Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-26
Hell PRIZE FOR
NEW YEAR.
In All of These Beautiful Loaves
of Bread. Caraway Seeds. In One
of Them, a Silver Dollar.
Jp,,I- Hahn q adtarfS Broad
Buy Helmstaedter's Bread.

Helmstaedter nodded with approval
every year for fifteen years" he said to a
customer who had just moved into the
neighborhood. every year for fifteen years
have done It, Every year somebody gets
the silver dollar. And such a dollar-fresh
from the subtreasury in Wall street, and
just as good as any dollar on the market.
Better, maybe. Yes, sir; fifteen years and
fifteen dollars
The customer handed out nickel. "Gim-
me a loaf" he remarked, land if you don't
mind, I'd just as soon have the one wit the
dollar in her. l amt particular; anything
is good enough for me- He snickered at
this sally, and poked the baker in the ribs.
The baker wrapped up loaf and shook
his head "Ah," he said you make fun.
You don't get no dollar. l bet you don't"
The buyer did not. He took home the loaf,
and commanded his family to eat IL I'D at
dollar if perchance it might be inside. But
the dollar was not there.
Now HelmStaedter, the baker man.
from the standpoint of his neighbors,
was extremely generous. He was a pop
ular man, was Helmstaedter. Much more
popular. for instance, than Tortoni, the
banker, the usurer, the vulture, whose
dingy little counting house was just around
the corner. and who held chattel mortgages
on half the neighborhood. Helmstaedter
he put bread Into your mouth Tortoni, he
took bread out of your mouth-that was the
way. Even on this day he had told pretty
little Molly MIddleditch that he must have
that 1895 she owed him. or out her things
must go tomorrow. And tomorrow was
New Year day. Molly was the pride of the
neighborhOod, a pretty girl. who lived all
alone. and she worked hard all day. She
had buried her father with Tortonis money,
and her payments came too slow for Tor
toni. the banker. But then Tortoni was
pushing everybody at the end Of the year;
he wanted to count his cash after the 1st
and pat himself on his back for having
made so much.
And when Tortoni locked up his safe at C
o'clock and went home or the last day of
the year he felt at peace with all the world
for of all the days of the year this day had
been his biggest
"Good-a-the-man. John" said Tortoni to
himself, after the manner of his country
men. But Tortoni was not the only man
who was we'll aware of his immediate pros
perity. The heart of at least one other man
was gladdened. This man was q young
gentleman of the name of Shifty Shift.
That was his real name-he had others
Shifty Shifts hours began when Toruoni's
Shlfty Shift opened up. And he did 1t in a
very simple manner For he had a key to
the boarding house of John Tortoni; a key
which had been made for Shifty Shift and
for no one else. And after Tortoni had
gone Shffty, while the crowd passed and re-
passed in the early evening, inserted his key
In the lock of the outer door, and entered
Once inside he knew well what to do and
how to do 1t.
Half an hour later he was through with
the exception of stepping outside. Now,
this was more ticklish proceeding than
stepping in. For when he stepped in he