The Washington bee., 1899-04-15
STORY Of S.. GOLD PIECE,
Given to ssress sweeper for Ps.sy ft
Reaches It's Owner After A5 Years.

6fvsn TO ssress sweeper for . Penny, nc
Reaches It's Owner After 4s Years.
"Forty-five years ago." remarked a
wellknown resident of Washington, al
was one of the many boys who did NOT
have as much spending money as ]
| could have gotten rid Of easily. About
the only way could get spending
money was to earn it. This I did BY
doing odd jobs, carrying water, for
few houses were supplied by Potomac
water in those days, and in nearly
every other way that came a boys
way.
One evening / was especially anx-
leus to get some money, AMI with an
ather boy. who, like myself was armed
with a broom, we entered into the bus
mess of crossing sweepers, depending
on the kindness of passers-by to chip
I'm few pennies. The place We picked
cut was in front of a drugstore, at the
corner of Seventh and Louisiana ave.
nue.. There was a great deal Of traffic
between those two points, and the mud
was very deep in consequence of o
heavy slush about the wind up of win
ter. Business was very good. or, at
least, the passers-by were, and in less
than two hours we had collected about
As cents between US, for we mad agreed
to divide equally The last piece of
money handed to me / thought to be
a penny. and as i afterwards learned
the giver also thought so, but when
We counted UP in the light OF the drug
store 1t proved to be fiye-dollar gold
piece. l knew that whoever gave il
to me supposed il was q penny, and
had scruples about spending il.
MY partner did not insist on it. for
ii was regarded more as a find than
part of our earnings, so that five-dOllar
gold piece remained my property until
two years ago, when l surrendered il
to its owner. who proved tho property
by describing the three letters which
he himself had cut on it, At the
time mentioned / was IN Athens,
Greece. having gone there TO witness
the Olympian games. One evening.
while at hotel in Athens. noticed on
the register the name of a boyhOod
friend, although he was ten years old
er than l was. and / sent my card to
him. 1t proved to be he. | had not
seen him for thirty years. for he had |
lived abroad the greater part of his |
life. He is well-knOwn American |
lawyer. who las practiced his profess |
sion in Rome for over twenty-five |
years.
"Of course. we got to taking over
cid times in Washington. and about /
the boys in our day. Incidentally he
mentioned the hoy who was nv part
ner on the street-sweeping transaction.
and something put it into my head to
tell Of getting the five-dollar gold
piece. To my surprise, the Roman
awyer said:
""i remember you both. a I'D the par
'icular night yOu speak of sou wore q
ed comfort and your associate had a
'room which had no handle. And
I'm the man who handed you the five
Iollar gold piece. which had the letters
f. II. L." cut on it.
'Of course. ] handed him the coin.
which. as You may imagine. was some
what worn. for I carried il for many
ears on my watch chain.
We spent very pleasant week to-
.ether. and on my return there came
With ME two Roman scarfpins One of :
hem. you see. | wear. DIR. -. nv
enlist friend and street sweeping :
artner. has the other Now. are you !
Wiling to agree with me that this is ,
small world after all? To think | ,
ad to go all the way to one of the /
rst cities started in this world to find .
he owner Of this COIN ,