Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-21

up just twenty-four cents for tho month.
| How's IL going TO buy you motor cars II
| $4,000 worth Of Cutlery carbons not to
| speak of the bother OF making out the
tickets. for little matter OF less than
| two bitsY'
| The pawnbroker smiled eompasslonatelv
Don't you nudge yourself into state
| of worriment over me. my friend" he said
Don't you bother about my not getting
| mine. You see. there's just one teenchy
| little chance In a great many that that man
| who Just played safety with me VIII. never
come back. Supposfng. for instance. he
loses the tickets and then gets himself run
| over by brewery wagon. or Is hit on the
wishbone by a steamboat or something?
Pawnbroker's Opportunity.
81 am not going to read the newspapers
for the especial purpose OF finding out n
| anything happens 20 him His heirs and
| assigns'n not know where his stuff is, and
| 1t would not be any part of my vocation
in life. in such circumstances. to hunt EN-
up and tell EN- all about IT. IL would be
| real lovely and benevolent for me TO hunt
| them up In such circumstances. OF course.
but don't believe I'd do II. all the same.
| IL l happened to be really awake at the
time. That'd be my little opportunity. you
| see, and the pawnbroker who isn't looking
| for opportunities hasn't got into long trous-
ers yet-he belongs TO the approaching age
| OF philanthropy.
| Surprising, again. that this last Gus
| toner OF mine were TO suddenly lose his
| mind and the memory OF hts name and mum
| Der. so to speak. and wander on to Red
| Dog or Keokuk or some place like that.
when he'd come TO only in the vernal spring
! time of 1909, say-then Ia be to the good
| as to the value of his ornamea tal bijouterie
| wouldnt /? The chance. of course. is small
| and remote. But things like that are hap
4 pening right along, and every pawnbroker
| in a szable way OF business makes a few
| yank-downs of that general character IN
| the course of his business career.
| The chances are about $4,000 In 100000
| that this last customer of mine Will come
| back for his goods. Well. in that case.
| minelh be simply twenty-four cents-and
| I'm neither naughty nor chesty in my con
| sideration of aud regard for twenty-four
! cents. IT, on the contrary l draw the one
winning number out of the 00,00o-and life's
! OVERLOOKING a bunch of boulders as has
been handed over this counter for 10 these
several days. Now will you be tractable?'
| Here the pawnbroker began to softly
| chuckle to himself.
You might as well let us in on that one,
| too" suggested his Questiener.
| We'll. It's one on myself replied the
| pawnbroker. 1T goes back to the evening
| before the last Inauguration OF President
! Mckinley.
Along toward dark on that evening.
| when were about fixing to take the
valuable stuff out of the window and fix
the time locks and put up the blinds. a
| fine-looking big man, just about In the
| same condition OF souse as my recent Gus
toner who started this talk, blew In on me
here and unloaded his bright ones.
Celebrating His Absence From Home.
II could see that he was a westerner. and
asked him how things we're out Chicago
way. He told me to take the top of the
class a guesser. and found out that he
| was a merchant In pretty chunky sort OF
| a way out in the town of Boreas. He was
on here to attend the inauguration and
! to celebrate his little absence from his own,
his native burg, he was flying high
| He came in here to do the safety stunt.
| which, by the way. is a sure-enough Chi
cage. dodge, originating there. as l should
have said In the first place. 1t started out
| there about a dozen years ago. when the
| footpads and gum-shoe gents were doing
such rude things as holding up the Chicago
mayor in the city hall. and such like. The
Chicago folks with good stun would put 1t
| in hook before going home IL caught out
after dark, sos to take no chances on being
| sandbagged on their way home
| This Chicago merchant perceived that he
| was In for real, sure enough vortex dur
| ing the progress of the inaugural ceremo-
MES. and he dropped in on to safely
| bestow his brilliants. They were worth
! about So, 800, five articles and I slipped
him $25 on them He had wad with him,
too, that 'ud choke a hippo.
| TN brush by in a day or So, he said
| to me on the way out. ana give you your
! discharge as receiver of the stuff seas
But he oidnt brush by curing that
4 week. nor during the following week. nor
i during the month. When the month had
passed figured 1t that he d been suddenly
| summoned to Chicago, and / expected to
get letter with money order and the
| tickets almost any time, with the request
that his stuff be shipped to him.
| But l didn't get anything of the sort.
After six months or so / began to wonder
| if he'd piped out. Before March the first
of the next year got around, I'd fallen into
| the habit of taking that mans stuff out
| of the safe and gazing at ii real GENEROUSLY.
| II think, l would say to myself at such
| times. that right here is the spot where
| l put over one of those long shot sleepers
| so l do
well. when March the third drifted along
and no big Chicago man around for his
| sparks the game 'sure did look like all
mine and | kind o calculated that I'd
wear the big three-stoner myself for
| change and to give the house a tone. sup
| posing nothing happened. l had 1t pretty
well doped out that II March the thirds
| low descending got behind the hills without
| that Chicago man turning up, l could see
| where ther'd be some velvet for me-
Thought He'd just Brush By.
"Uh-huh. Well. about half-past on that
evening of March the third 1 just about
| to stroll back to the safe to lay clutch
| so to speak on that stuff and wrap the big
| three-stone ring around my digit, when a
| voice at the counter made me give a spine
| cracking jump.
| "'Oh. well. thought I'd just brush by,
seeing as how I'm about due or there
abouts' said the voice. right cheeriy you
| know; and then 1 managed to wheel and
! catch the Chicago mans bland grin.
"'You win just by nose said 1. trying
| to look bithe. as l took the tickets and
| handed him over his gear Quite a little
| al at ha CT for oh
| oh. | dunno he replied. he put the
| stuff on. lust wanted to make you feel
some to the good, old man; that's all, see?
Real magma nimous o me, wasn't 1t, heyT
| And then he strolled out, beaming.
! 81 sure do just hate to get slaughtered in
the stretch and right on top of the wire
| that way" concluded the pawnbroker hui
morously.
| HAD A CONSCIENCE.
L -.