The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1901-11-20
LUXURIOUS DYING FOR SIS.
How an Italian street vender Played II
on His Compatriots.

on His Compatriots.
The italian colony of New York sup
plies this anecdote to paper in the
Century, entitled "Humor and Pathos
OF the Savings Bank"
An old italian street vender, a con-
sumptive, feeling that his end was
drawing near, prepared scheme for
ending his days in comfort. Observe
the originality and delicacy of the
scheme that he successfully worked on
Little Italy. He had only s75 in the
bank ana of this he drew $40 and re-
deposited 1t in few days He drew
It again and again redeposited 1t, con-
tinuing the operation at brief inter-
walls. until on the credit of his pass
book he had entries of all those vari-
GUS sums footing up $500, and on the
opposite page drafts to the amount OF
about s7S5-balance SIS. After care
fully cutting out the page showing
the amounts drawn and leaving the
long line of deposits, he took to his
bed and called in his friends. He was
dying; they could see that, the old
man told them. They were good fel.
lows, and he loved them all, and he
wished Pedro the banana peddler, and
good Giovanni the boot black, and Ar
turo the wine seller, to know how af-
fectionately he regarded them. What
he had to leave them was not much
would Edgardo, good old Edgardo,
kindly find, between the mattress and
what used to be the springs, his bank
book? Yes; that was 1t. Take 1t to
the window and tell him how much
was there. Eight hundred? All, well
| thanks to God that It was so much;
| but oh that 1t were more, for such good
fellows as they.
Dottore Bartollo had told him that
| he might live three months, till spring;
would his good friends put back his
| book under the mattress, and when
| he was gone-no, they mustn't cry
would they take it up to the bank,
draw the amount and divide it be-
tween them? Meanwhile, as his low
ing friends of the present, his heirs
in the future, would they kindly at
tend to his little wants?
Would they? Did they? That old
fellow was fed on the fat of the land
while he lay there in bed. He drank
more Chianti in a week than he had
swallowed in five years. 1t was even
hinted by some that Arturo the wine
seller was fastening the end by the
vile Chianti that he constantly pro-
duced from his stock, while the push
cart man was so generous of unripe
bananas for the sick room that there
was division of opinion in Mulberry
street as TO whether he was cheering
his friends finale with fruit, or en-
deavoring to complicate consumption
with other ills.
At last he swallowed his last flagor
of Chianti and through Little Italy mad,
a decent pretense of sorrow, it was
really en- fete-at last the $500 was Il
be drawn. was in the bank wher
the principals in their holiday clothe!
and with few chosen friends, arrived
They stated the case, and asked for tn,
amount, from which the push cart mai
was to receive some $40 for fruit, tn,
wine seller 500, and the others vari
GUS sums invested for the invalid an,
his funeral, leaving some $3.50 ~ tn
dividend" | need not describe III
small sized riot that followed when tn
abstraction of the pages from one sid
of the book was explained to the swear
ing Inourners, and :. tender was mad
TO them of the SIS. al! that the de
ceased had in bank.