The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1910-05-21
BRITISH :
CUTEuESS. ;
Tricks Played on a :
Yankee TenderfOOt ::
in London. :
q ##@@######## :

If there is any Yankee who think!
ne can sell wooden nutmegs to 6
Britisher nowadays he'd better CUES:
again. said an American who re
turned recently after working in Eu
rope for many years for New YORK
concern "Englishmen have profited
by lessons taught them until nova
days they do the other fellow.
when | was dumped in London for
the first time | went to live in apart
ments. There was a valet attached
to the apartments, a sleek, well fed
individual, whom i got to know ia
miliagly as Henry. l had never en-
joyed the luxury Of having a gentle
mans gentleman before, and when l
found that Henry would look after my
clothes for half crown (62 cents) a
week, l rejoiced, especially as they
needed pressing.
But no, Henry didn't press clothes.
Still there was a tailor near by
who did, and he would be glad to
take them there for me.
Il sent out my overcoat and my
best suit. Pressing these would have
cost me in New York about a dol
lar, or a dollar and a half at the
outside. When the clothes came back
a bill came with them almost a foot
long. Each garment was charged
for separately, and among the items
was sewing buttonhole, 3D.; sewing
on button, 3d. and so on. The total
was 1873. Cd. ($4.SD.
WELL" 1 gasped. "Take this back
to the tailor and tell him it is out
rageous," l told Henry He returned
and said the tailor said it was cor
rect. AS result Of what I told him
Henry went once more to the tail
or's and came back with the bill d.
minished to 1892. I was still far
from satisfied but sent the money. Az
ter l had done bit Of investigating
found shops where could have
similar work done for Is cents or
a dollar. The other tailor had look
ed at the labels in my clothes, and
soaked me just because I was a
bloomin' Yank.
"One day entered the gloomy Of
fees Of the apartments, and found
Henry much interested in a pile of
furs.
Don't you want to pick up fine
piece of sable cheap he asked me-
This man. indicating a low proved
individual and speaking in whisper,
Struggled over a beautiful sable
piece Of beaver too. A naval attache
was looking at them Just now and
was on the point Of buying them.
but he was called away. The man
IS asking ELS, but l think he will !
take ETA ($70).'
Now really did not want sable |
skin. hut thought it would be a
good investment. To my uneducat.
ID eyes the skins looked all right
n the gloom of q London back room
IN February day.
"If you haven't the money with
'ou,' said Henry, I can let you have
what you need and that decided me.
$50 I passed over to the skin mer-
liant fourteen golden sovereigns,
md finding the address of a real fur
lealer, l ordered the goods sent up
o him for storage. l fancied that
Vhen Henry closed the hall door and
TODD outside with the skin merchant ,
heard the chink Of coin, but paid |
10 attention to it until few days
ater when went up to the fur deal I
RS to congratulate myself on my I
r
Sable? Why. that is not sable
lid the dealer 1t is a common q
ariety Of musquash-what you call a
nuskrat In America. What is It g
'orth? About s15 in your money
Il had thought ! was getting five +
r six hundred dollars worth of val q
able furs. Well, if was hard to r
ay Henry what / owed him. He pro- r
ested his innocence but could not a
clip having suspicious. a
u could tell you other subsequent
experiences that befen me in London, O
III finally cut my wisdom teeth and
eep my eyes open. But don't let
ny American imagine he can 20 over
here and teach those Englishmen y
ny new skinning devices. They've a
OF most everything in that line c
New York Sun "