Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-03-31
Better Luck Next Time
[Original.l

officiating at the wedding of my friend
Tony Raymond. When | returned he
was comfortably settled in his new
home, and | was invited to dine with
him and his wife. Being DESTROYS to
know how the wedding had passed
off, l encouraged them 10 give me the
particulars. Raymond turned the sub
ject, and Mrs. Raymond looked I'M
easy. When she left the table and us
to our cigars Raymond, pouring me
pony of brandy, said:
Eve had a bad slip on our wedding
day. Lucy doesn't seem to get over it.
Indeed, it made her i'll.
"The afternoon before my wedding
day my partner, Jim Dale, and shut
up the Office early and strolled uptown.
1 stopped at a BARRIERS to get shaved,
and at the door Jim asked me if he
should wait for me. At first 1 said
yes, but changed my mind.
I had forgotten | said, that Mark
ley & Co. are to send in 500 on their
account about 6 o'clock. / must go
back to the office
into the shop, 1 got my shave. after
which l returned to the Office.
AT a quarter before a young man
came in, asked for Raymond & Dale
and, upon my telling him that | was
Raymond, counted out 500 in bills,
took a receipt and left. 1 was about
to lock the Office door when very re-
spectacle old gentleman stopped me,
asking if I was Mr. Raymond. / re-
piled that / was and invited him in.
He seemed greatly agitated.
81 beg your pardon, sir, for detain-
ing you, but l would like to know if
my son has just paid you money for
account of Markley & Cor
Some one has just paid me $780,
''The old man seemed very much en-
barrassed, and / waited for him to go
on.
!" L knew it, he said presently, be
fore l asked you. l have been watch
ing him and saw him come in here. |
ana in great trouble about him. l fear
he will end by breaking his poor moth
er's heart. He has been gambling and
losing not only his own money, but
mine. His associates are Of the worst,
and | have reason to believe that re-
Gently he has become involved with
gang of counterfeiters.'
''Instinctively took out the bills the
young man had paid me and examined
them. They seemed all right, and l
handed one of them to the father,
whose hand trembled as he took it.
Thank heaven he said, it is all
right Then, going to a window, he
held it up to the light and after exam
lining it threw it on a desk and drop
ping into a chair buried his face in his
hands.
"'What is itY l asked uneasily.
1.-THE water line
"'What water liner
''In the paper. It is the same as a
counterfeit bill / found in my boys
ROOM Then starting up he dived into
his pockets, and, .grasping a roll of
bills, continued excitedly. Give me
the worthless money and take the good
notes. If you proceed against my hoy
we will be ruined, and it will kill his
mother. Keep the matter quiet, and l
can hold it over Henry to insure his
future good behavior
"Pity and desire to escape annoy
ance at such a time decided me. I
made the exchange. He pressed my
hand gratefully and departed.
Remembering several things that l
needed took two $40 bills of the mon
ey paid me and on my way home spent
them both. l passed the evening with
Lucy, making our final arrangements,
then went home to bed. The next
morning when / reached the Office q
stranger was waiting for me, with one
of the shopkeepers of whom l had
made purchases the evening before.
""That's the man. said the latter.
I'd know him anywhere by his hang
dog look
Mr.. Raymond said the other, you
are wanted at police headquarters
What fOrY
Passing counterfeit money
II was arrested at an hour when /
should have easily secured a prelimi-
nary examination at once but there
were SO many cases on the docket that
afternoon came and my case had not
been heard Fearful that l should have
to spend the night in a cell, l sent Jim
Dale to Lucy to break the news. You
can imagine the effect. Lucy tainted
and had to be put to bed with a quiet
ing drug. Fortunately at the last mo-
ment got hearing and, though was
held for trial, succeeded in getting bail
accepted about O'Clock in the after
NOON. Then l went to Lucy and thought
it best to tell her that had been mis-
taken for another man and the matter
was all settled. The wedding came off,
but you may imagine the affair cast an
ugly shadow over it.