The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-02-02
He Needed
Credit
BY EDWARD L. BARKER

/ Jim Follansbie and / were in Lon
don waiting for remittance thai
didn't come. What was the matter
did not know, but / didn't get the
money. Jim was strapped and de
! pending on me to help him out. had
4 arranged for certain sums to be sent
me periodically, and they had come all
I right except this last one,
Were you ever in a strange land
without money or credit? Well, it's a
mighty mean feeling. We hired room
which we paid for in advance for a
week, and this left us IL shillings for
meals for that period. expected sure
/ ly that my draft would come within
seven days at most, and then / should
have all j needed for both of us. But
I the mail steamers continued to come
in one after another and no remit
lance. put off the person who rented
us the room. but couldn't induce any
one to trust me for a meal Jim and
j both got SO lean and hungry that our
own mothers wouldn't have known us.
One evening when we were pretty
y near starved said to Jim, Jim, I'm
I going to have a bang up good dinner"
I'D like TO know where you're 60
tng to get It," said Jim.
And I'm going TO take you in too"
THAT'S very good of you. Only /
don't want any Barmecide feasts just
I'm, ho af he
thing"
"Shut up and listen"
developed my plan to him. I re-
served for myself the leading role, and
Jim didn't like playing low down
4 part. but he was hungry enough to
steal baby's bottle. SO he consented.
\ About Z o'clock I went into a nice
little restaurant on side street where
hobbies" weren't very frequent and
hanging UP my overcoat, sat down to
a table and ordered pretty nearly ev-
erything on the bill. / ordered tur-
tie soup, fried sole, cut of South
down mutton English mutton's Jim
dandy, you know-and l just told the
waiter to bring me all the entrees
there were six of 'em--and quart bot
tie of ale. You see, was so hollow
that / needed all these dishes to fill
me up.
That was a dinner I've never forgot
ten. Every time | get awfully hungry
! eat it over again--in imagination.
When I'd got through with the sub
stantials / topped off with an English
plum pudding, washed down with
some real port-the real stuff that the
mobility drinks-and ordered a cup of
coffee.
Having satisfied hunger that had
been accommodating for week. stroll
ed up to the cashiers desk, where the
proprietor himself sat behind a cigar
counter. had picked out shilling
cigar and was cutting of the end pre-
paratory to lighting it when heard
voice close beside me say:
"Mr. Marston, this is the luckiest
meeting for me in the world
/ turned and there was Jim beam
ing on me as happy and as innocent
looking as six-year-old boy.
You have the advantage of me,
SIR"
you haven't the advantage of me.
I know you for Edwin Marston, head
of the firm of Marston, Plunkett &
Co., bankers, Wall street, New York.
i once kept an account at your house.
My names Follansbee"-that was the
only truth in the whole tale-"and
repeat I'm lucky to meet you, for I've
spent all my money and am waiting
for remittance. You must help me
out"
'"I don't remember you, sir" re-
piled, ''but I'll not see fellow coun-
tryman in a strange land In need of
friends. How much do you wantT
"Oh, ESQ will do. But. say,
haven't dined and need a sovereign
for dinner right Off"
go right over there to that table and
order what you like"
Jim sat down at table, and don't
think he left anything on the menu
unordered. If he did it wasn't any
thing more succulent than herring.
i stood by the landlord putting my CT
gar
w BcH ne las uuu HIS uluHtf, soiu,
"just make one bill of it ALL" Then
went on to tell him that our firm did
such large business that couldn't
remember everybody who dealt with
us or who knew me. / sometimes got
swindled, admitted, by people who
said they knew me and whom i didn't |
know, but I'd rather get stuck for f100
now and then than refuse one of 'em.
The landlord had dabbled little in
Americans" and asked me about sew
eral railway companies in which he
had shares. I didn't happen to know
about any of them. but told him so
much about each one that Jim had
plenty of time to eat his dinner. / |
was leaning over the counter with
my back to my friend, the landlord fac
ing him. Suddenly the landlord cried
out to me:
That fellows going out"
I was bound to finish what l was
saying. There was Jim near the door.
He's stealing your overcoatF' cried
the landlord as Jim unlocked the coat. |
i With an imprecation l ran to save
any coat and down the street after the
thief