The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-12-04
Charity on the Cemstoclx.


in gold than John Mackay's heart in
love for all men. And John had such
a sneaky way about doing good that
! all the old boys on the Comstock were
constantly torn between amusement
at his methods and admiration for his
| kindly instincts.
| once l went to Mackay and said,
John, old Lafe Peters died last night,
and his widow hasn't got d-n
| cent left.
4" How much had we better do for
| herr" Mackay asked.
~ guess we can stand $780, said.
"'All right. How'll we divide it up?
| Even between us?"
NO I said. Let's divide 1t In
proportion to our incomes. You write
a check for the $500 and I'll furnish
| the postage stamp to mail it with
IAN right said Mackay, as he sat
down to write the check, but don't you
ever let that woman know where the
money came from. I'll make out the
check to you and you send her your
| check
+" John I answered, that wouldn't
fool a sheep. Old lady Peters knows
mighty we'll 1 amt throwing $500
checks around as if they were parlor
Matches
Well, I'll tell you what I'll do
said Mackay. with chuckle, III pre-
tend that old Crooks sent the money,
and when the blankety- blank old skim
flint gets the letter of thanks the wom-
anil write him he'll drop dead with
surprise
Crooks was one of Mackay's part
ners, and was even more noted for
his stinginess than Mackay for his gen.
erosity.
Anyway. I took Mackay's check and
| sent it to old lady Peters. And told
49,. - ma fro nh
| Mackay. The next morning / was
walking down the street in Carson
| City when 1 saw old John standing on
| the sidewalk in front of his office. He
was holding a sheet of paper in his
| hand and tears were running down his
| cheeks.
" Here, Sam he called to me. you
blankety-blank old blabber. you went
and blabbed to old lady Peters, gol
| blame you And she's written me
letter that makes me cry, gol hang 1t,
| and I don't like to cry. Here, you
| stuffing the letter into my hand-'read
this letter and cry yourself, you dod
hanged old blab.'
II read the letter. and then I cried.
John Mackay grabbed it away from me
| and went into his office.
| Another time a man Mackay had
| known slightly went wrong. He was
charged with embezzling $4,000. Mackay
| saw the news in the morning papers
! and rushed straight up to the mans
house. Only the embezzler's wife was
at home. and she was in Mysteries.
"'Now here, Mrs. Jenkins, said
Mackay, don't you believe a blamed
word you see in these goldinged news
| papers; don't you take a bit of stock
in it. l know your husband mighty
WE'LL and I'll take an oath he never
stole a cent. Amt that kind of a man.
But he is the most emery, careless
cuss l ever knew in my life. If there's
any $4,000 missing, why, Ill bet that
miserable, careless husband of yours
has left the money sticking around in
the pocket of some of his old clothes.
Go upstairs and look, Mrs. Jenkins.
I'm betting you'll find the cash some
| where"
THE poor woman went upstairs and
made a search through her husbands
| old clothes. OF course, she didn't find
anything. Downstairs she came, where
Mackay was still standing in the hall.
"'No. Mr.. Mackay,' she said, Il
didn't find anything.
"Then she started to cry.
Mrs. Jenkins, said Mackay,
there's you husbands old overcoat
hanging on the hatrack. Now it would
| be Just like him-hes so blamed care
less and onery-to leave that roll of
bills in the pocket of that old coat.
Suppose you just go and look
1.-THE minute that woman got her fin
gers on the big bundle of money
| Mackay had stuffed in the overcoat
pocket he took a shoot out of the front
door.
Another time I went to Mackay to
get a check for a poor widow. 1t was
not long after his experience with old
Mrs. Peters and her letter of thanks
SAM, he said, I'm going to fine
you for blabbing on me to Mrs. Pc
tiers. I'll fine you $500. and a check for
$500 is the best you can have for this
know where the money comes from
don't you ever dare to ask me for an
other cent, for you won't get it,
81 agreed not to give him away, and
accordingly had his check cashed and
took the roll of bills down and person.
ally handed it to the widow.
Where did this money come from,
Mr.. Davis?'' she asked.
Oh l answered, carelessly, "a
bunch of your friends here in Carson
made up little purse for you
"'Well,' she said, looking at me
earnestly for a minute, you go back
and tell Mr.. Mackay that shall thank
him to my dying day
II did do just that, and when Mackay
Threw up MS nandS L got even with
him.
You see, john, said, the kind of
a reputation you have. There's no use
of your trying to hide it,
"Mackay dearly loved a joke. Once
when the press in the Carson City APP
peal had just started to run he came
rushing in and called to me in an ex-
| cited tone of voice.
" Sam, he said, stop the press!
Stop the press'
What's the matter, John?' I asked
in alarm.
What's the matter. John?" ask
| ed in alarm.
Why, old man Crooks-I have ex-
planned that Crooks was one of his
partners famous for his stinginess-
old man Crooks has just presented a
peck of apples to the orphans home
and he'll be broken-hearted if you don't
have column and a half about it in
the paper this afternoon"