The Delawarean., 1900-09-08
Finders and Losers.
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find and the ones who lose. 4
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
seem to leap up in the most unlikely
places at the first sound of her step.
"Guess what / found today| is her
regular form of greeting; so no one was
surprised when the question came that
day at Georgias tea.
"Oh, l don't know" said Lillian in
differently. Probably a cotton hand
kerchief 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 glance at the
scoffer. Then she removed her Lady
smith hat and extracted from its crown
q roll Of money, which she spread upon
her lap. $50, 500 and a $40 bill
stared out.
0OuulelAcll. SdspSNl l-illttli.
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, was walking
down Wabash avenue, and stacks Of
people were passing in both directions,
too, but suddenly there was an open
space about yard square right i'll
front Of me, and straight in the middle
of it lay this money, all rolled UP. 1t
just seemed as though the crowd part
ed and everybody looked the other
way on purpose to let me have it."
"Well / never!' sang the chorus.
"What are you going to use it for,
MetaY somebody asked, but Lillian,
whose interest had revived wonder
fully, didn't give her time to answer.
use it for?' she cried. do you
s'pose Meta would spend that money?
Think Of tile poor woman who lost itm
woman, indeedr retorted Meta.
"Uncle Mac doesn't think that. He
says there's little pocket just inside
the waist band Of his trousers where
he keeps 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 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 it to some extrava-
giant use even if he had it again"
'But I can't help thinking about
some poor old washerwoman who
hadn't another cent in the world -
murmured the blue eyed innocent.
"Washerwomen without another cent
are so likely to go strewing $50 rolls
aroundw said Meta
"More likely twas schoolteacher
with her months salary. And teaching
is such nervous workw suggested Lii
ian.
'Or tagged out woman clerk" add
ed Georgia.
"Well, l wouldn't take 1t from a
woman any sooner than you would"
declared Meta. "Of course l wouldn't
mind so much If it belonged to a man.
But intend to advertise it anyway"
"Certainlyw exclaimed Lillian, as if
SAID 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 adyer-
tising every day in every paper until
there wasn't cent left"
Meta pursed her lips. ''Well, I'm
taking Uncle Macs advice about this,
she said. 'de says TO study the papers
a day or two and see if the loser ad,
vertises. Then, after that, he says to
advertise: 'Found-Sum of money, at
such place, at such time Not a
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!"
81 couldn't enjoy it." said the right
eous Lillian.
"Not unless you gave half to hos
pital" amended another
'Oh, | don't know" dissented Geor
gia. II think my conscience would
take in trip to Mackinac."
Good for youl" replied Meta, as she
rolled up her wealth and put ON hei
hat. "We'll spend it all for gum il
we want to, Georgia, and we wont
treat them, either-see if we dor
They didn't see her again for three
weeks and then she came flying in to
luncheon at Lilians with a look in hel
eyes as if she'd just fallen heir to a
million in gold.
'I've had the loveliest experience in
the world!' 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 pa
thetic things! Not one of the people