The Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Ark.) 190?-current, 1906-03-10
A TRUSTFUL MAN.

IN the HrSt place Wenkei reasoned
1t out on the doctrine of chances. He
figured that to steal the bicycle man
must want a machine OF that descrip-
ton very badly or be professional
sneak thief. Statistics as to the num-
Der of professional sneak thieves In
Chicago were hard to obtain, but ad-
hitting that there were, say, quite a
number of them, the extent of terri
tory within the city limits rendered
the chance about-well, the chance
was remote that one of them would
pass his hous IL Laburnum place be-
during which hours the danger OF
theft was most to be apprehended.
In the second place" said Wenkel,
people are, generally speaking and IN
the lump, honest"
That is all very we'll" said Mrs.
Wenkel, "but you won't talk like that
when you go down some fine morning
and find the wheel gone"
IF such a thing occurs will accept
the situation with my accustomed phil
osophy," said Wehkel in his superior
way. But you will see that it will not
occur"
Wenkel bought the bicycle early last
summer. The doctor recommended
1t as means of exercise.
He used to ride his wheel on the
boulevard for while every morning
and evening, and on returning carried
1t down into the basement, the en-
trance to which was under the steps
leading to the front door. In the
the descent to the basement and the
subsequent ascent palled upon him and
he fell into the habit of leaving the
bicycle at the front door during the
day. 1t was then Mrs. Wenkel began
her remonstrances. One morning she
came to him in a state Of mild excite
ment
My dear" she said, you left your
wheel out all night
What of it," asked Wenkel.
well, it's a wonder that no one
came along and stole it."
after that he began talking about ths
doctrine of chances.
Three or four days later he left the
wheel out again. He didn't do it in
tentionally, but when his next door
neighbor noticed il and commented on
it he allowed him to infer that he had
He sprang the doctrine of chances, OF
course, and added that distrust ii
public honesty was very bad thing
1T is when we show ourselves suspl-
cious of people and apprehensive OF
misconduct that we are most likely to
suffer from the things we fear" he
said
That's al right" said the neigh
Dor who was not philosophical But
you're a chump if you leave that wheel
out, all the same. It's too good to
lose"
II suppose 1t is all right to be care
full" said Wenkel, but | own that
the idea of locking everything up is
distasteful to me"
The following night and several
nights after that the bicycle was
locked in the basement. Then Wenkel
contented himself with allowing 1t to
lean against the basement door. The
door was rather troublesome to un-
lock Mrs. Wenkel discovered that he
was doing this and tried to persuade
him to carry the bicycle in, but his
only laughed at her fears.
She used to tell people about y
when they came to her house, and
everybody prophesied that the wheel
would be taken. Tut, tut!' Wenkel
would say People are honest in this
neighborhood.
We'll" the people would say, 4
know we'd hate to trust EN-" Where
upon Wenkel would be vaingloriouslD
pulled up
Riding the wheel finally got To be ar
old story and Wenkel discontinued IL
to great extent. but the wheel re-
NAMED in the basement entrano
where everybody passing in the street
could see it. The friends continued tc
demonstrate and so did the neighbor
but Wenkel maintained that he had
confidence in his fellow man.
One day while Wenkel was down.
town the neighbor passed and saluted
Mrs Wenkel. who was sitting on thu