The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-08-31

''Then he can have the warehouse
And have it he did. The rent was
paid with beautiful regularity, and
three months had gone by and Mrs.
O'Toole had her diamond sunburst all
paid for. when she looks in the paper
one morning she utters a scream and
tails in a fit. She had seen that the
police had raided her warehouse for a
policy shop and given my name as the
owner and a partner. while Mr.. Crow
had been lugged off to police station.
1t all came out later on. I had been
deceived in the gentleman. He had
no skating rink. 1t was policy on every
floor, and he had been bold enough to
ask the Aldermen of the city to be-
come his customers. All the time that
I thought the rising generation was
careering around the floors on roller
skates and taking the best exc Else in
the world, Mr.. Crow was deceiving
with his gigs and saddles and encour-
aging this young and innocent to
crime.
had the reporters come to my
house. and 1 showed 'em the papers,
and made aff1davits, but the word of
/ could say would prevail. Mr.. Grow
had refused to divvy with them and
the blow descended. 1t will be remem-
bered that I was even arrested and
fined 5000. and that when my wife
stood up in court and wanted to tell
of the many virtues of her departed
mother she was told to sit down and
shut up For many years my reputa-
ton has suffered from the above, and
I now make this dying statement in
order to set the public right. The fact
that didn't know roller-skatinE from
policy is proof enough of my inno-
cence of heart. NY wife has been
charged to lay a copy of this newspa-
per on my grave, so that all who see
my monument may read and do me
Justice.
A year after the policy affair my
wife disposed of her warehouse and
took another building in exchange. I
was about to 1T it up as a place where
young men who wanted to read the
Scriptures could drop in and do so
when a gentleman named Corners
came to me and said:
Jimmie, about that place of yours
down town. I'm Wall street broker.
you know. When I'm not shearing the
lambs I'd like some quiet place to re-
tire to and commit the Ten Command
ments to heart. There are others like
prayer-meeting at the noon hour.
Your building is a convenient one and
I'd like to rent IT."
It'll speak to my wife and you can
call again. says I, and I did the
speaking.
I'VE want no more policy in ours"
replies Mrs. O'Toole. "Can the gentle
man give reference as to character?"
He can, says /. His looks show
that he is a praying man and it's
the looks of him that have taken more
than one lamb in and left him dead
broke. If the time has come when the
brokers of Wall street want to learn
the Commandments and live by EN-.
II is not for the O'Toole family to lay
a straw in their way. They can hold
three daily prayer-meetings If they so
desire. and the rent will be the same
as for one. Wen give Heaven whole
sale rates on IT.
Mr. Corners and myself came to
terms about the rent and he started
his medftations and prayer ceilings.
Only two weeks had passed when the
police captain of that precinct comes
r., me and holds out his hand and
says:
Ten dollars a week. Jimmy. and
you owe for two weeks
For what?' says I.
For the prayer meetings and the
meditations in your building down
.ewn-"