Omaha daily bee., 1899-09-10

grind organ in the street is playing IL
don't believe 1t will be a go. Did you ar
range it?' queried Mr.. Gilmore.
YES"
well, we will give 1t q trial. then"
The piece was put on and the first nigh
1t made a tremendous hit. Everybody was
pleased with it, the humor OF 1t being Just
Of the sort to please the popular fancy. MT
Bellstedt continued to play the piece fol
over a year, and at st. Louis for several
months the selection was the most popular
ono Of all. At the close Of the long en-
gagement there Mr.. Bellstedt was deluged
with hats OF every variety and style. There
were floral hats, silk hats, black hats, white
hats, fedora hats, crush hats. old hats and
new hats, and the scene after the concert
was a strange one, having moro the appear
ance OF a hat show than anything else.
The other evening a young man hurriedly
boarded a southbound street car from the
exposition. He sat down in the seat and
slid over a little way. He suddenly started
as though he had been hurt, and pulling
up his coat tail found the lining OF the
garment to be all ablaze. He hastily ex-
tinguished the flames and Investigated the
cause. He found that he had sat on a box
OF safety matches In his pocket and they
had become ignited. He could not explain
the thing, as the matches were of the sort
that it Is claimed will not strike FIRE unless
they are scatched on a rough surface on the
box. Further investigation revealed the
fact that the young mar had a box OF
chloride OF potash tablets In his pocket
which he used for his throat, he being a
singer, and then the mystery was explained.
The potash coming In contact with the
safety matches caused combustion. The
young man came out OF the occurrence with
a badly burned coat, a ruined white silk
handkerchief and some valuable experience.
'In thirty years experience as a business
man ! never short-changed a customer but
once. and that happened only a few weeks
ago." said a North Twenty-fourth street
merchant.
"One afternoon q woman entered my
store and purchased a bill of goods amount
Ing to S1,40 and rendered 81 in payment. l
did not have the right amount OF change.
but went to a neighboring store and secured
It,. On returning | took the 81 and gave the
woman 40 cents.
"a couple OF hours later the woman sent
her 12-year-old boy to the store 10 tell me
Of the mistake in her change. AS soon as
my attention was called to the mistake l
emembered It and opened the cash drawer
to get the 20 cents. Again I could not make
the correct change. I asked the boy II he
had any money and he handed me so cents.
l then gave the boy 80 cents and told him
that Strengthened the matter up,
About an hour later the woman sent n
daughter to the store with a letter that con-
tanned some pretty strong suggestions re-
garding my methods OF doing business. I
thought the letter was pretty funny, and,
after having a good laugh about 1t, ! gave
her the correct change and asked her II she
had any money, She said mo- in a kind Of
scared way and began to back oward the
door. / told her II any OF the rest OF the
family had any money to send them down
and / would see what I could do for them.
A queer thing about the whole story is that
| lost a good customer"
The band was playing a beautiful selec-
ton. The music was as soft and sweet as
a summer zephyr. There was a sudden
pause in the music as the bandmaster lifted
his baton for a new attack, when a woman's
shrill voice rang out. II like the anncores
better than any other part. | wish they
would play more anncores. They are the
best Of ALL" and then the strains OF the
drowned any further remarks OF the
woman who liked the "anncores."
81 went to the circus this week" said
an Omaha man yesterday, who has grown
up from boyhood in this city. "and what
a change there seems TO be In II.
I have been going to c~Ircuses in Omaha for
The last twenty years and their develop
nent Is certainly marvellous.
THE first circuses I attended were held
or Jefferson square, which at that