Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-14
A DEAL IN LIFE INSURANCE.

Here is a story Of a man of good in
tentions: Ten years ago my friend had
a crisis in his business. He came to me
and said he had to pay the premium on
his life insurance or forfeit it. He was
within IA hours of the day of pay
ment. l advanced the money. He went
on an extended hunt in the northwest
and left his policy in my possession. At
the expiration of a year he was 1900
miles away. l advanced another pre-
MUM. My faith in his integrity was I'M
shattered and it remains SO. He came
back home one day a sick man. He was
an invalid for another year, and has
been ever since. When the third insur-
| ance payment came due | was hard up,
but / had become interested in the mat
ter and couldn't let it drop. l paWned
what few v%aluables l had and raised the
third premium. He heard Of it and
pawned his gun and an overcoat he had
bought in Russia, and redeemed what l
| had pledged. He told me about the gun,
but he said nothing 0 the overcoat
until the week Of the great snowstorm
| some years ago.. l was caught mapping,
as Greater New York was caught lately.
| made a rush call for the loan of his
Russian coat, and he had to confess. 1t
; would be of no special interest II |
should tell how we secured the coat, but
l may say that by the time we got it out
the birds from the southland had re-
| u Z L VIZ AIN
spring toilets around the environs OF
! Manhattan. The premium was again
due, and another consultation was held.
1--WE took in a third member. Please
note how I put it. When the proposition
| was explained he asked me why / had
not redeemed the gum. He was reminded
that we had been kept busy redeeming
the coat.
But he replied, the u would be
| Of some service now. l would like to
have a gun, but l have no use for an
overcoat, and especially such a coat as
this, at this season of the year
MY insured friend said the coat would
keep. They made coats in Russia that
way. He knew he would never need it
again, as he had a premonition. The
third man remained firm. He said the
coat proposition was too much like the
old story of the coffin. 1 took my friend
aside and asked him if he had anything
he could hypothecate. If we could re-
deem the gun the third man would maxi
an advance, and In that way we could
hold him My friend said he had moth
ing, but that his family had a Washing
ton painting.
"sWho is it by?' I asked.
"'Blest ii 1 know he answered. 1T
came into my family from my father.
He bought it in Richmond, but he bought
it just as he would buy a load OF hay,
because it was a bargain, and when
some VI HIS ar Lileho ioohCu IASy
said it was a mighty good painting, and
they uldn' understand why the artist
had left his name off. We always played
it for a Stuart when there was company
around
"'Where is it? How long will 1t take
to get it here?' I asked. hurriedly.
st was out west. His wife had loaned
it to an exhibit. We telegraphed to her
to have it sent on. When we heard from
her it was through a shipping bill. She
had started it by freight. What could we
say? We had not told her how to ship
it, and as she is one of those really good,
honest women, of course she didn't know
We waited ten days, and it cost 81 to
have it delivered. I sent it to a man in
the business whose curiosity I had ex-
cited. That cost me 81. When the man
saw it he said he would see what he
could get for it. He still has 1t.
"One day after this l was in the city OF