Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1915-07-29
THAT OLD HIGH HAT
Headpiece Did Duty as a Bank,
and Did 1t Well.
convlVis. Gentleman Had Not In
tended It for the Purpose, and
Flash Of Memory Made Him
Richer by Neat Amount.

Misers' boards have been found in
all kinds of queer places. The expe-
rience OF Postmaster Habelton of
MarysVille, Mich, proves that a man
may bank money against his will and
be made right glad after many days.
The postmaster made a trip to Port
Huron to do some purchasing. That
was months ago. He took a 500
bill along to meet the proposed out
lay. After he had named everything
he needed and the articles were be-
ing wrapped up he looked for the
800 billiard looked in vain.
Search everywhere was made, in
garments and along the street to the
point where the postmaster had left
the i~nterurban car and then the car
itself. No trace of the bill was found
and the police department and the
sheriff were notified Of the loss. It.
made things a little inconvenient for
Mr.. Hazelton, because every man
can't lose $500 without having his
finances thrown out of adjustment.
After things had been arranged to
smooth over the loss the postmaster
placed a pencil in his vest pocket one
day, and noted its disappearance. He
investigated and found a hole. In
the search something crinkled. It
was the $500 bill. AS the postmaster
had adjusted himself to the loss he
called the situation ian absolute find
Of $100."
Mortimer Sheridan of Brooklyn
placed a $500 bill in the lining of his
high silk hat one night while with a
jolly birthday party. The next day
he was short the amount and abso-
lutely forgot about the high-hat Incl
dent After worrying a bit about it
he concluded to accept the loss philo-
sophically and say nothing to any
one.
Time went on. Sheridan only wore
the hat at state occasions, and these
did not often come to him. The hat
did him very nicely for five years
longer. For his daughters wedding
his wife persuaded him to buy a new
hat more in the mode.
The youth who delivered the new
high hat to Sheridan fingered until he
attracted attention. Finally he said:
If you haven't any use for that old
high hat, Mr.. Sheridan, I'd like to
take it along with me. I sell all the
old hats we get at the store to a Sec
ond-hand man"
Sure, you can have it," answered
Sheridan. It's been a good hat to me
in a general way, but every time I've
looked at it since l lost $500 a few
years ago l remember l had 1t on that
unlucky night. So, it's better out of
my sight"
well, wife, how do you like my
new beaver?" asked Sheridan afte-
the youth had left. In the converse
ton that followed Mrs. Sheridan
learned of the disposition of the old
hat.
Did you look in the lining of it?"
she asked archly. Il read the other
day of a man who always put his spare
change there so his wife would not
know where to find it when he got
home.
But Mrs. Sheridan had only reached
the word lining" before Mr.. Sheri-
dams recreant memory brought the
incident back in a great flood of recol-
lection. Wherever the remembrance
of it had been stored up only the sci
entists may say, but at any rate it
came to the owner of the old and
the new hat with an overwhelming
rush.
Without taking the trouble to re-
move his new high nat he bolted out
of the house in chase of his old one.
He caught the startled youth by the
arm three blocks down the avenue
and wrenched the old beaver from his
grip. Tearing the I've from the
box, he brought forth the hat he had
used as a bank and plunged his hand
in the lining. Withdrawing it his glad
dened eyer beheld the $500 bill
clutched between his fingers.
Here, son, here's $40 for you" he
said to the o~pen-mouthed youth, "and
you can't have the hat now. It's
been too good a bank. I'm going to
keep it for luck" And that hat still
hangs on the Sheridan hall rack
New York Sun.