if yer needed it.