Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1909-10-06
A CANADIAN DIME.
The Attempts Of the Man Who Had
One to Get Rid Ct II.

The Attempts OF the Man Who hao
One to Get Rid Ct II.
Have you ever found a Canadian
lime in your pocket2 1t is as
hard to account for as the descent
of man. When Binks found one
among a pocketful of change he
swore by the doctrine of special
creation that some mystic mint
must have coined it right there.
But wton he Jared his front teeth
putting it to the orthodox test for
all coins suspected of supernatural
origin he abandoned his faith and
cursed the missing link.
His first thought had been to
cherish the mysterious little stran-
ger, but the Darwinian hypothesis
knocked all the romance out of it.
lie began to reason himself down
step by step to the depths Of mean
ness and ultimate superstition.
"Do others as they do you" That
sounded like the maxim his mother
taught him long ago. He would be
another missing link in the descent
of the dime. Besides, he would
probably pass it along by mistake
before evening.
But he didn't know the character
of the Canadian dime abroad. It'll
creep into your pocket with all the
modesty it has in its Canadian
home. Once there, however, it be-
comes as obtrusive as a buzz car
among buggies. The good Ameri-
can dimes seem to fly from it. Every
time Binks pulled dime out of his
pocket, try as he would to treat it
indiiferently, his eye was caught by
the royal smile of King Edward. 1t
seemed to catch other peoples eyes
too. Everybody seemed to look at
him as if he we're professional
counterfeiter. So he carried it home
that night.
The boy with the laundry follow
ed him into his room. Here was an
opportunity. He had often noticed
foreign coins, slick nickels, clipped
quarters and other doubtful pieces
among the handful of change that
boy pulled out to break his bills
with. So he put the exact amount
Of his debt together, including the
Canadian dime-he didn't have to
look for it-and handed it to the
boy. The boy looked it over care
fully.
"Give We nickel for this" he
said, holding up the dime, with
smile.
This made Binks mad. Was such
dishonesty possible - to deliber-
ately buy bad money cheap, with
the obvious intention of passing it
at its face value? He couldn't en-
courage that. So he took the dime
back.
But he was a changed man. No
thought of unconscious gain were
in his mind. The wicked designs
of that youth had undermined his
proud virtue. He deliberately put
the dime aside-in separate pocket,
resolved TO use it for a tip to the
waiter at lunch. 1t was mean, and
he knew it, but the case was desper-
ate.
"Thank you, sir" said the waiter
as he slipped it in his pocket.
Binks never knew whether the
man looked at it. That was what
worried him in the sequel. But he
was so pleased with himself that he
loitered at the pay counter and
bought himself a good cigar. While
he was lighting it the cashier ap-
preached him with an apologize air.
T'm afraid l short changed you."
she said, and gave him 10 cents,
"You see, the bill was"- And she
went through disconcerting calcu-
lation.
aWhen l got home that night"
Binks tells, 81 nearly had a fit.
There it was-a Canadian dime. l
remember that waiter smiled ON
inously as / left the restaurant, but
don't think that accounts for it.
Canadian dimes are epidemic. |
carry one about with me now-vac-
cination, you know" -Kansas City
Times.