The Afro-American advance., 1900-09-15
: Finders and Losers 5
sp9p ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

L Es
} into two great classes-the ones
who find and the ones who lose.
Meta is a girl who finds. 0wnerless
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 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 a 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 $50 and $40 bill
stared out. p
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 a 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 everybody looked the other way on
purpose to let me have it,"
"Well, never!" sung the chorus.
"What 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 ii for?" she cried. do you
s'pose Meta would spend that money Z?
Think of the poor woman who lost i'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 hills-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 IL. And
asked him il that ever happened to him.
You ought TO have seen how guilty he
looked when he said: '0nce-but don't
tell Ellen!' That's my aunt, you know.
Well, we think-Uncle Mac and THAT
some rich club fellow lost it, and that
he'd put il TO some extravagant use
even if he had ii 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.
"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" ado
ed Georgia.
Wei, wouldn't take IL from a wom-
an any sooner than you would" de-
NidItQ Meta vi course 4 NOQlQu
mind so much If IL belonged to a man.
But intend TO advertise il, anyway"
Certainly" exclaimed Lillian as II
he'd been thinking of that all the
time. That's the proper thing to do. -
and blue-eyed innocent added: II
should just use that money for adver-
tizing every day in every paper until
there wasn't a cent left"
Meta pursed her lips. ''weli, I'm TAX
ing Uncle Macs advice about this" she
SAID. He says TO study the papers a
cay or two and see II the loser adver-
Uses. Then, after that, he says 10 ad-
fertise: Found-Sum Of money, at
.aeh place, at such a time Not q
sord to give false claimant any help
q Identifying the bills, you see. But
e eoesn't think I'll ever find the own.
=, and. say, girls. If he shouldn't turn
p. what do you say 10 lake trip TO-
sstaer SINE or some kind Of regular spree
nth this money!
:. ! couldn't enjoy IT," said the right.
Sot unless ron gave half TO hos
pa, amended another.
oh, don't know dfsScnted Geor.
"a think my conscience would take
a . trip to Macksnae."
eood Ter yous- replied Meta, as she
Up hsr wealth and put on her hat