Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-02-24


the caller was making his sneak int
| outer darkness
In this city there lives a little won u
who has had a great deal to say Of lat.
to the effect that human wisdom is a va j
hope for safety. The kindest hearted art
most Euleless of women, she has beer
for years the victim of beEEarS. Of conf
dencc people and of polite swindlcrs Of 1l
kinds. Indeed, 50 numerous and 50 "
ricd have been her adventures in this lin
that her friends and kinsmcn long agt
gave her up as a confirmed and hopelc4.
easy mark. However, there is a point ~
which even an easy mark draws a lin"
and the little woman reached that par
ticular point, one day last week So
had just emerged from drug store on
Water street and was hriskly walking
down the street. when she heard voic,
behind her say, respectfully:
Excuse me, lady, but
She turned. There beside her stood j
decently dressed young colored man. whc
held roll Of paper money in his out
stretched hand.
Excuse me lady" said he. but di.
YOU lose this money!?
The little woman's mind instantly
grasped the situation. The colored man
was trying to play the very oldest and
boldest of confidence games. She was
expected to reward the rascal and pocket
that roll of counterfeit bills. Her blood
rose to the boiling point. She felt as ii
She swept the man with a glance that
was more than whitening.
''Oh. no. YOU don't play that game on
me" she said. TRY. it on somebody else.
And then she swept off down the
street. well pleased that for once in her
life she had seen through an attempt to
swindle her. What joy the sagacious
and told the story.
did you look to see if you'd lost any
money! asked her daughter :,
'Of course | didn't" answered she. Il
knew better. See, here's my money.
She opened the purse. The roll of bills
she had put into it a t the druggists was
well, her sagacity had cost her just eX
actly 81. Her money was gone.
Some people are 50 eager to see their
names in print" said an amateur cynicC,
the other day, that they would be will
ing to die If they could only read their
death notices.
Did you ever actually know of a case
Of that kind?" asked an old reporter in
the group.
Il can't say ever did" replied the am
ateur cynic.
well, have" said the reporter. The
star actor in the little affair s was n m
herman, too. He doesn't live hereabouts
now. and | suppose it would be safe 70
tell the story. This lumberman conceived
the idea that he was a very valuable ana
he lived. The Authorization was unshared
by any of his fellow beings, but 1t had
such a firm hold on his mind that on one
occasion. when he was in New York, he
decided to wire home that he had been
found dead merely to have a chance to
peruse the eulogies he felt certain would
appear in the local papers. He intended,
of course, to telegraph later on that it
was all a mistake.
We'll. he sent the first message. sign :
ing some fictitious name, and awaited de
velopments. In a couple of days the
local papers came to hand, and when he
read them he nearly had a fit. They hal
at once adopted the theory that he died
from the results of a big spree, and print
ed a spicy resume of his past career to
support the hypothesis. They also init
mated that the community could struggle
along very nicely without him. After he
had digested these pleasing tributes he
concluded not to send the other telegram
but to return in person and pay his re
spects to the editors. | forget now which
licked. but the affair was the talk of the
section for months. and effectually cur ed
the lumberman of any hungering for
newspaper notoriety. BY the way. this
yarn is letter true. The incident occurred
over in Texas"