Evening star., 1898-10-08

leCtoT, WIFI an INNOCENT expression OF cOun-
tenance. You remember, you told me the
last time I saw you
Say, did 1 give you that one before?" in
quired the moon-faced young man, anxious
ly. We'll, what Jay l am. Must be get
ting paresis when I begin to work the
same ones off twice on the same man. Well,
say, how's this, then?dI haven't got the
tWenty-four sixty or any part of it, and 1
can't do anything toward settling that dem
lists bill today. Kind O. novel, that one,
isn't it? But it's dead right at that
Just can't pay you anything today. Isn't
putting 1t in that simple, concise way be-
lore. Come around on the Both of next Feb
ruary, say. Honest and serious, though.
you just come around on the 18th next and
L II try to do thirty or forty cents worth
on that account. l surely would like to
get shut of that bill. Ask him if it wouldn' t
do just as well if I'd come down and have
TWO or three more teeth filed"
Against a Hard Game.
The collector got through with his de-
partmental collecting by half after one The
wcrn red Morocco pocket book was shy
six bills that he had receipted and handed
out by the time he finished his government
al work, and content beamed from his feat
ures.
iii put in the rest of the afternoon on
scme very old ones" said the collector, and
a real estate man was first on his list. The
real estate man smiled when the collector
entered his office
Got that twelve-dollar bill for the pair
OF shoes eh?" said he to the collector. Il
guess he's just sending you around with
that bill to tantalize me. I'd turn it in if
L were you. l see him every day in the
year and drink and smoke with him, and
SO you can see what a totally dead one that
Dill Is. l told him when he made that pair
or shoes for me, three years ago, that the
sfCes were apparently manufactured for
man that had elephantiosis of the feet,
that couldn't wear them and that 1 never
intended to pay him for them I've taken
dinner at his house with his family | SUD-
pose, about hundred times since you be-
gan to show up here with that bin, and
I've also had about dozen pairs of shoes
maze and paid for them since 1 first saw
you. That bill you've got is either the re-
suit OF his bookkeeper's numb-skuled per-
s.stency or else he's just gagging me- But
want to tell you one thing. If you ever
pack around with you dead and buried
unknelled, uncoffined and unsung bill this
one that you've been bringing into me for
the past couple of years is that bill. H)ws
that Tor plain talk. You just tell him that
you saw me and what l said
The collector replaced the twelve-dolIsr
oil! Tor made-to-order pair of shoes re-
nectlVely, and started uptown to collect
IRON a New York woman who spends her
autumns and winters in Washington a fur
riers bill for the making over of a sealskia
jacket The New York woman received the
collector in the parlor of her home With
oil liie cOTdlaHty in the world.
Willing to Be Sued.
How did you learn SO quickly that 1
had reached town." she asked him. You
are sleeplessly vigilant, are you not? And
is the bill still forty-five dollars? Yes?
You recall what 1 told you last year: A
good foot was cut off the bottom of hat
Jacket-enough to make a collarette-and
l never so much as saw square inch of
1t. Why was it not returned?"
The collector had to pass.
'One of the members of the firm tells me
that ne will take action against you If the
bill is not paid said the collector howe YER
on, that would be delightful.' excllim-
ed the New York woman. You see I've
never been sued in Washington, and | un-
derstand that Washington is one of the
re" cities In the country where they can't
levy on your wearing apparel, and, do you
Know, besides my jewelry, l don't own a
stick of anything in the District of Colum-
ria. This house is rented and so is the
furniture and all the furnishings, down to
the egg-beaters-and they would be so )ro-
Voked, wouldn't they, when they tried to
levy? You may tell your furrer man hat
when he sends me the foot of pup seal that
he cut from the bottom of my Jacket I'll
send him his $40
Il might as well give her the recent ed
Dill, said the collector in coming away.
With n Pathetic side.
on one of the side streets, taking out a
worn grocer's bill for S14 when he pulled
his whee! up to the curb. A thin, shabby.
faded-looking white woman, with a towel
swaddled around her face, as if for tooth
ache, met him at the door. She had a
clean new 81 bill in her hand.
That is all | can pay you this week
she said. "One of my children is sick"
Inc collector penned receipt for the 81
ana rode on The house he next pulled up
at was much more pretentiOuS-a three
story brick, with rather ornately furnish
ed vestibule and hall. He took out the old
milliner's bill for $3.50 as he waited in
the parlor for the appearance of the fem
irjne debtor When after a considerabl,
delay, she appeared her hair was done M
in kids, and this did not improve the ap-
peaIance of her sharp countenance. Her
voice was high-pitched and searching.
What, are you here again?' she rasred
as she entered the room. How dare YOU
come here with that bill again? Haven't
l told you time and again that I didn't
intend to pay it? Such fright as that hat
made me look, l have it vet. and
if she wants her old hat she can send for
it, and she's welcome to it. She
"She says she'll enter suit against you
If you do not pay at least a portion of this
bill today said the collector, mildly
The sharp-faced woman looked frightened
and stunned.
Scared Into Paying.
'She does not mean that, does she?' she
inquired nervously walking up to the col
lector, Does it get into the papers when
you're sued? My! what disgrace, What
would all these horrid women say if-just
wait a moment, until go upstairs and see
If can spare anything. To get sued!-why,
l could not bear the thought of such a
thing! Everybody reading about it in the
papers and talking about it. I'll be right
down in a minute"
The collector had half the amount of her
bill in his pocket when he left that house
with the promise of the remainder next
week.
If the suit threat only worked that way
all the time" said the collector in coming
away.
Where would I get ten dollars?" in
quired the man the collector next visited
at a little cigar and candy store off New
Jersey avenue. Dye suppose l make it
selling cents worth of candy and a five
cent plug of tobacco a few times a day?
You tell that doctor man that he's fake,
anyhow, and that he knows about as much
Of doctOring as do of Dorsey Foultz And
you might as well cut out coming to see
me-"
And yet for all of this, it is said by men
who ought to know that Washington people