Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1900-03-29
THURM0NT Frederick County, Mapand Thursday March 29, 1900
TRICKS WITH MONEY
TOURISTS TO EUROPE MUST
HAVE A SHARP EYE.
The American Woman in Paris Writes
That England Is Bad Enough, But
Worse When You Get to Paris-The
Bad Five Francs.

"In England" the woman wrote
back from Paris, ut Is the half crown
you have to look after and the two
shilling piece. There is so little differ
ence, you see, In appearance, at least
though there is the difference OF SIN
pence in value. The half crown is two
shilling and six There is cross on
one of them; but when you are in
hurry who Is going to stop to look 1or
crosses? Nobody. And that's where
they get you.
"This is their little game. You lay
a half crown down on the counter ana
unless you keep your finger glued to
1t, saving meantime In loud voice,
This is q half crown they snatch 1t
before you can blink an eye and de-
clare YOU have given them a two shll-
ling piece, which naturally being two
shillings only. leaves you siXpence
short. The trick is an old one. 1t is
played principally on Americans, those
rich Americans who come over here,
scattering their money broadcast ana
leaving the trail so difficult for us
poor creatures who have to look out
for the pennies while the pounds n.y.
ut is bad enough in London, but
here in Paris you must keep your eyes
skinned all the time. The town Is
flooded with bad money. There are
bad francs and bad half francs; there
are francs dated before the Repuhilc
that are consequently no good ana
there are francs dated after the ke-
public that are worse. If Napoleon the
Third has a crown on the money Is all
right; if he hasn't it is all wrong.
"They nailed me- too; but not at .
o'clock in the morning. This was no"
it happened; You see. | spend all my
spare change and more on that KODAK
of mine. 1t is strange the hold ko-
dak gets on you Many time l have
walked miles to save up sufficient cab
Pare for a set of films. | rarely take
cab. 90 on rop OF tfnos1 G,vvT.antt
buses, where 1t is cheap, or foot
1t for the sake of the kodak. ! had
paid out so much money for toning
baths that put in a mild complaint
to the girl who waited on me at the
Place Vendomc.
" The machine will break me, l
said. "This IS the third time in three
weeks that | have bought toning
baths at one franc fifty the bath. A,
this rate | shall shortly become a
financial wreck. l wish l had never
seen the thing
aware of the fact that small for
tune had passed from my hands to
hers. she put on look that was
grieved. She thought awhile. then
Suggested remedy There was ton.
ing bath that | could mix myself she
said, a very reasonable tOning bath,
Imagine my delight Now | could af'
ford a candied pear, maybe. or one
of those little cherry pies in the win
dow of the delicatcssen near the pen
sion that are worth their weight IN
gold. She gave me the address of a
chemist In the Rue de la Pepeniorc.
That little old chemist, | went gaily
along the boulevard, huoycd up by
hope, turned the corner and entered
his shop light Of step and joyful of
heart. You see, | didn't know. He put
the gold up in bottle about the size
of my thumbnail, the hypo In Il small
square paper, and charged me two
francs fifty | knew about that fifty.
| expected 1t. Like the poor, it + al
ways with you in Paris, Just as in
England, everything is one and six,
two and six, five and six or seven and
six. They couldn't take off the six if
they tried. If you descend to pence it
is sixpence and three farthings. Those
farthings!
II handed the little old wretch ten
francs in gold. He gave me large
and festive five-franc piece with a
few other francs, and | went on my
way rejoicing. Later, at the Bon
Marche, the tive-franc piece was re-
jected with sCOrn
&" Nest pas bon, said the man at
the desk with a Shrug that brought
his shoulders up somewhere about his
ears. Nest pas bon said another.
taking it and peering at the lady with
mistrustful eye. A crowd gathered.
The atmosphere thrilled with: Nest
pas bons trembled in my bottines;
for they cast suspicious glances on
me. looked around cautiously fearful
of gendarmes, and l had reason for
fear. 1t is against the law to pass bad
money in France if you get caught.
The man at the desk gave me back
the money without calling the gen
darme. for which | was thankful.
Hastily Offering him the contents of
my purse l retired to Il quiet corner
and took a look at the five francs my
self. True. 1t was bad In fact 1t was
lust about as bad as 1t could he. The
lady was sitting down. On the way
home l counted up the cost of the
cheap toning bath that was to last
me forever almost. Two francs fifty
and five bad francs made seven francs
fifty. | groaned. But ] was to groan
some more. According to directions
had filed two large bottles with wa
ter, put the precious gold into one and
the inexpensive hypo into the other
Both had dissolved so | couldI't tell
tother from which. Then | had hidden
them under the bed out of harm
way; for Mademoiselle, a young thing
of sixty, who keeps the pension, hooks
with eyes aSkapce upon the various
and sundry bottles containing my ton
ing baths, my developing baths and
other baths belonging to the outfit of
that kodac of mine.
Upon my arrival l found that the
femme de chambre-thats what they
call the girl who pretends to clean
your room over hpr-had knocked
over one of the bottles and broken it,
OF course it was the bottle of gold
On the bottom of 1t | found floating
three undissolved grains. Seven francs
fifty for nothing! And the time have
had trying to get rid of that bad five
franc piece! If you it will to me
give said Mademoselle, whose Eng
lish is as bad as my French L will
il give to the wine merchant Of M"
and he will it change perhaps Per
haps. 1t was well said The wine mcr
chant of her kept it for four months
and returned it. All his patrons wcr,
French people, he explained. There
wasn't an American among them, OF