The St. Johns herald., 1900-12-01
s Finders and Losers


 0 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 strolis. 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 I 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- Ierently. 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 Fer lap. A $50, SEQ and $10 bill stared out.
 "Counterfeitl" gasped Lillian.
 No, sir. Uncle Mac says they're as good as any ever made"
 You didn't find them, Meta; you're joking" protested Georgia.
 No 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. It just seemed as though the crowd parted, and every boGy looked the other way on purpose to let me have it"
 Well, never." sung the chorus.
 ''Yhat are you going to use it for, Meta?" somebody asked, but Lillian, whose interest had revived wonderful ly, didn't give her time to answer.
 .'Use it for?" she cried. Do you s'pose Meta would spend that money Think of the poor woman who lost it! '" "woman. indeed!" retorted Meta.
 Uncle Mae 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 N hen he said: 'Once-but don't tell Eilen!' That's my aunt, you know. Well. we think-Uncle Mac and I-that some rich club fellow lost it, and that he'd put it to some extravagant use even if be had it again"
 But I can't help thinking about some poor old washerwoman who hadn't another cent in the world" mur- mured the blue-eye6 innocent.
 s'Washerwomen without another cent are so likely to go strewing $50 rolls aroundl" 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, wouldn't take it from wom- an any sooner than you would" de- clared Meta. "Of course l wouldn't mind so much if it belonged to man. But intend to advertise it. anyway"
 ''Certainiy!" 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: "I should just use that money for adver- Using every day in every paper until there wasn't a cent left"
 Meta pursed her lips. Well. I'm talk 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 ad- rertise: 'Found-Sum of money, at such a place, at such time Not 6 word to give false claiman; any hell in identifying the bills. you see. But he doesn't think I'll ever fnG the own CT. and, say. girls, if he shouicn't turI 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.
 Not unless you gave half to a hos pital," amended another.
 'sOh. I don't know" disseDted Geor gia. ''I think my conscience would talk in trip to Mackinac. ..
 Coed for you." repiied Mefa' as sh'