The Florence daily tribune., 1899-03-09

know / )niy bought mine week ago
presuae il is the newest style, and
Willinm has none yet He means to get
cheaper one So today, while was
in the ohice in walked an old mana
veritahie old gentleman.
SIR. says he i am a man who
docs not find himself getting on well
ana am forced % try going about among
the gentlemen. | am tailor. | have
made an expensive overcoat for gen
tleman. Ten pounds was the price, and
be did not pay me. So when he bad ii
on his bnck one day | said. "Sir, pny
me And he said. 'You wait until
am ready.
VERY well. sir | will wait. But /
sae there is button loose Iwill fasten
it for Won | have silk and needle here.
''Ah said he, 'just like you to
leave it that way. and off comes the
coat
lyon shall have it again the next
day after never said l. So away l
walked Iwould sell it for GO. which is
very cheap.
- looked at the coat which he un-
folded from paper
Guess it will fit my son, said L
I'm try it on. and we Il see.
$50 il did
" Then, said |, now you see. l do
this TO make up 10 you as far as l can.
FOR that other fellow 3 rascality.
"'Nou are an honest gentleman.
said he and ] viii repuy you by a
great bargain I must sell my solid sill
yer spoons meant to melt them. not
TO expose my poverty, hut you shall
c..
"Well, of course, | jumped ut that
Mr.. Christy here laid the spoons on
The table land took ont et0,
"But be had something else which
he took from under his arm.
"'My wife is trying to sell her
shawl he said
"Well, looked mt the shawl he shook
out of IFS folds
"'Nou shall have it for 81. as sam
pie Of ny generosity he said, with a
tear in lis eye.
well l knew you'd like it, my
dear 1t looks like one [ used to admire
you in when / courted you-red center.
cashmere border, and Mr. Christy
shook ont the folds-the old shawl Mrs
Christy had exchanged for the vases
that morning She knew that at once
SHE could not mistake it. But as she
looked at her husband, beaming and
twinklng with good hunor, she could
not bear ia utter the truth outright
and tell how completely he had been
taken in.
six pounds for the coat and 81 for
thr spoons, he said merrily, land 81
for the shawl, and this holding out "A
& note-''is all have out of my e10
notel Poor old fellow! The last pound
he had in the worll he said. Hellol
What is thisY'' Mr. Christy put ON his
glasses and looked at the note "Your
name is written ON it in red ink, my
dear Caroline Christy, All This is
counterfeit, Why, what in all the
world
"Oh' cried William, at this mo-
ment entering the door. ''That $ the
note mother took long while ago--a
counterfeit
And 1T has come back to me, said
Mr. Christy lyon never passed it,
Caroline Perhaps some servant took it.
What fool | was not to put ON my
glasses when the man gave it to met"
I'VE both need spectacles, said Mrs
Christy. 'tAly dear. neither of us can
laugh at the other We are both com
pletely sold. And when she had told
her story it became very plain to all of
them that the peddler who had stolen
the coat, spoons and the counterfeit
note from Mrs. Christy had by chance
entered Mr.. Christys office in his busi-
ness travels; that he had sold him hack
his own stolen coat and his own plated
spoons under the guise of wonderful
bargain in solid silver
Happily the Christy family Were toll
erably well off and could afford to laugh
mt the farce they had taken so promi-
nent a part in. and Mrs Christy declared
she was glad to recover. the shawl that
her husband remembered her wearing
during the happy period of their court
ship days
A member of the police force called
shortly after to state that the thief
could not be traced and was no doubt
a very cunning fellow. But the Christy
family did not confide their Joke to the
worthy officer They had the wisdom
10 keep it in the family. London Spare
Moments
Mule Dentistry.
A Mexican mining company which