The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-11-16
CALEB BILLINGS QUARTER.

would say that she told the truth Ca
/ leb is the friend of the stray cat the
! homeless dog and the down-trodden and
| despised generally whether they be man
or beast. The number of men in Chicago
who owe Caleb for trouSer cleaning and
/ trouser pressing is beyond computation.
! Not one Of these men, however, Will hes
! itate tomorrow TO so into the Dearborn
| street basement TO order general
! clothes cleaning and ask Caleb TO chalk
/ i up He'll DO it without word, and
such is the makeup of this little tailor
that he viii act as though the man who
! is TO stand him of for six months and
| probably viii never pay at all. IS actu-
ally doing him favor.
Mr.. Billings, il may be said in all sor-
row, is a bit OF q shrew. If Caleb gives
a dinner to a hungry tramp, which he
! does every time a tramp applies, unless
his wife be looking, Mrs. Billings upon
discovery OF the fact will berate Caleb
for hours at a stretch.
You've no right 10 do these things,
Caleb Billings. Here you are giving pork
chops and potatoes to a thieving tramp
when we need new chintZ curtains in the
! bedroom and a new rug for the parlor.
! We never have a dollar at time in the
house just because you are so soft
hearted and softer headed that everyone
with a tale Of woe can get your last
4
10 quit. You're working all the time
for a lot of lazy loafers who never pay
YOU. You ought TO be ashamed of your
self
Caleb took every TRADE meekly. He
ew that in some ways his wife was q
good deal more than half right, but he
could no more change his nature than
at his age, 50. he could change his trade.
One morning Just before Caleb started
RI A. fc1fr 9.
cent in the house. Be sure and bring
some money. home this evening. We need
it for lots of things, and besides I prom
ised Cousin Mary that I'd go to the
theater with her tonight, and each OF
US is going to buy her own ticket. Now.
don't give away everything you collect
before you get back to the house
Caleb promised obediently to be good
and started out. He slipped his hand in
his pocket and found that he had just
80 cents. a quarter and a nickel. The
fact that this was all ne had in the
world did not worry Caleb much, for he
wasn't built that way. He boarded
street car-he lived three miles from his
shOp-and paid the nickel to the conduc-
tor after dropping into a corner seat.
About five minutes after entering the
car Caleb discovered that there was
some sort of a discussion going on near
the forward end. Caleb looked and saw
a fOultlessly dressed man going through
his pocket as though vainly searching
for something Then the searching pas
senger said to the conductor: sIt's no
use; / haven't got a cent with me. III
pay you when 1 go downtown tomorrow.
I'll make it point TO take this same
car"
The conductor shrugged his shoulders.
THAT doesn't 60" he said.
By this time all the passengers were
interested. Every one of them, bar one
perhaps, looked as though he were saying
within himself, ITS the same old gag
Here's a man, well dressed at that try
ing to beat his fare. The nerve of
some people is monumental"
Il left my pocketbook with the bills in
it at home" said the passenger, land by
chance 1 have no change"
At this the passengers exchanged
glances and said to themselves, Hes
playing the game hard"
THAT don't CO. said the conductor,
you'll have to get off" As the man
rose TO comply Caleb, aroused TO a sense
ole the situation, walked forward and
slipped a quarter into the passengers
hand. The man thanked him profusely
and said that he would not accept car
fare but that it was absolutely neces-
sary for him to get downtown as quick
~ as possible. The passenger paid his
fare and slipped the 20 cents change into
his pocket. Caleb rather expected the
20 cents back, but be wouldn't have
spoken Of it for twenty times the amount.
Presently the passenger walked over and
tol1 a seat by Caleb. Il want your
card he said to the tailor.
20 that's nothing" said Caleb; got in
fix like that on a car myself once"
II insist upon having your address"
said the stranger. ''and won't feel COM
Portable unless you give it to me" Caleb
pulled out rather soiled card giving
his name and the location Of his dingy
little shop. The passenger thanked him.
put it in his pocket. but made no move
ment to return the 20 cents.
Caleb went lunchless that day because
no delinquent customer came in 70 pay
up, and though Caleb was a lender he
was no borrower Not n cent came in an
day. He walked home that evening
Grief, but his wife gave it to him. Caleb
was always truthful. He told the tale
of his % cents and how he didn't get
his change hack His wife called him
an Anticipated fool. said that he'd been
swindled by a sharper, and the meanest
kind Of a sharper at that, because he
would stOop TO stealing such a petty
Caleb was told that no good on
earth could ever come OF what he was
pleased to call generosity. Caleb fell
asleep 70 his wifes seedlings. but she
was at it again the next morning and
told him that generosity, like charity
should begin at home. Never as long as
YOU live" said she. will you be able to
show me single return for your idiotic
conduct"
a week passed. Caleb had not thought
much about the quarter affair. He was
dimly conscious, however. that he felt a
little disappointment because the stranger
whose face he had liked and we0se fare /
he had paid had not returned the loaned
money IL wasn't the quarter, but Caleb /
hated TO have his Judgment Of human ma /
Iure so astray. He would have given !
the quarter even if the man had had a 1
ynlainous face. but this was one instance /
where Caleb was really hurt 10 think !
that he had made a mistake IN the read |
Ing OF human nature. Some such thought /
7s this was running in his mind when 1
the door opened. Caleb looked up from
his goose. There stood the man whose 4
EAR fare he had paid and who had forgot I
ten TO return the change.
Good morning. Mr. Billings" he said. /
Il was called out Of town within au 1
hour after I left he car the other morn
ng, and this IS the first chance I've had 4
10 see you. Here's your - cents change
slipped IL in my pocket from pure
'orCe of habit instead OF giving 10 10
oh- RESIDES lnaL. an ansel mind ed Z
understand. Mr.. Billings. thar you were
lnce cutter FOR L9mprey & Co. the great
,ustom tators. I am also told that vou
we're tho bess cutter they had They
lave always made my clothes and those
4 nav children. I need large wardrobe
Winter IS coming or. You may measure
ne for two winter uvercoats. q driving
.oat ard two suits. one sack and one
.uta way. I see also that doutle-hrsasr-
% froCks are going out. 50 RI need
iew Tuxedo and a new dress suir
vas going % order All these round the
.orner. 50 no thanks. please O. sorrsF