Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-19

k man was seated thereon. His
one leg and his one wooden peg
~ we're thrust across the window
sill. He sat in silent contemplation Of his
boot. The boot was very large and very
dirty. The man was not large. but in
other respects he resembled the boot. OF
the two, the boot was the pleasanter object
to behold. Having examined his boot from
every practical point Of view, the man
glanced sullenly 1T an old sign that hung
acrosss the alley. IL bore the following
inscription In much-faded lettering:
y. HUCKLEBACK.
bigger and HOuse-MOver.
It was with an evil eye that P. Huckle-
back regarded this unoffending sign. Hang
It," muttercd he, there amt no money
in this businessmen no more. Folks moves
into a house and out Of a house. but they
won't move the house itself"
His uncongenial reverie was disturbed
by something that huttered through the
window and struck him in the face. He
caught a passing glimpse of one Of Uncle
Sans public servants and he maligned him
In a manner entirely satisfactory to him
self. The postman merely laughed and re-
tOrted In kind. Mr.. Huckleback finally
stopped over and picked the letter up.
1t bore an English stamp.
"Somc double-derned demand from some
o. my old creditors, / s'pose.' he muttered.
THANK the Lord I'm over here, instead o.
there" Then he opened the enclosure, and
stopped short. for there was that In It that
took his breath away. What may have been
the nature of its contents is best surmised
by a perusal of the issue of any Bellport
paper Of June 3, 1902. An extract from
The Bugle will be sufficient:
ONE-LEG GETS LEGACY.
"Huckleback, the house hustler. is the
lucky man. He gets a cold $4,000 from
rich English relative by will"
There's the whole story. Make IL &c.,
900 instead OF 500 900 and IL will be in
strict accordance with the fact. Strike
out the will, also for no living man OF
w0man-or dead one, either-would think
of leaving 1000. or even $40 to Mr..
Huckleback. Substitute for the will the
fact that the decedent had inadvertently
forgotten to make a will and cut of Mr..
Hucklebaek. who had swindled him out of
q few hundred pounds some years before
and there you are. The letter was one
from a firm OF London solicitors, who begged
to advise p. Huckleback that one Thad-
deus Huckleback, a distant relative, of
Chaplain, s. W.. London, had departed this
life, without other relative than Mr.. p.
Huckleback. and that they would be
charmed. II agreeable to him. to act as his
attorneys. for the trining sum OF R200 TO
be retained by them out of the small for
tune due him.. Mr.. Huckleback, little know
ing that all the solicitors did to earn their
money consisted of the very arduous labor
in writing to him, readily assented, and
waited patiently. for his money. 1t came.
after some months, and amounted In all,
TO the sum OF SO, 253. 66.
Nnur so GOO is mt n fortune but IL has
within 1t the making Of a fortune. Mr..
Huckleback. though an Englishman by
birth, was a Yankee at heart. So day after
day. up to the time that the crisp Eng
lish draft lay within his palm. he sat on
the three legged chair contemplating the
future and his sign.
by George!" he would exclaim hopefully,
there's money to be made in this business
there is, and legitimate, to. Folks needn't
come to me to move houses II they don't
want to. I'll buy a house of my own an
move II, see II / DON'T"
In great cities the beggar lives next door
to the baron-the palace looks upon the
howell. This was true to some extent OF
Bellport. a city which often admitted to
itself that It pushed New York close for
second place. But there was one resident
district in Bellport that was immaculate.
There Is no handsomer or more fashionable
district In the world than Chestnut square in
Bellport. There was nothing poor, or mean
within half a mile. Even the vacant lots
were neatly turfed and exhibited no un-
slightly signs For Sale"
MIR. Huckleback, the housemover, when
he had changed his English into American
money. and had safely banked 1t. went
down TO lock at vacant lots In Chestnut
square. There was a mall lot fifty feet
wide that took his eye. II lay between the
handsome residences OF p. ID. Haggerty, the
silk man, and Mrs. Cradlebaugh. the relict
OF the railroad man-each CT them million
aires. Mr.. Hueklebaek found that II could
be bought for some $4,000. He figured
that he could get IL for about $1,000 or
even less He employed one agent who