River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1900-09-13
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
! Finders and Losers 5
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u into two great classes-the ones
who find and the ones who lose.
Meta is a girl who finds. Ownerless
earrings and brooches and shirt studs
are scattered along her pathway, en-
treating her to pick them up, which
ever way she strolls, and little things
like horseshoes and four-leaved clovers
seem to leap up in the most unlikely
places at the first sound of her step.
Guess what L found to-day?' is her
regular form of greeting; so no one was
surprised when the question came that
day at Georgia's tea.
oh, don't know" said Lillian, indif-
ferently. probably cotton handker-
chief or somebody's other glove"
Lillian is one of the girls who couldn't
find anything if they would. Possibly
that's the reason she assumes the man
ner of one who wouldn't if she could.
Meta gave whitening glace at the
scoffer. Then she removed her Lady
smith hat and extracted from its crown
roll of money, which she spread upon
her lap. A $50, a $40 and $40 bill
stared out.
Counterfeit" gasped Lillian.
mo, sir. Uncle Mac says they're as
good as any ever made"
'You didn't find them, Meta; you're
joking" protested Georgia.
mo joke about it. l was walking
down Wabash avenue, and stacks of
people were passing in both directions,
too, but suddenly there was an open
place about yard square right in
front of me, and straight in the middle
of it lay this money, all rolled up. 1t
just seemed as though the crowd parted,
and every body looked the other way on
purpose to let me have it,"
''WeH, l never!" sung the chorus.
'What are you going to use it for,
Meta?" somebody asked, but Lillian.
whose interest had revived wonderful
Iy, didn't give her time to answer.
use it for?n she cried. do you
s'pose Meta would spend that money?
Think of the poor woman who lost It'll"
Woman, indeed" retorted Meta.
Uncle Mac doesn't think that He
says there's little pocket just inside
the waistband of his trousers where he
keeps a wad of bills-whenever he has
one-and that it's the easiest thing in
the world to slip the money in back of
the pocket instead of into it. And ]
asked him if that ever happened to him.
YOU ought TO have seen how guilty he
looked when he said: 'Once-but don't
tell EIlen!' That's my aunt, you know.
Well, we think-Uncle Mac and THAT
some rich club fellow lost it, and that
he'd put it to some eXtravagant use
even if he had it again.
But l can't help thinking about
some poor old washerwoman who
hadn't another cent in the world, muir
INJURED the blue-eyed innocent.
Wash erwomen without another cent
are so likely to go strewing $50 rolls
around!" said Meta.
More likely twas a school-teacher
with her months salary-and teaching
is such nervous work." suggested
Lillian.
"Or fagged-out woman clerk" add
ed Georgia.
well, l wouldn't take it from a wom-
an any sooner than you would" de
clared Meta. "Of course l wouldn't
mind so much if it belonged to n man.
But intend to advertise it, anyway"
"Certainlyt' exclaimed Lillian as if
she'd been thinking of that all the
time That's the proper thing to do"
and blue-eyed innocent added Il
should just use that money for adver-
Using every day in every paper until
there wasn't a cent left"
Meta pursed her lips. We'll, I'm TAX
ing Uncle Macs advice about this" she
said. He says to study the papers a
day or two and see if the loser adver-
tises Then, after that, he says to adj
vertise: 'Found-Sum of money, at
such place, at such a time Not
word to give false claimant any help
in identifying the bills, you see. But
he doesn't think I'll ever find the own
er, and, say, girls, if he shouldn't turn
up. what do you say to lake trip to-
gether or some kind of regular spree
with this money?"
Il couldn't enjoy it," said the right
eous Lillian.
mot unless you gave half to a hos
pitaI," amended another.
"Oh, l don't know" dissented Geor-
gia. Il think my conscience would take
in a trip to Mackinac."
Good for you!" replied Meta, as she
rolled up her wealth and put on her hat.
Wen spend it all for gum if we want
to. Georgia: and we won't treat them,
either-see if we dot"
They didn't see her again for three
weeks, and then she came flying into
luncheon at Lilians with look in her
eyes as if she'd just fallen heir to mil
lion in gold.
1--WE had the loveliest experience in
the worldi" she announced. You re-
member that money / found? Well,
waited few days, as Uncle Mac said,
and no one advertised the loss; so ! put
one in myself. Told them to address X.
the newspaper Office, you know-the
way they DO. Next morning went
down to get the returns. There were
nine answers, and of all the pathetic
things! Not one of the people who
wrote had lost their money on the day
or at the place l found mine. but they
were just as hopeful, for all that, and
they actually made me feel responsible
for their losses.
FIRST there was a man who had
dropped a small, fiat, black book. with
pawn ticket, a laundry bin and two
two-dollar bills in it. And distressed
over it! You'd think he'd lost a gold
mine. And he was so sure twas his
money Id found-poor fellow! Then
4 woman poured out W lole sheelful
Of her heart. and drew a picture of ths
purse she'd lost, and told me how the